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Green Kid Crafts is a monthly STEAM subscription box for children. Each package includes a mix of up to 6 STEAM activities in every package. Each project is carbon neutral and created with environmental sustainability in mind. Choose upon subscribing whether you’d like the Junior Box for age 2-4 or the Discovery box for age 5-10. Subscriptions are $19.95 monthly with reduced prices for longer subscription terms. Ships worldwide from the US. Use code SUMMER10 for $10 OFF any subscription. NAT received this package at no cost for review purposes.
Subscription Box Unboxing
Subscription Box Review
Our first glimpse inside the Green Kid Crafts Box. Right on top we can see that this box has a, “Desert Science” theme.
Everything that we received in our June, “Desert Science” themed box. This is the Junior Box and it came with enough for 2 children so this was perfect for Oliver and Vivienne! You can do all your projects at once or you can choose to spread them out over the course of the month – the choice is yours!
So what is all this stuff?
Our box insert is a little pamphlet that outlines our crafts and also includes some fun puzzles.
Here is each page. Some of the puzzles include a maze, hidden picture and Mad Libs.
This thermometer will be used in our Desert Animal Experiments.
This foam ball will be used in our 4th project where we create a barrel cactus.
These 2 lizards will also be used in our Desert Animal Experiments project.
Our toothpicks will be used in the create a barrel cactus project as well.
These paints will be used in our first project where we get to paint our own lizards.
We received 2 green pipe cleaners to complete our 2nd project where we create pattern snakes.
We received one paintbrush which we will use in our painted lizard project.
And finally our beads will be used to actually put the pattern on our pipe cleaner snake in project 2.
Okay so now what?
First we gather up everything that we need for project one. Both our lizards, our paints, instructions and paintbrushes. There were images included in our pamphlet to give kids inspiration as well.
Oliver and Vivienne were so excited to get into this box and do fun stuff! I swear I did not force these smiles… despite how artificial they appear.
Painting these was a fun and free activity for them where they got to be creative and mix colors.
And we had fun watching these lizards come to life!
Our finished lizards!
Then we got together everything that we’d need for our pattern snakes project. All you need is pipe cleaners, beads and our booklet.
We begin by twisting one end of each cleaner for the “head” and then we determined each child’s pattern that they would be completing. This is a really great way to get kids thinking critically. While Viv is just a bit too young to master this it’s not too soon to get her practicing. This is also great for fine motor skills.
Our olders helped out a bit with this project as well. Oliver’s came out awesome and he did it himself!
Next we have a series of experiments that get us outside! We love that this is part of the box as sunshine and outdoor play is such an essential part of learning as a kiddo. The first experiment involved putting your lizards and the thermometer in both the shade for 5 minutes and the sun for 5 minutes and recording the temperature. You’ll then ask the children which temperature is lower. Our second experiment is similar but it involves recording temperature in both daytime and nighttime and then asking whether it’s lower in the day or nighttime.
Our final experiment involves burying our lizards in the dirt. We record the temperature at the surface level and then put the thermometer into the soil (or sand) and record the temperature. We then ask where the temperature is cooler and this is how we share with children why desert creatures burrow.
We really enjoyed the experiment portion of this box. We felt like it was sneaking in learning time.
The final activity was creating a barrel cactus. All you need for this project is your instruction book, toothpicks and our foam ball.
It’s pretty simple to create. Just insert the toothpicks into the ball leaving space on the bottom so it stands up.
This was a fun hands on experiment that has a lesson!
Once all your toothpicks are inserted you’ll have the children touch the “cactus” and ask if you were an animal would you want to eat it? Of course the answer is no! This demonstrates how nature has given the cactus a natural weapon to defend itself and help it thrive. You’ll also take it outside in the sun and demonstrate how the cactus prickles act as natural sources of shade for the cactus (we didn’t know this)!
So in summary
Presentation: Everything arrived to us perfectly in our Green Kid Crafts package. We also love that these crafts are carbon neutral and that their commitment is to environmental sustainability.
Quality: We love that they break this up into different ecosystems and introduce children to the different environments and animals in that group. Each of our crafts was well thought out.
Curation: We were really impressed with how this box came together. There was a varied assortment of crafts and the little lizards are something the kids can keep and hold onto as visual reminders of what they learned. We love that there were experiments to conduct and that the snake pattern project has an option to add in counting. What we love the most is that you can do a craft a week and carry this box out over the course of themonth if you are struggling for fun and educational ways to occupy your kiddos over summer break!
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