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KiwiCo Atlas Crate Review + 40% Off Coupon – June 2019

Brandi D.
ByBrandi D.Jun 26, 2019 | 0 comments

Atlas Crate by KiwiCo
5 overall rating
1 Ratings | 1 Reviews

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: 

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. Save with longer subscriptions.

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 $5.95 per month, worldwide from $6.95-$7.95.

Atlas Crate June 2019 "Morocco" Review

 

The country we explored this month was Morocco and we received this envelope full of exciting 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! On the bottom of the envelope, there is a list of what is included in our crate and a fun Atlas Quest to complete using our newfound knowledge after exploring this month's country.

 

In our first box, which was based on the world, we received an Adventure Book that contained cards for each of the continents. It features rings that open up so that each month we can add our new country's pages behind the correct continent. They also provide a sticker for us to add to it as well which is a fun way to track our travels! Everything in this box is incredibly organized and nicely packaged making it easy to locate it all.

 

The cards for our adventure book are bright, vibrant, and full of tons of information about Morocco on each side. I always enjoy the fun facts page and this month we also got to learn about the Sahara Desert and the Souks marketplace.

 

While most of the pages contain information for us to read, there are always a few "do" pages that provide instructions on activities related to the country. This month they provided a recipe for couscous and some directions for how to design a tile. These pages are always a hit with my kids and make for a great extra activity if you're able to provide the materials necessary (which usually isn't too hard!)

Activity #1: Play Ronda

 

I am always a fan of them including a game in the box and this month we have a card game called Ronda. The booklet includes a lot of facts about our card deck and detailed instructions, including pictures, for how to set up the game and play. They even include instructions for a "fancier" version of the game on the back.

 

Our deck of cards is exclusively designed for our box and they tell us it is based on the Spanish deck which only has 40 cards and does not include any cards numbered 8 or 9. The suits are clubs, swords, cups, and coins to represent four different types of people in society. These were interesting facts to me!

 

The game is pretty simple to play. The dealer lays four cards in the center of the table and makes sure to follow the rules of set up (i.e. no two numbers can be the same). Then each player gets dealt three cards and they are trying to "capture" all the cards by matching one of the cards and also being able to capture any cards that count up from the card you played (i.e. you play a 2, but there is also a 3 and a 4, so you get to keep all three). If you can't match anything then your card becomes part of the new center pile. You continue playing until all cards have been dealt. The goal is to collect as many cards as you can because those turn into points and the player with the most is the winner.

These coins are for the fancier version of the game in which you call out "Ronda" if you have a pair of matching numbers or "Tringa" if you have three matching numbers. You earn a 1 point coin for "Ronda" and a 5 point coin for "Tringa" which then gets added to your final score. This is a fun and simple game and I think it's great for the age group that this box is designed for!

Activity #2: Moroccan Lantern

 

Our next project was to make our own Moroccan Lantern. I love how they make something that could be rather complicated into such a simple project through their designs! They provided everything we needed and detailed instructions so that we could do this easily. They also provided a lot of neat background information on the lanterns which helped to get us further engaged in our project.

 

The first step was to prepare our panels. We received five different colored panels and two sheets of stickers, which I thought was very generous! The kids and I got to work decorating our panels.

 

Next, they provided these shiny reflective triangle stickers which fit perfectly onto the bottom panels of our coated cardboard lantern base. The base is really sturdy and nicely made with all of the parts clearly marked or easy to find to assemble it.

 

Next, we used the tiny brown foam L-shaped stickers and placed them around the corners of each of the frames on the lantern.

 

Then we stuck our panels into place with the stickers facing out. Although I didn't catch it until later, my daughter actually placed hers facing inside, but it didn't affect our design much! Then we got to work creasing our lantern base on all of the white lines in preparation for our next step.

 

They provided these small brads for us to use to form the shape of our lantern. I simply overlapped the pieces the way the booklet showed me and inserted a brad continuing around the lantern until I got to the last panel. Then I added an extra brad to the center holes to connect the middle.

 

The top was the only tricky part but mostly because I didn't realize how far out the top should be bent so I had to do a bit of readjusting to get my foam adhesive pieces to line up with their marked counterparts around the rim. Luckily, the stickers were pretty forgiving and I was able to adjust them to get the right fit.

 

The last step was to add our light. It is a simple push light that we just push the top silver piece down to turn it off and on. I threaded one of the elastic bands through the hole on our light and then hung it through the center of our lantern from the bottom two holes at the top by making sure the metal ends of the elastic sat flat against the outside of the lantern.

 

Then I added our second elastic to the second set of holes and this formed our hanger. The lantern looks so pretty inside with the reflection of the light on those shiny silver panels!

 

Here is our lantern hung up and shining in the dark. It gives off a nice glow and makes a pretty light for the kids' room. I think we might have to find a spot outside for it because it will create a nice sense of ambiance for porch sitting!

Verdict: We had a lot of fun exploring Morocco in this month's Atlas Crate box. I liked that they include a game that we can play any time thanks to the simplicity, and the fact that we got to make something as fancy as a lantern! This box felt like just the right amount of educational information about Morocco with some fun activities to support it. I always appreciate how well-planned these activities are and how organized and easy to follow the instructions are. This felt like a great value for a $19.95 plus free shipping box!

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? From KiwiCo

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?

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"The journey begins with the World crate, where you'll meet travel buddies Anya and Milo. Explore your world map and master basic navigational skills. Build a real spinning globe! Collect Atlas cards to make your own travel book, filled with fascinating facts and photos."

Brandi D.
Brandi D.

I am a homeschooling mom to 4 kids; 1 girl and 3 boys. While I have been reviewing boxes since 2018 and I love the luxury of trying new products, I'm also balancing it out by dabbling in a little bit of homesteading, too. We now have 4 chickens and a rabbit and my sourdough starter is going strong! I love learning about new brands and sharing the great things I find with others in hopes that they find something new to love or to fit their needs!


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