Atlas Crate is a subscription box for kids from parent company KiwiCo. This box is designed to spark the curiosity and sense of adventure in children ages 6-11 and help them become citizens of the world. Each month they will deliver materials and instructions to provide hands-on experiences to help them develop their sense of cultural awareness.
KiwiCo offers boxes for different age groups: Tadpole Crate for 0-36-month-olds, Koala Crate for 3-4-year-olds, Kiwi Crate for 5-8-year-olds, Atlas Crate for 6-11-year-olds, Doodle Crate and Tinker Crate for 9-16+-year-olds, and Eureka Crate for ages 14 and up. There really is something for every age with this company.
This review is of the $19.95 a month Atlas Crate box, for 6-11-year-olds.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
About Atlas Crate
The Subscription Box: Atlas Crate
The Cost: $19.95 per month + free shipping
The Products: Crafts and DIY projects for kids, with supplemental learning kits, booklets, and activities. Crates are filled with materials and inspiration to encourage creativity and curiosity about the world.
Ships to: U.S. for free, Canada for $6.95 per month
Atlas Crate May 2019 "Brazil" Review
The country we explored this month was Brazil and we received this envelope full of information. I love the greeting in another language and the detail of the string closure on the back, it makes it just a smidge more exciting being able to physically open this!
This envelope unfolded to show us a contents list and several pages to add to our Adventure Book. Everything in this box is incredibly organized and nicely packaged making it easy to locate it all!
We received this Adventure Book in our first box and this month they gave us a Brazil sticker to add to the front of it. The rings of the book open up so that we can add more pages as we receive them.
Our first box was based on the World and contained cards for each of the continents. This time we were able to locate the continent in our book and add our pages behind it.
These cards are bright and vibrant and full of tons of information about Brazil on each side. I always enjoy the fun facts page but this month, my kids wanted to hear all about the rainforest animals!
The other pages included some activities such as instructions on how to Samba and a recipe for Brigadeiros which seemed pretty easy so we decided to give it a try! I had all of the ingredients on hand, so it wasn't too difficult. We needed unsweetened cocoa powder, water, sprinkles and a can of sweetened condensed milk.
We spread out some butter on a plate and then mixed together cocoa powder and some water in a bowl. We then added that to a pan along with a can of sweetened condensed milk and a little bit of butter. We stirred until it thickened up, although, in retrospect, I think maybe I should have let it thicken up a bit more!
Then I spread the chocolate mixture over the buttered plate and we set it in the fridge to chill. Lastly, I rolled them into balls and rolled them around in the sprinkles and set them aside to chill for a bit longer. Ours definitely ended up a bit gooier than they probably should be, but my kids and I are not ones to complain about gooey chocolate! This was a fun and easy treat to make that we will definitely try again. I love that they gave us a recipe that is used in Brazilian birthday celebrations!
Activity #1: Three-Toed Sloth
Our first activity was to make our own three-toed sloth since they are found in Brazilian rainforests.
They provided these adorable felt pieces and some yarn for us to use to thread them together.
To attach the arms and legs I simply placed them in between the layers of felt and made sure the holes matched up before threading the yarn through.
Once he was mostly threaded up we then added the polyfill in between the layers of felt to make him nice and plush. Then I finished threading and tied the yarn before cutting off the excess.
Then I added two velcro dots to one arm and one leg so that we could stick them together.
We added our leaves to the second piece of yarn they provided and then wrapped our sloth around it to make him look like he was hanging.
How cute is this? I thought this was a fun project and my kids really enjoyed it as well!
They also provided a lot of fun and unique facts about sloths and what they are like. I had no idea they could grow algae in their fur since they move so rarely!
Activity #2: Table Soccer Game
Our next project was to make our own tabletop soccer game since it is an important sport in Brazil.
The first step was to build the field. They provided these pre-cut pieces of cardboard for us to use.
We added the brown foam pieces to the marked spots on each corner and then slid the pieces together to form the outside of our field. The foam stickers helped to ensure a snug fit.
Then we placed the base on top of the large field sheet they provided. We used the sticky foam rectangles to secure the tabs around the outside of the base.
Then I folded up the little goal and secured it to the side of the field with more foam sticky rectangles.
Then the kids added the beads to the little pipe cleaners which I then added to either side of the field for us to use to keep score.
Next, we added four rods to the board by sliding them through the holes around the edges. Then we started preparing our soccer players by added these little red clips to the back using foam sticky rectangles.
The last step was to add the players to the field using the clips. Once the players were all on the board, the kids tested it out and had some fun playing with it. I love that they made a project that sounds like it should be difficult to feel so easy thanks to the pieces and instructions they provided. While the game doesn't run as smoothly as a large wooden board might, it is still a fun game that the kids enjoyed.
They also included some instructions on how to play as well as some more fun facts about soccer.
Verdict: This month's Atlas Crate was a huge hit in our house! We love our animals and my husband is a huge soccer fan, so both activities were perfect for the kiddos. I thought they did a great job of highlighting a lot of fun parts about Brazil and also making sure the activities were engaging and appealing to kids. They also included a lot of educational information. As per usual, our box was organized well and the instructions were clear and incredibly easy to follow, which always makes these activities even more enjoyable! For $19.95 plus free shipping, this box felt like a great value this month.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? From Kiwi Co:
Crates are assigned each month based on availability and your crate history - not all subscribers receive the same theme each month.
Check out all of our KiwiCo reviews and the best subscription boxes for kids!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
What do you think of Atlas Crate?
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.