Get Crafty with Kiwi Crate

Kiwi Crate's box full of DIY fun

There’s a reason why I write about exploring DC with the kids.  Well, there are actually many, but this one is sort of significant:  I am not crafty.  At all.

Sure, I keep basic supplies around for my kids, and they use it frequently enough, but getting them involved in big art projects is not my forte. What I do enjoy (and do pretty well, if I do say so myself) is getting out of the house and discovering new places and activities and taking advantage of the wealth of fun, enriching recreational pursuits available around the DC area. I loved doing that during the many years I lived here before I had kids and, in a lot of ways, I cherish it even more with them. Hence, KidFriendly DC.

All you need to create rhythm bell bracelets

But back to the crafty thing. Earlier this year, the kids received a green shoebox-sized package in the mail out of the blue. I had no idea what was inside; the return label just said Kiwi Crate, which I’d never of heard before. We curiously opened the box to discover its tidily bundled contents — a box full of supplies and instructions to create two adorable crafts.

Easy peasy instructions and more

Normally, a container of random art supplies might intimidate me (what in the world do I do with it all?!), but not this box.  On the inside of the lid were pictures of the two crafts to make, and just under a neat layer of tissue paper were small booklets with step-by-step instructions on how to make each one.  The box was divided into two halves, and each side contained two sets (one for each of my kids) of every bit of supplies needed to make each project.  That, I could handle.

Sasha colors her bracelet beads

Voilà! The finished product.

It turned out the Kiwi Crates were a surprise from my mom (which we discovered from a card inside), and the kids have been anticipating their monthly box of hands-on fun for about eight months now.  And while I can’t remember what was in that first box, we’ve made all kinds of cool crafts since then — robots that move with magnets, cardboard vehicles that roll around, shadow puppets (that even came with little flashlights), kaleidoscopes (my favorite), rhythm bells bracelets, a xylophone, and more.

Results of the latest box: xylophone and bells

Kaleidoscope is our coolest creation (IMO)

Each box has a theme — music, robot rally, shadow & light are a few we’ve enjoyed.  And the booklets also include “things to think about” that relate to the crafts as well as ideas for other things to make with the materials or variations on some of the steps for kids who like to take their crafting up a notch.

Shadow puppets are a ton of fun

The robots included magnets to have a robot rally

With the holidays coming up, I wanted to give a shout-out to Kiwi Crate, a product/service that I think would make a fantastic gift for kids (and parents) of all degrees of craftiness.  Getting out and exploring definitely is still my strong suit when it comes to activities with my babes, but I’m quite proud of my Sasha’s paper kaleidoscope, too.

Kiwi Crate offers a variety of subscriptions, starting at $19.95 a month. They currently have a December sale going on — $5 off a 3, 6, or 12-month subscription — just use the code GIFT to get the savings.