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KiwiCo is a monthly subscription box that delivers high-quality products to your door with an emphasis on education and discovery. They have subscription boxes to suit babies through to adults and they are so much fun! Read our honest KiwiCo review sharing our experience with several of the different Kiwi Crates to help you decide if there is one right for your family.
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Our KiwiCo Review: The Subscription Box That Isn’t Just For Kids
For the purpose of this review, we were sent several different KiwiCo Crates to try, however, we were subscribers prior to this time and have experienced some of the crates prior to this review, so all opinions are certainly our own. We are huge KiwiCo fans!
In fact, it’s safe to say KiwiCo is our favourite educational subscription box and not just because it entertains the kids. There is just as much to entertain adults as well.
Sometimes I think I’m more excited than anyone when they arrive on the doorstep each month!
In a hurry? Here’s our Kiwi Crate review summary:
- Crates to suit every age
- High-quality materials that last
- Focused on STEAM principals
- Encourages creativity, innovation and enquiry
- Subscribe for longer and save or buy month to month subscription
- Single project options are available
- Free shipping in the United States
- Ships internationally – quick shipping to Australia (woohoo)
- Affordable
- Perfect for families or as gifts
Cons? There aren’t any we can have experienced personally although if you live outside the USA you will have to pay shipping on top of your subscription service.
For young kids, they are more so guided activities than independent activities, in case you’re looking for something they can do on their own.
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A Little Background On KiwiCo
KiwiCo, formerly Kiwi Crate, was founded by an engineer and mum of 3. The CEO of KiwiCo, Sandra Oh Lin, believes that creative confidence helps kids think BIG and act like creators and producers instead of just consumers.
Since their humble beginnings, there have been more than 25 million crates shipped to 40 different countries around the world.
KiwiCo has won many awards for innovation, design and toy categories.
Each project is tested extensively for 1000 hours before it can be sent out to subscribers. This includes getting tested by kids and getting feedback from the people who really matter!
How To Experience KiwiCo
There are two main ways you can experience KiwiCo crates – through a monthly subscription or by purchasing single project boxes.
The monthly subscriptions can be changed at any time (before the monthly cut off) to a different type of crate or they can be cancelled at any time too, which means you’re not locked into one interest area.
Subscriptions are available month to month or pre-pay for 1, 3, 6 or 12 months. You get bigger savings when you pre-pay too!
Or you can shop from their online store and grab fun project boxes or bundles to complete at leisure. This is especially fun during the holidays when they have seasonal projects available.
Who Is KiwiCo For?
KiwiCo subscription boxes and projects offer some of the most diverse activities of any subscription box service. As for age ranges, they are for pretty much anyone who wants to learn something new.
There are crates for babies, kids, teenagers and big kids (like me).
We’ve had experience with several of the different KiwiCrates now but really love the Atlas Crate and Tinker Crate the most.
So is KiwiCo just for kids? Heck no!
You can definitely KiwiCo for adults and teenagers too with several options targeted to older people looking for fun new monthly activities to challenge the brain and inspire creativity.
The Different KiwiCo Subscription Boxes
KiwiCo offers a huge range of different types of boxes, each with its own special focus and age range.
You can find everything from art & design, science, engineering, craft, geography and even cooking! There is a Kiwi crate for everyone!
Here are the different KiwiCo crate options with a summary to help you decide the best option:
Panda Crate – Ages 0-24 Months
Panda Crate is packed with infant development activities and early language learning.
With age-appropriate toys and activities that help you bond with your child, the Panda Crate is a perfect option to gift new parents or for anyone looking to add new ways to play with their baby or toddler.
To sign up for a Panda Cate, your child’s birth date or due date is required, so KiwiCo can send a stage-specific box for your little one every second month. The stages include:
- 0-2 months: Bond with me
- 3-6 months: Sense with me
- 7-12 months: Explore with me
- 13-18 months: Count with me
- 19-24 months: Discover with me
Koala Crate – Ages 2-4 Years
Koala Crate is designed to inspire young children through play and exploration. It encourages them to be curious, creative and resourceful.
There is a guide for parents as well as online tutorials to support learning and play. Each Koala Crate includes materials for 2-3 monthly projects.
You will also be provided with online DIY projects to try in between your monthly subscription boxes.
The activities in the Kiwi Crate are designed to encourage your child’s love of learning and facilitate an opportunity for family bonding as you work together on each project.
The skills developed through each project are:
- Early literacy & math concepts
- Fine motor practice
- Creativity & imagination
- Problem-solving & critical thinking
Kiwi Crate – Ages 5-8 years
The original, Kiwi Crate, is designed to help kids unleash their creativity and explore the world around them, through play, science and art. It includes materials for at least 2 KiwiCo every month, including guided activities and open-ended play.
Each Kiwi Crate comes with a guide for parents, which includes step-by-step instruction and additional learning activities to support the monthly projects.
The activities in the Kiwi Crate are designed to encourage your child’s love of learning and facilitate an opportunity for family bonding as you work together on each project.
Atlas Crate – Ages 6-11 years
One of our personal favourites and the first crate we subscribed to at a time when we could not travel. Atlas Crate, is a geography subscription box encouraging curiosity about the world.
