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When I took the plunge to go part-time at work to be with my kids more, I was honestly a little nervous about them spending less time at daycare. That may sound silly, but I know at daycare they were doing crafts, socializing, using their imagination, and learning age appropriate things. I was worried I would get complacent and they would get too much TV or something.
When I saw advertisements for KiwiCo, I was instantly intrigued. It looked like a fun treat for me to do with my young kids where they would use their creativity and even learn some STEAM skills! They have different levels of crates for different ages, but this KiwiCo Tadpole Crate review will focus on the crate for the youngest age group (0-2).
What is KiwiCo?
KiwiCo is a company made up of a team of educators, engineers, scientists, and creative individuals. They are passionate about creating innovative activities for kids that help develop STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, & math) skills.
The KiwiCo monthly subscription boxes send a science and/or art activity for kids. There are so many boxes to choose from depending on the age of your child.
The boxes include high-quality & beautiful materials that are purposefully designed with instructions for engaging activities.
Crate Options
KiwiCo has SEVEN different lines to choose from! This makes finding a crate that is appropriate for your child much easier. Check out the video below to get a general idea of what some projects might be under these lines:
The line for the youngest kids (age 0-2) and the line that most of this post will be reviewing is the Tadpole Crate. These are developmentally appropriate, fun, and adorable projects for young toddlers!
The next line is the Koala Crate for ages 3-4. These crates have wonderful projects to help preschoolers explore animals, music, and other fun parts of our world.
The Kiwi Crate is for ages 5-8. This crate subscription gets much more into engineering than the other crates for the younger children do. However, there are still fun projects that relate to animals, physics, or other concepts. My oldest is now ready for this crate, and I’d love to get this for him!
The Atlas Crate is for ages 6-11. This is a geography focused crate that helps children learn about other cultures through fun activities and projects.
The Doodle Crate is for ages 9-16+. This crate includes more advanced art activities for really hands-on kids. They will learn new techniques for creating beautiful pieces.
The Tinker Crate is for ages 9-16+. KiwiCo deemed this the Laboratory of STEM projects! This crate also comes with online tutorials to help out. This is a great option for kids that have a knack for engineering concepts and need some enrichment or a challenge.
Finally, the Eureka Crate is the highest level of crate for ages 14 on up through adulthood. This crate sparks lots of hands-on creativity and building of functional projects, including a desk lamp or ukulele!
Tadpole Crate Description
The Tadpole Crate is the focus of this review and is the crate designed for the youngest kids. All crates ship out within 2 days of placing your subscription order, so we got it fairly quickly.
I was excited to open it and see the cute, quality materials. This one was called “Ocean Games”.
I love that there is very little plastic in these crates (outside of some packaging). I’m sure all crates vary, but you will not be opening a box of cheap materials even if future boxes have more plastic than this one.
This included a wooden fishing pole, felt sea animals, some game pieces, a book, materials for an art project, and a little canvas play mat/storage bag.
We did the art project first. It came with two choices: a fish or a turtle. You put colored tissue paper on the sticky backing to make some scales. My oldest son also loved this activity, and I loved that there were two choices so they could both do one.
Their final product was adorable! They loved this activity so much. While it was a very easy art project (because it’s meant for ages 0-2!), my 5-year-old really got into it, too.
After doing the art project, we played some ocean games. This box came with instructions for a couple different games and variations of them. These games work on skills such as sorting by color or type of animal.
Their final product was adorable! They loved this activity so much. While it was a very easy art project (because it’s meant for ages 0-2!), my 5-year-old really got into it, too.
After doing the art project, we played some ocean games. This box came with instructions for a couple different games and variations of them. These games work on skills such as sorting by color or type of animal.
Overall, the kids had a lot of fun with this great and I enjoyed trying something new with them. While the art project was a one-time-use sort of thing, the game can be played over and over again.
Pros & Cons of the Tadpole Crate
Here are the pros and cons I see with the Tadpole Crate:
Pros:
- Fun activities you know provide enrichment for your child.
- Research-based and developmentally appropriate.
- Products made from quality materials.
- Would be great for homeschooling families (though this would apply more to the older kid crates!)
- Canceling the subscription is easy and can be done through your account on the website, or by sending an email.
Cons:
- Costs about $20/month (can save a bit of money if you choose a longer term subscription)–not terribly expensive, but a recurring cost nonetheless.
- Don’t get to choose your activities. This may be fun for some, but drive others crazy!
Who Is It For & Where To Get It
There is a KiwiCo crate for literally ANY age! The Tadpole crate is specifically for ages 0-2, but I will be honest and say I don’t think your child will get much value out of it until at least age 1. After that, it probably depends on where your child is developmentally.
The activities we did in the Ocean Games box were a hit with my son who just turned 2, and even my 5-year-old enjoyed them. I think these activities would have been fun and appropriate long before my son turned 2, as well. I just think before the age of 1, they might enjoy parts of it but not all of it.
Get the Tadpole Crate (or any KiwiCo Crate!) at the KiwiCo website. I can’t wait to try out the Kiwi Crate next with my 5-year-old!
Going to give the Tadpole Crate a try? If not, which KiwiCo crate do you want to try with your family? Let me know in the comments!
Ive done subscription boxes before for different things, but never for something like this. Seems pretty interesting, and something my niece and nephew might enjoy (5 yrs old). I am a STEAM teacher and I love that some of the activities are built around this. Engineering helps in so many areas and creativity. The more kids can get into it I think the more well rounded they will be. This definitely seems like a product to look into. Thanks!
Thanks! It’s a great product!