KiwiCo Reviews

Subscribing to KiwiCo

If you’re a parent who’s tired of your child receiving toys they forget about after a day or two, then KiwiCo is for you. KiwiCo crates cater to different age groups and different interests, all designed to help your child learn and explore something new.

Each month, your child will receive a creative, hands-on project tailored to their interests. Whether they enjoy cooking, crafting, building, or conducting chemistry experiments, there’s a KiwiCo box that’s right for them! They even have crates for infants and toddlers made to engage their active, curious minds.

When you place your order, KiwiCo asks for your child’s name and age. This is all part of making the experience specific to your child—the box will be addressed to them, encouraging them to take ownership.

How KiwiCo Works

This is a subscription service that sends activity boxes to your door monthly or bimonthly. You can choose whether you want the subscription for one month, three months, six months, or twelve months.

You also have the choice between monthly subscriptions, which renew automatically, or term subscriptions, which do not renew automatically. You can also purchase the activities on their own without a subscription.

KiwiCo offers nine different crates, each linked to a developmental period in your child’s life as well as their interests.

Here are the crates available:

• Panda Crate: This is for infants and toddlers up to 24 months. You’ll receive developmentally appropriate toys and at-home activities along with a magazine containing research-based advice and guidance for parents. Each Panda Crate has a different theme, with some focusing on strength and cognitive skills, others focused on engaging your baby’s senses, and more.
• Koala Crate: If your child is ready to begin exploring, this is the box for them. The Koala Crate is designed for children ages 2 to 4 and includes all the materials, tools, and inspiration for themed projects. This is a great introduction to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) learning, which is a core part of education today.
• Kiwi Crate: These boxes contain science activities, crafts, and imaginative play ideas catering to those 5 to 8 years old. Themes for this crate include everything from lemonade stand and treasure hunt to the science of color.
• Atlas Crate: If your child is interested in adventure, geography, and culture, then check out the Atlas Crate. This box includes STEAM projects and activities dedicated to exploring global cultures for children 6 to 11. One Atlas project involves creating a DIY globe and others will provide unique ways to access history and customs.
• Yummy Crate: This box is for kids ages 6 to 11. Themed around the science of cooking, the box contains family-friendly recipes to teach kids cooking skills along with specialty cooking tools and guides for hands-on projects.
• Tinker Crate: This is perfect for kids ages 9 to 16 who lean toward science and engineering. Each box contains guides and materials for projects in fields like mechanical engineering, chemistry, astrophysics, and more.
• Doodle Crate: For those who love creative crafting, the Doodle Crate is a great choice. Designed for ages 9 to 16, each box contains all the materials you need for each project, guides for young makers on how to build their skills, plus video tutorials and hundreds of online DIYs and hands-on activities.
• Eureka Crate: For anyone interested in engineering and design, the Eureka Crate offers a fun project to embark on each month. Whether it’s building an LED light bulb or stereo headphones, you’ll get a complete maker’s guide with materials and step-by-step instructions. This crate is perfect for those ages 12 to 100, so even adults can get in on the action!
• Maker Crate: If you have a budding artist or designer, then this box could be the right choice for them. Every Maker Crates contains the materials and inspiration to make a beautiful work of art or science. The possibilities are endless from hand lettering and embroidery to terrazzo and more, your child will receive everything they need to make unique and useful projects. For ages 14 and up.

KiwiCo Options and Pricing

For one month of KiwiCo, the cost is $23.95. The price lowers with a greater commitment: a three-month subscription is $21.95 per month, six months is $19.95 per month, and one year is $18.50 per month.

The Panda Crate, for babies and toddlers up to 24 months, comes every other month and has different pricing: one crate is $21.95 per month, six months is $20.95 per month, twelve months is $18.50 per month, and twenty-four months is $16.95 per month.

Shipping varies in the U.S. You can take advantage of discounts as well, such as signing up for KiwiCo’s newsletter to save 30%.

KiwiCo Benefits and Drawbacks

If you’re looking for a great educational experience that your child will actually be excited about, then KiwiCo is it! These projects are just as cool as they look!

Each crate contains everything you need, so you don’t have to go shopping or hunting online to find every element of, say, a baking soda balloon experiment. It also only contains what you need, so there are no additional items you’ll have sitting around.

Each experiment, project, toy, and recipe is designed with the guidance of experts and based in research—so you know every crate your child receives helps them develop.

Some of the critiques of KiwiCo note that the experiments can get messy, which not every parent loves. Other projects require parental supervision, so you’ll need to set aside some time when the box arrives.

Is KiwiCo Worth It?

KiwiCo receives high praise from parents. On Influenster, more than 1600 reviewers gave KiwiCo an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Parents love that the projects teach kids skills like problem solving and critical thinking while fostering creativity. This demonstrates KiwiCo’s value, as it is less expensive than many of its competitors but still has sound educational content.

Parents also give high marks to instructions that are written clearly and organized logically. This means that children are often able to do the activities on their own, helping them learn how to be independent.

For younger children, parents noted that KiwiCo’s items are designed specifically to help them reach their next developmental milestone.

It’s not just parents and kids who love this subscription: KiwiCo has received wide recognition and received accolades like the Parent’s Choice Gold Award and the Academic’s Choice Brain Toy Award.

The bottom line is that a KiwiCo subscription is ideal to keep your child engaged and learning through creative projects. Whether it’s building a unique articulated desk lamp in this month’s Eureka Crate or exploring the world with the Atlas Crate, your child will learn and grow with KiwiCo.

How to Maximize Your KiwiCo Subscription

Before subscribing, make sure you’re getting the right box for your child’s interest and age level. If your kid loves food and wants to learn about cooking, then the Yummy Crate is a better choice than the Tinker Crate.

Resist the temptation to get the crate that you think is coolest. Instead, choose the one that best fits your child. (Unless you’re getting the Eureka or Maker Crate for yourself—then knock yourself out!)

You also want to set aside adequate time for the child to really dive into the project, experiment, or activity contained in the box. If it arrives the same day as soccer practice or the day before a big test, put the box aside for a day or two.

KiwiCo offers a Deluxe package for many of its crates. This includes a specially curated book selected by the company’s editors who review hundreds of titles annually. The book the editors select is intended to be enriching, age-appropriate, and engaging. You can select a Deluxe subscription while checking out or as an existing subscriber.

How Does KiwiCo Compare to Lovevery?

Another popular subscription box for kids is Lovevery. They feature two play-based activity subscriptions for babies and toddlers. The company prides itself on providing sustainable products that are sourced ethically.

While reviewers praise the quality of Lovevery’s products, these come at a higher price of $80 to $120. KiwiCo also caters to a wider range of age groups and offers a more diverse set of activities.

How Does KiwiCo Compare to Little Passports?

Little Passports, like KiwiCo, has many STEAM-focused kits. Little Passports subscriptions range from $23.95 to $27.95 per month.

One reviewer said that her child loved the comic books that came with Little Passports, but overall favored KiwiCo, noting that it felt “like a truly robust lesson that was hidden in a fun activity” rather than a “few independent projects.”

How Does KiwiCo Compare to WeCraftBox?

WeCraftBox is a subscription service offering arts- and crafts-related boxes for those ages 3 to 9. These cost $29.99 monthly.

Again, KiwiCo is less expensive than WeCraftBox. It also offers crates for a wider age range and provides a more education-centered experience.

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