Kiwi Crate Introduces Subscription Boxes For Older Kids
Kiwi Crate Expands Offering With Subscription Boxes For Toddlers and Big Kids
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It's been three years since Kiwi Crate entered our lives, delivering cool boxes filled with inspirational and educational arts and crafts projects to our doorstep each month. But as our kids have grown, they've kind of outgrown the projects (which are designed for kids ages 4-8 years) — until today. That's right, the company that really revolutionized crafting in my home is introducing three new members of its family — one box for preschoolers and two for tweens.
Recognizing that creativity and exploration don't start at 4 and end at 8, the company is expanding its reach with subscription boxes that encourage both younger and older children to explore on their own. For preschoolers, the Koala Box includes age-appropriate projects that introduce concepts like colors and modes of transportation. For tweens, the Doodle Box is packed with crafting projects, while the Tinker Box is filled with science, technology, engineering, and math concepts designed to teach kids how to build simple machines.
Read on for all of the details and a sneak peek into the boxes. And remember: a subscription is the gift that keeps on giving during the holiday season!
Doodle Crate
For girls who think they're too old for Kiwi Crate, the company is introducing Doodle Crate ($17), a crafting box for girls ages 9-16. Each box comes with materials to create one project, such as the geometric canvas pouches shown here. This box has two pouches, materials for decorating them (paint, brushes, washi tape, pom-pom yarn, etc.), an instruction guide to teach new techniques, and links to videos where girls can see the techniques in motion. Each box is designed to teach DIYers new techniques that they can do themselves. With Doodle Crate, young DIYers can create finished products that they will want to use or gift — not leave laying around for Mom to clean up!
Koala Crate
Designed for kids ages 3-4 in conjunction with Highlights for Children, Koala Crate is filled with age- and developmentally-appropriate projects for preschoolers. Each box is filled with crafts (think coloring projects) and lessons (think introduction to new materials) that encourage hands-on learning. There are also tools that can be used beyond the boxes (in this case, a cube designed for a real-world color scavenger hunt). The learning and exploring continue within the included Imagine Magazine created by Highlights (think games, word finds, cartoons, and more). Unlike the signature Kiwi Crate, the activities in the Koala Crate can be done completely by younger tots (under adult supervision).
Tinker Crate
Kiwi Crate will enter the STEM education genre with the introduction of the Tinker Crate ($17) for kids ages 9-14. These boxes are filled with projects that encourage problem-solving skills while kids create things like trebuchets and motors following step-by-step (and age-appropriate) instructions. While the projects sound complicated, they're anything but! They're designed to build confidence and encourage kids without frustrating them. Each month, a box will arrive with all of the materials kids need to complete the project and a blueprint for getting there. An accompanying magazine, called Tinker Zine, features cartoon strips, science-based stories, and additional activities kids can do with their completed projects. And should they get stuck while building their creation, there's a toll-free number they can call for help!
