This past year for Christmas one of our family members gave us a subscription to Kiwi Crate, which is a monthly subscription box service full of creative, educational activities you can do with your little one. I’ve mentioned before how much I really love it (it was a life saver during the winter months when we were stuck inside) and so when Kiwi Crate asked me to share a coupon code on my blog I said sure!
(Update: For the 2014 Holiday season they sent me a new coupon code to share with y’all- you can save 50% on your first box AND get free shipping on ANY of the boxes in the Kiwi Crate Family with the code HOLIDAY50!)
Scarlette is three and a half years old and really, that’s probably about the right time to start with these. For younger kids I would suggest the Koala Crate box. She is just now able to do almost the entire box of activities without my help. She loves these boxes. She loves getting mail for one thing. Here is a video of us opening the box so you can see what is inside (and a little clip of her putting together her mini-farm. It’s real funny, y’all.)
Each box has a theme and typically includes several activities. I normally use whatever the box theme is as the jumping off point for our “preschool at home” for that week because it comes with a little guidebook full of stories, coloring sheets, and other activities in addition to suggested parent resources.
Sometimes I space out the activities over an entire week and sometimes we sit and do a whole box in one day. My very scientific formula for figuring this is out is called “How Long Will The Toddler Sit Still?”
She is really into our garden and going to the farm each week so this month’s box with farm and garden activities was a huge hit. Also: LOOK HOW BIG MY BABY IS GETTING. She did this entire box by herself, laying out the directions and narrating her actions “Next we have to match da horsie one. Do you see a horsie tail? Oh, dere it is! Dere da horsie tail. I needa put it wite here.”
So her placement needs a little work, maybe. Our barnyard friends look a bit Picasso-inspired.
Pro tip: Whenever we work on a project that has a lot of paper bits or adhesive backing I put a bowl on the table for her to discard them into. Those slippery adhesive backing strips stick to EVERYTHING. I kind of hate them. But I like them better than giving my three year old a bottle of glue. LESSER OF TWO EVILS.
Let’s discuss how cute my child’s little undereye dimple is. I realize that has nothing to do with anything but so cute, right?
She was so proud of herself. As soon as J came home from work she ran to the stairs yelling “DADDY COME LOOK AT MY NEW FARM DAT I MADE AWL BY MYSELF!”
Random, unrelated information: Scarlette insisted that I put two bow on one side of her hair before I could take her picture. She asked for two bows and when I put them on either side she said “NO MOMMY, DA TWO BOWS NEEDA BE TOGEDDER!” Apparently she’s trying to start a trend. She also had a popsicle prior to this little crafty time, hence the rosy lips. And splattered dress.
Anyhow, we loved it so much that we are also giving it as a gift this year and I highly recommend it – kids love getting mail and we have really loved it- especially for the cold season where we are stuck inside more often.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kiwi Crate. All words and opinions are my very own.