It encourages children to explore and learn about new places through themed creative projects, cool fact cards and world cultures from home. This is the ultimate armchair travel subscription box!
Each Atlas Crate includes materials for at least two monthly projects.
Each month includes 7 Atlas Cards each month to add to your Adventure Book (this comes with your first box – the World Crate). These include highlights on geography, customs, history, landmarks and food.
There is also a recipe to try together as a way of making your fun last even longer.
Yummy Crate – Ages 6-14 years
Yummy Crate is the newest in the Kiwi Crate lineup, designed to encourage children’s passion for cooking and baking through STEAM activities.
It includes (3 kid-tested & approved) recipes each month, fun food facts and a parent guide with the ingredients shopping list. Kids can discover the science of cooking and learn essential life skills in the kitchen at the same time!
Basic cooking skills are essential for everyone and this subscription box is a great way to learn the basics of cooking together with your kids. The hands-on experience will give them confidence in the kitchen.
Doodle Crate – Ages 14+ years
Doodle Crate is a creative subscription box designed to inspire young adults or grown-ups with projects from doodling and journaling, to wearable crafts.
Doodle Crate includes materials for monthly projects that encourage creativity, self-expression and exploration of interests through craft activities. Build creative confidence with new materials and a different them each time.
There are video tutorials to support learning and all the tools you need to complete your craft box projects.
Tinker Crate – Ages 9-16+ years
Tinker Crate is a STEAM monthly box designed to inspire older kids and young adults through hands-on STEM concepts in technology, engineering and science.
It includes materials for one extensive monthly project that encourages exploration with blueprint instructions and online tutorials.
Each Tinker Crate project is inspired by a real-world concern and builds confidence and innovation skills. It’s also a fun way to encourage your child’s interest in science at home!
This is also a fantastic option for supporting learning at home for homeschooling families, as are any of the KiwiCo boxes.
Maker Crate – Ages 14+
Maker Crate is designed to encourage creativity, invention and exploration through hands-on projects in art and design.
It includes materials for one project each month that allows young adults and older individuals to take on new challenges and learn brand new skills they can apply again beyond their Maker Crate experience.
This monthly craft box is a great way for new crafters and experienced makers to learn new techniques and draw inspiration from real designs so they can take pride in their artistic visions, all while having lots of fun doing it.
Eureka Crate – Ages 14+
Eureka Crate is a STEM subscription box designed to inspire teenagers and adults with hands-on projects in science, engineering and invention.
It includes materials for one project each month that encourages exploration of a specific design concept through blueprint instructions and online tutorials. This is the ultimate crate for anyone who aspires to be an inventor.
Each Eureka Crate project also comes with a real-world problem and the opportunity to develop solutions that can be applied in everyday life.
This is a great way to support homeschooling families of high school-aged children and develop the next generation of innovators.
How Much Does KiwiCo Cost?
KiwiCo subscription crate prices vary depending on the specific box you choose. The Koala, Atlas, Kiwi, Yummy and Doodle Crate are $22.95 USD per month ($31.49 AUD) or $17.50 USD per month for a 12-month subscription.
The Maker Crate and Eureka Crate are $19.98 $31.95 USD per month ($43.84 AUD) or $25.95 USD per month for a 12-month subscription.
If you live within the United States, your subscription will be shipped for free! If you are outside of the USA, you will need to pay shipping on top of your subscription costs, however, they are quite reasonable.
International shipping takes between 7 and 14 business days. We found shipping times surprisingly fast to Australia, typically taking around 1 week to arrive.
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Our Experience – What Makes KiwiCo Different From Other STEM Subscription Boxes?
We have tried a fair few different subscription boxes targeting kids activities and STEM concepts and KiwiCo is the one we have chosen to subscribe to long term.
One of the biggest reasons for this is the quality of materials.
They are definitely superior in comparison to other experiences we have had where projects may bring fun for a few hours and that’s it. With KiwiCo, the projects have lasted for hours of play after their creation.
We have loved the different projects and how easily they have come together, with thorough step by step instructions and tutorials.
Plus each month brings such different projects keeping it fresh and fun.
The other thing we love is the fact you can switch between crate types each month with ease, giving you the opportunity to try out the different types of projects to suit different kids ages without having to buy a new subscription.
KiwiCo is the only subscription box designed for people of all ages with open-ended, educational projects that encourage children to explore new skills and concepts.
Final Thoughts: Our KiwiCo Review
We are huge fans of KiwiCo. While we do sometimes subscribe to other subscription boxes as a trial, KiwiCo is the one we come back to.
Our two girls absolutely love when the boxes arrive and they have so much fun working together, with a little help from me, to put together their new month’s project or learn about a different country together, planning a future trip we can take there.
It is a lot of fun and the activities can be done in one sitting or over a few creating sessions, so busy parents have time to fit in time to join in and help their kids out.
Plus they use quality materials that can be played with or used beyond the day they are made.
KiwiCo monthly crate subscriptions are a great gift idea for kids or adults!
Do we recommend KiwiCo? Absolutely!
If you want to read more KiwiCo reviews, visit their website reviews page.
FIND OUT MORE & GET THE BONUS OFFER: GET 30% OFF SUBSCRIPTIONS WITH CODE “LEARN30”.
Have you tried KiwiCo? Let us know what you think!
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