The reveal of our Cooper and Kid subscription box… Night #1 our house is “buzzing” with excitement… With so much stuff in the box, there are many more nights of entertainment still to come. This box was provided free for review purposes.
First Impressions:
The box arrives at our house in a simple brown paper wrapping, and the moment I went to pick it up, I could tell that something special was inside. The box was actually heavy! The kids and I got excited, and opened up the box… instantly we were greeted with a fun, bright, full color insect wrapping paper and instructions. We could tell the theme of our “Cooper Kit” – INSECTS, and dug in!
As a Dad, I loved the medallion that came with the box (a nice little gift for me). Its a real medal medallion that I can stuff away in the sock drawer and look back upon it 10 years from now and think of all the fun we had. I was also quick to notice the high quality materials that came with the kit. The bug net, is high quality with a metal telescoping shaft; no cheap dollar-store junk here, its the real deal. The bug barn kit is solid wood and when built, will last for years.
Even the activity book was spiral bound, thick paper and high quality color printing. I also liked the numerous ideas the activity book had. Sure, the Cooper & Kid box is quarterly, but if you did one or two activities as week out of this book, it will last you all the way till the time the next box arrives. I was impressed!
As suggested in the book, I set up a scavenger hunt for the kids in the backyard, hiding them where bugs would naturally be. With the bug net in hand (and of course wearing their masks again) they set out into the backyard to find them. They got the learn about camouflage, hiding, pollination and more while searching for the bugs. Great time!
I can’t wait to try some of the other activities in the book. Great desert ideas with gummy worms, healthy ladybug snacks using a cherry tomato and olives. There really are a ton of ideas in this book. And the best part is, there is even more “Beyond the Box” online. The kids can watch videos, play bug games, movies, ID insects and more – learning, while having fun on the ipad 🙂
Kids’ Impressions:
Of course, they loved it! After opening up the box like a present on Christmas morning they quickly began playing with the net and plastic insects. Then they found the masks and began coloring their own creations. With masks on they thoroughly enjoyed being insects for the evening; and Mom and Dad loved chasing them around the house with the two fly swatters that came with the box – a lot of laughter that night.
The story book that came with the box, “Ace Lacewing” was also high quality. A good story line, perfect for kids, and bright, full-colored pages to capture their imaginations. They were glued to the book from cover to cover.
Verdict:
I was a little leery of this box at first due to the price. I figured it was more expensive than other boxes on the market, but I quickly saw that you get what you pay for! Over all I, and my entire family, was very impressed with this box. High quality items that inspire fun, family activities and long lasting memories; and the best part is, is that you don’t ‘consume’ the product, it will be there for years to play with! I definitely recommend it for kids and Dads!