Have you heard of Kiwi Crate? I’ve had the pleasure of knowing this smart, forward-thinking start-up since its early days, and I can’t tell you how proud I am to be associated with them.
I’m a DIY-kind-of-gal, but I also recognize that a lot of my readers don’t have the time to make everything from scratch. And that’s where Kiwi Crate comes in. For $19.95/month, Kiwi Crate delivers a set of thematic hands-on projects (ages 3-6) that even I can’t help but swoon over.
When the charming + thoughtfully packaged crate arrived, N was eager to dig in to all of the three projects. At once. And it took everything in me to curb her enthusiasm and slowly work our way through the crate.
The crate I’m sharing today happens to be about color, but the variety of themes will keep you and your kids interested as they vary each month from Dinosaurs to Outer Space (see this beautifully photographed review for a peek at both) to Gardening. Fun!
As someone who once wrote and designed lesson plans for art museums, I’m impressed with how Kiwi Crate has designed their packaging. The instructions are simple, clear, and well-illustrated, and the materials are wrapped up beautifully like a box of gifts. Since N was beyond excited to open the box and wanted to get started right away, I guess that says it all.
Project #1: sun catchers with colorful transparent plastic.
Sun catchers were already a popular activity in our home, but Kiwi Crate took it to another level with pre-cut mat board frames and contact paper, cut-to-size. The set-up was easy, clean up was a snap, and once N was done her sun catchers were ready to display. She enjoyed propping up and admiring her handiwork as we worked on another project.
Project #2: Color-mixing spinners.
The spinners they included are made of wood and far more beautiful than anything I’ve been able to find. They included pre-cut circular paper discs and a full marker set for her to decorate.
Her spinners, ready to go!
Color mixing at work! This was by far my daughter’s favorite project.
Project #3: Bleeding tissue paper bag
While N’s excitement for the crate could have blown through all the projects in one sitting, I saved this for another day. This sweet little kid-sized cotton tote came as a bonus project. The instructions asked us to soak it in water, lay squares of pre-cut bleeding tissue paper on the bag, and add more water to transfer the ink from the tissues to the bag. We let it dry overnight, and had a nice little tote bag for storing our park snacks in. A couple weeks after making this, I had an event at Kiwi Crate. N ran to get the bag, telling me that I had to carry my wallet and keys in it so they could see how we made it. Awwww. They were impressed.
If you’re looking for an experience-based, process-oriented gift for a child in your life, or thoughtfully curated projects that can save you planning time, Kiwi Crate subscriptions are 3, 6, or 12 months and shipping is free. And I just noticed that if you sign up for a year, you get one month free!
Kiwi Crate also has a Blog and a Facebook page that are both worth following for more good ideas and company updates.
What themes would you like to see in a Kiwi Crate? Could you go for a little Kiwi Crate magic?
Note: I’ve been an advisor to Kiwi Crate since May 2011.
Wow, I haven’t seen this before! Â Very cool!!! Â I wish I had known about it a few years ago although my 6 year old, craft-loving daughter might still enjoy! Â Thanks for sharing!!!
Hi Ann, Yes, even though it’s technically geared toward kids 3-6, I bet your daughter would like this.Â
Do they ship to New Zealand? I would love to do this with my son. He’d love to do the dinosaur one and I hope they have a knight one too!
It sounds like they should ship to New Zealand, but for now it’s just U.S. deliveries. If you’re interested, drop them a note on their Facebook page and you’ll be the first to know when they’re in NZ 🙂
How cool! Â I wish I could afford to order one and try it out but unfortunately my husband has been laid off for over a year and go figure just as the job offers comes in he gets activated and deployed. Maybe if he can get a job this year we can try these out!
I was also a bit skeptical when I first heard about Kiwi Crate-I stay at home and could put these projects together for much less. But they offered a deal on a groupon like site and my mother grabbed it as a Christmas gift. We got the first box and I cannot stop gushing about it! It’s put together SO nicely-the directions are amazing and include every tid bit and detail you would need. It exceeded every expectation I had (and I was an elementary school teacher). I’m not sure we are going to continue once the gift of 3 months is up, but if you have the resources, this is an AWESOME idea!
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