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I am always looking for things to occupy my kiddos that are easy to grab and that can be an independent activity for them. These bags from Busy Bebes looked like they would be so much fun and I love that they focus on both fun and education while fitting it all into one little themed bag! You can select a bag for ages 1-2, 3-6, or 7-10, and each bag will have 5-7 activities that are appropriate for them based on early childhood development. I was excited to see what my kids would think since I have some in each age group!
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.)
First Impression
They were kind enough to send a 3-6 bag for my 4 & 6-year-olds and a 7-10 bag for my 7-year-old. I loved that they each came packaged up inside of a reusable bag making them easy to store and travel with! The bag feels like it should hold up, too!
What's Inside a Busy Bag?
The 3-6 Bag: Down on the Farm
Let's check out the 3-6-year-old bag first. Our theme for this one was "Down on the Farm" and both of my older boys were excited about it!
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This sheet was tucked inside our bag and explained the theme on one side and gave a brief overview of the items inside on the other.
Wipe-Clean Farm Activities by Usborne - Retail Value $7.99
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My kids and I love Usborne books and we have a few of these Wipe-Clean books already, but this was a new one for us! These books are so great, they come with a dry erase marker attached to the front and the pages are filled with tons of fun activities that help kiddos practice their fine motor skills and pre-writing. This was perfect for my 4-year-old who is very much into writing and drawing lately.
After we went through the items in his bag, he literally sat down and went through the entire book!
Farm Scramble by Jenny Copper - Retail Value $7.99
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This little book totally surprised me and is definitely one that I was so impressed by! The tractor pops out of the front and then your child can drive him along the roads throughout the story. Not only can he drive on the roads but the pages pop up creating little tunnels and areas for him to drive through. It is too cute and we all loved how interactive this book was! It's great for some imaginative play for little ones and there are a lot of repetitive sounds that are made throughout that will make the actual story just as fun for them!
Farm Super Sticker Activity Book - Retail Value $5.99
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Our last book is also interactive, but this time we have stickers to place throughout. There are also tons of activities and coloring pages that will entertain your child, too. This one was very cute and I love the small size which makes it perfect for fitting inside our busy bag!
Pencil
They included this pencil which will be helpful for completing the book activities! This is one of those stacking point pencils so I think it could actually be another fun fine motor activity, too!
Ranch Good Luck Minis - Retail Value $7.50
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My kids LOVE these Good Luck Minis and since they are so small, I enjoy them, too, however, they do get lost pretty easily! My kids don't actually have the ranch set, yet so the new animals were a fun surprise for them. I love that they sent a great activity for them to use with them, too!
Build a Barn Kit
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These popsicle sticks and mini clothespins were included so that they could make a barn with them for their animals. I think it's a great creative way to work on problem-solving and fine motor skills and I knew my kids would enjoy the challenge!
Farm Animal Squish Ball
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The last item in this bag was this cute bull that you can squeeze. He has a soft rubbery body and is filled with tiny water beads. Of course, my kids loved this. It's always the simple things!
The 7-10 Bag: Retro 5.0
Now let's check out the Retro bag which is for my 7-year-old daughter!
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Hers also included a little sheet describing the items inside. I love that they tell you which skills each activity is addressing!
Where's Waldo? Paper Pandemonium - Retail Value $12.99
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My daughter loves Where's Waldo so she was very excited about this book. I love that it's a mix of paper folding activities and pen-to-paper activities. It's a great one for on the go thanks to its smaller size and the elastic strap that holds it closed. There were some fun activities like mazes, spot the differences, and fill in the blanks along with various paper folding instructions.
Water Ring Game
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This is definitely a fun throwback activity and something so simple, but fun! My daughter lit up when she saw this since we used to have a similar one. This is a perfect quiet activity for her to do in the car that allows for just a little bit of chance and requires some patience!
Tic Tac Toe Keychain
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So this item felt kind of cheap, but it's cute, she'll definitely use it and it is nice that it can clip onto a keyring or backpack! Tic Tac Toe is a classic game, so it makes sense in this bag, too!
World's Smallest Kerplunk - Retail Value $8.37
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This is a cute little set! This mini Kerplunk set comes with very tiny balls and little plastic sticks, but it is still functional. My daughter thought it was cute and she was able to play it independently for a little challenge or with her siblings for a little bit of competition. I love this idea, but I'm also a bit worried about losing those tiny pieces!
You can see just how tiny this set is!
Tomagotchi Pet - Retail Value $15.99
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This last item is probably the one I was most excited about since it is something from my own childhood! This little Tomagachi came inside this fun dinosaur egg which is great for storing it in or just for playing with, too. It has 168 animals that you can choose from and it came with a large page of instructions that will take some time to read through before we can actually get this working. One thing I will note is that it feels very light and not super substantial and it has a reset button that seems to be easily pressed. I'm just worried it might erase all of her progress resulting in some frustration! I love the skills that this can teach her and I know that if we can figure it out it will be a fun way for her to care for a "pet" which is something she already loves to do with other toys she has!
Value - Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $40.25 + shipping
The total retail value for the 3-6 Farm bag came to about $29.47 from what I could find, but that doesn't include the barn kit, pencil, or the animal squishy while the 7-10 Retro bag came to $37.35, not including the water ring or tic tac toe games. This also doesn't account for the bag that the items were packaged in. Honestly, I wasn't too impressed with the actual value we received, but I think that the overall excitement and experience outweighed that along with the fact that the items were developmentally appropriate.
When comparing the two age groups, I was definitely more impressed with the 3-6-year-old bag. Even though the retail value was a bit less, the farm bag felt jam-packed and the items also felt higher in quality. This could definitely vary depending on the theme each month though. I would consider purchasing these again because I love the idea, but I'd just have to take into account that I might not get a great return value on them.
Key Takeaways
Both of these bags excited and delighted my children and the fact that they all pack back up so nicely inside of the reusable bag makes mommy happy too! This is such a fun idea and I think it would be a perfect gift before a road trip or special occasion, just keep in mind that you're paying a bit extra for the convenience and experience!
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To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you will receive the themed bag for the month and the items will vary depending on the age group you choose. To find past bags check out their shop here!
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