Updated 8/23
Green Kid Crafts is a kids subscription box company that sends you up to six science and art kits each month for $29.95 (plus free shipping).
Green Kid Crafts strives to encourage the growth of the "whole child," which includes fostering a sense of care for our environment. Their process and products seek to have a minimal environmental impact, and the activities in each box aim to help kids engage with nature in creative ways. It's not surprising that Green Kid Crafts was actually founded by an environmental scientist!
Choose between the Junior Discovery Box (ages 2-4) or the Discovery Box (ages 5-10+), both of which are $29.95/month. Green Kid Crafts also offers a Sibling Discovery Box (ages 2-10+) for $49.95/month, which sends two of each project. All subscriptions include free shipping.
This is a review of the Discovery Box for ages 5-10+, which costs $29.95/month + free shipping.
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).
About Green Kid Crafts Junior Discovery Box
The Subscription Box: Green Kid Crafts Junior Discovery Box
The Cost: $29.95 per month + free shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.
The Products: Materials and instructions for up to 6 science and art projects aimed at helping children ages 2-4 get creative and engage with nature.
Ships to: the US for free, to Canada and select countries for a flat rate of $15.00/month
Good to Know: Their product offerings and pricing have recently changed!
Green Kid Crafts "Chemistry Lab" Box Review July 2019
1 of 7
Included in our box was a booklet that highlighted our theme of "Chemistry Lab" and provided a brief introduction to chemistry, matter, and atoms. The description was fitting for the targeted age group and they also included some fun activities such as a maze and a hidden pictures puzzle. The other pages gave instructions for our three projects.
1 of 2
Each box includes a new sticker for us to add to our Green Kid Crafts badge chart. This month we received the Chemistry Expert badge.
Project 1: Polymer Play - Instant Snow
1 of 3
Our first project was to make some instant snow using the packet of powder they provided to explore the idea of polymers.
1 of 3
We placed the cup that they provided inside our box then dumped in half the bag of snow and added some water to it.
1 of 2
Our powder quickly grew into snow before our eyes which was fun to watch. Then we felt the temperature of it and learned about the reaction and why it felt warm at first. They recommended using the snow to play with and create a snowy scene. It would have been nice if they had provided some tiny animals, or even animal cut-outs or something to extend this activity just a bit further. It took less than five minutes to complete this and discuss what was happening. Although, technically a bit longer since they asked us to re-check the temperature after ten minutes. They do say the snow can be dried and reused again, so we could easily make our own snow scene for the winter later on using our own materials.
1 of 4
To go with our polymer play, they also provided a polymer "grow" crab for us to grow in a cup of water.
1 of 3
We measured his size using the graph paper they provided and then checked back to see his growth by marking it on our paper. It was thoughtful to include a piece of paper for us to do this and it was an easy way to check for growth. The kids enjoyed seeing the crab grow, but I do have to say that we have purchased similar grow animals from the dollar store that were larger, more detailed, and overall much more impressive.
Project 2: String Slime
1 of 2
Our next project was probably the most fun for all of us and it involved making string slime, which was also a new one for us! We received some slime activator powder and a bottle of string slime solution which provided us with some more examples of polymers.
1 of 4
We stirred our slime activator powder into a cup of water (using one of the cups they provided) and then squirted the blue slime in. It was such a crazy and fun consistency, it immediately formed strings in the water.
We compared the slime liquid straight from the bottle (the dot) to the slime after it was in the activator and you can see a clear difference here! It went from a liquid to this stringy, thick substance which was totally dry to the touch and not really slimy at all, but more rubbery in texture.
1 of 4
Then we played around with squirting it in slowly versus quickly and saw how skinny and stringy it could become and also how thick and fat we could get the slime. This was very unique and a lot of fun to play around with. They say you can keep the slime in a container for later use, but since half the fun was creating it, I don't see us keeping this around for too long.
Project 3: pH Testing
1 of 5
Our last project involved doing some pH testing using a variety of materials that they provided.
1 of 2
I labeled the stickers they included and then my daughter stuck them onto our cups.
1 of 5
Next, I dissolved this red cabbage powder in our larger cup with water. I had some trouble getting the powder out because it had formed one big clump, but once it was out and in the water, it dissolved easily. Then I distributed my solution evenly between the five cups.
1 of 6
They provided little packets of soap, salt, lemon juice, vinegar, and baking soda for us to use.
1 of 5
We added each packet to the corresponding cup by consulting the labels we had created. The kids were excited to see how the colors changed.
1 of 2
We put them in order from lightest to darkest and then consulted the pH chart they included to match the colors and see which solutions were more acidic and which had higher levels of alkalinity. While they enjoyed making the mixtures and seeing the color changes, I feel like the overall idea of pH was a bit over their heads since they are younger. Since this is targeted to ages 5-10, I would have liked to see a further extension of this activity, maybe even something that made a real-world connection to plants or food, to really engage them.
I did like how many materials I was able to recycle at the end here, but I also felt like we really had nothing to show from our chemistry lab, other than our little grow crab.
Verdict: The idea of chemistry is one that can be really exciting to kids when it is done correctly, but unfortunately I feel like the activities in this Green Kid Crafts box fell short. The only activity that I really felt was especially unique and fun was the string slime. Our polymer snow experiment was much too basic and brief. I do like that they gave us the grow crab as somewhat of an extension of exploring polymers, but I wish it fit in a little better with their idea of making a winter scene with the snow. The pH testing experiment was a bit more involved but I would have loved to see some sort of extension on this. I also wish the activities had done better to support or refer back to the great introduction they provided on matter and atoms in the beginning of our booklet. Overall, this box just didn’t feel like $29.95 worth of learning and activities for us this month.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Here's what Green Kid Crafts says:
The first box of all subscription orders will ship immediately, through the 25th of the month. After the 25th, the initial box will ship with the following month’s mid-month shipment. After the first month, subsequent boxes will ship around the middle of the month.
Check out all of our Green Kid Crafts reviews and the best kid subscription boxes for more kids activities!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
What do you think of the Green Kid Crafts box for kids?
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.