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January 28, 2016 · 10:24 am

Enter to Win a 3-Month Subscription to Kiwi Crate!

We are huge fans of Kiwi Crate here on the KFDC home front. But if you’ve been reading the blog for awhile (or even a short time) you probably already knew that. I started recommending the monthly activity boxes for kids a few years ago after my mom surprised Owen and Sasha with a subscription, and I raved about them as recently as this past holiday season when they topped the KFDC Gift Guide.

But in case you’re a new reader or just haven’t heard of Kiwi Crate yet, here’s the gist: Every month, a box with all the materials and inspiration needed for a project is delivered. It’s a new theme each time, and the kit includes supplies, a little magazine with background info about the theme, and ideas for kids to build on when their project is complete.

Experimenting with color

It started with just Kiwi Crate, mostly creative craft projects for children. Now, there are four kinds of boxes available. Koala Crate includes play and learn activities for ages 3-4. Kiwi Crate has the creative and educational projects for ages 5-8. Doodle Crate contains art and design DIY’s for ages 9-16+. And Tinker Crate has hands-on STEM-focused projects for ages 9-16+. 2020 Update: There are even more boxes now!

Sasha still receives the Kiwi Crate and has made all kinds of cute crafts and fun games. Owen started getting Tinker Crate last year and has conducted interesting experiments and built some pretty neat gadgets, like a trebuchet and a drawbot. And, for the most part, both of them can follow the instructions and complete the projects on their own — though I find it fun to work on them, too!

Setting up a drip migration system and learning about hydroponics

If you’re interested in trying out Kiwi Crate for yourself, now is a great time to do so. KidFriendly DC readers can get 30% off the first month’s subscription to any of Kiwi Crate’s four products. You can also try to win a 3-month subscription through the giveaway below!

Giveaway: Want a chance to win a 3-month subscription to one of Kiwi Crate’s products? Simply leave a comment below telling me your child’s favorite artsy activity. To be eligible, you must also “like” KidFriendly DC on Facebook and subscribe to the blog (sign-up is to the left). The giveaway will run until next Thursday, February 4, then a winner will be drawn at random and notified shortly thereafter. Good luck!

Disclosure: KidFriendly DC is an affiliate of Kiwi Crate, however, all views expressed here are entirely my own.

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Filed under Discount, Giveaway, Product, Product Review

Tagged as Giveaway, Kiwi Crate, Tinker Crate

December 5, 2012 · 12:08 pm

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.