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SpaceMail Pal Postcard Subscription Review + Coupon – September 2017

Lacey Volk
ByLacey VolkSep 13, 2017 | 0 comments

Space Mail Pal September 2017 Review - Four space themed postcards for kids ages 4-11

SpaceMail Pal
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SpaceMail Pal is a postcard subscription for kids ages 4-11 featuring fun facts about space. The cards are written by a PBS Kids scriptwriter and designed to be educational, collectible, and conversational.

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

This is a review of the $8.99/month plan, which includes 4 postcards per month. Normally these postcards would be sent out weekly to your child, but we received all 4 at once for review purposes.

Space Mail Pal September 2017 Review - Four space themed postcards for kids ages 4-11

The Subscription Box: SpaceMail Pal

The Cost: You can choose to receive 1, 2, or 4 postcards each month. Pricing starts at $2.99/month for one postcard, $5.49/month for two postcards, and $8.99/month for four postcards.

The Products: Postcards for kids featuring fun facts about space

Ships to: U.S. only

Check out all of our SpaceMail Pal reviews and more STEM and Educational Subscription Boxes for Kids in our box directory!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

Space Mail Pal September 2017 Review - Mars Postcard

This is our third month reviewing SpaceMail Pal. So far, we've seen a mix of familiar celestial bodies and some really far-out, unheard of satellites and more.

SpaceMail Pal typically sends 1 postcard at a time; you can select to have 1, 2, or 4 postcards delivered each month. The postcards are sent through the mail just like a regular postcard, so there will be postal artifacts on them, including those cool space exploration stamps!

Each card has a photo or illustration of a topic on the front, and then a letter from Astronaut Neil and Robot Sally on the back.

Space Mail Pal September 2017 Review - Mars Postcard

Let's start with a familiar red planet: Mars!

One of the things we enjoy about this subscription is that there are both well-known and little-known facts represented, so I feel like I'm actually learning as well as teaching when I read these with my son. I knew that Olympus Mons on Mars is the biggest known volcano in the solar system, but I didn't know that someday Mars will have a ring formed it's moon Phobos being pulled apart by gravitational forces.

Space Mail Pal September 2017 Review - Mimas Postcard

Space Mail Pal September 2017 Review - Mimas Postcard

Mimas is also a moon I've never heard of before: it's situated between two of Saturn's rings! Cool! It has a really distinctive crater, too.

There's also a note on this postcard that we've now completed Month 3 and are officially a Level 1 Explorer. (I wasn't entirely sure if SpaceMail Pal sent all subscribers the same postcards every month or not, so now I'm pretty sure this is a curriculum-based subscription and everyone seems to start from the same place.)

Space Mail Pal September 2017 Review - Castor Postcard

Space Mail Pal September 2017 Review - Castor Postcard

I'm a Gemini so I recognized this constellation right away, and remember my dad teaching me about it growing up. What I didn't realize until now though, are that Castor is actually a 6-star system, not one individual star! This card explains a bit about how light-years work and how old the light traveling from this "star" is– pretty big concepts for kids, but really fun to talk about.

Space Mail Pal September 2017 Review - Ida & Dactyl Postcard

Space Mail Pal September 2017 Review - Ida & Dactyl Postcard

Finally, we adventure into the asteroid belt and explore a couple of asteroids, one that orbits the other. I love this line:

Ida is about 525 square miles and Factyl is about 1 square mile. That size relationship would like your school campus orbiting your entire city. Whoa, recess would be so much fun!

Technically, I think most US cities aren't quite that big. But this is a brilliant way of explaining the size of these objects in terms kids can actually understand.

I also learned that the average distance between asteroids is 600 thousand miles; not exactly what I'd expect from sci-fi shows and movies. 😉

Verdict: I would have been so excited to receive SpaceMail Pal as a kid. I was a bit of a nerd who loved to read and was very interested in space; plus I think *all* kids love the novelty of getting mail and learning cool facts to impress their friends. Parents should note that while this subscription is super affordable, the caveat is that it does not include any discussion guide or additional material. You might need to do some additional research or be willing to help your kid explore to learn more about some of the concepts here.

To wrap up:
Can you still get this box? You can sign up at any time. This is a curriculum based subscription, so you get the cards in a specific order when you sign up (ie, not everyone gets the same cards in the same calendar month).
If you like this box, you might also like: KiwiBop Postcard Pals (ages 5-10), Little Passports Science Expeditions (ages 9+), Kiwi Crate (ages 5-8)

What do you think of SpaceMail Pal? Do you have any aspiring astronauts in your life who would enjoy this subscription?

Starting at $2.99
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SpaceMail Pal is an exciting and educational penpal subscription service for little astronauts ages 4-11. Your child will receive personalized notes 1-4 times per month about the extraterrestrial adventures of Astronaut Neil and Robot Sally. Written by a PBS Kids scriptwriter and designed with stell... read more.
Lacey Volk
Lacey Volk
Lacey's introduction to the world of subscription boxes was Julep Maven, but she quickly moved on once she discovered there were subscriptions for cooking, coffee, and art supplies. Current favorites include Crate Chef and Ecocentric Mom, and she's looking forward to trying more.

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