Little Passports is a subscription box that helps kids explore the world through fun and educational activities and is one of the best subscription boxes for kids as voted by MSA readers. They offer a range of subscription options for ages 3-8+, as well as "Individual Activity Kits" that can be ordered along with any subscription at the time of purchase.
This review is of the new subscription line Little Passports: Space Quest (recommended ages 5-8), starting at $24.95/month. This box includes a comic item, poster, and activity kit pertinent to each month's theme.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes
Space Quest: Anti-Gravity Space Lab!
I am a science nut, and as an educator, I look for any way possible to incorporate this awesome subject into my kids' daily lives. When I heard about the "Space Quest" line that Little Passports recently debuted, I was ecstatic. I am all about educational activities for my kids (especially during the summer months) and because my boy are extremely interested in space themes - couldn't wait to see what this subscription entailed. Read below to see what we discovered this month.
"Space Quest Training" Poster
Most of the kits Little Passports creates come with pamphlets including directions, project information, and trivia. Switching it up a bit, the Space Quest version sends a brightly colored informational poster instead, featuring pictures and facts about the month's space theme. I love how colorful this month's poster is. With fun new words like "centrifuge" and "neutral buoyancy lab", we learned a lot straight from the get-go.
Instructions
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On the backside of the poster, we received partial instructions for this month's Space Station project. Also included was a separate sheet with the how the project works. Not only does it list necessary materials, but also trivia and the scientific background to this month's project.
Space Station Project
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This month we received the necessary supplies to build our very own Space Station. In the past, our boxes have contained more than one project, but this particular project was quite large and included quite a few pieces. Included materials are a station body, station top, station base, obstacle pieces, tattoos, foam balls, fastener, tube holder, air tube, blow tube, foam block, tube support sticker, and sponge. The pieces went together nicely and were high quality, so we were very excited to put this thing together!
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From a materials standpoint, this month's build looked like it was going to be a piece of cake, but we were wrong. While the materials were very well made and straight forward, the written instructions were missing a few key points. The photos were very much necessary, or this would not have gone together correctly. Charlie was getting a bit frustrated, but with a little assistance was able to attach the station body to the top and add the tube holder.
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Once the tube holder was assembled, it was time to create the air tube. Because of the tight fit, it does suggest asking an adult for help with this step. I was able to get it together, but it was very, very snug. Once complete, Charlie was able to insert it into the tube holder and finish up step four. Moving on to step 5, he added the black foam and was ready to work on step 6.
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Step 6 was also a little tricky. In this step, the panels needed to be folded and tucked into each tab. As an adult this was pretty simple, but for kids 5-8, they may definitely need some help. Charlie started out strong, but by the end struggled as there wasn't much for wiggle room when inserting the tabs. Once complete though, it looked really neat! Step 7 required the obstacle pieces to be removed from the cardboard and was a breeze. All of them came out nicely and assembled just like the instructions said. Charlie was thankful for this easy step, and couldn't wait to see just what this project had in store.
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Once the obstacles were complete, Charlie set them aside and added the astronaut tattoos to the foam balls. Using the included sponge, this worked way better than I was expecting, and Charlie was pretty fired up. Just look at those cute astronauts!
The final step was to test it out. Using five of the obstacle pieces, Charlie created his customized track and added the foam ball to the space on top of the tube holder. With a blow through the blow tube, air comes up through the air tube and the foam ball magically floats. Using various breaths, you can get the foam ball to go higher or lower depending on the obstacle at hand. Way cooler than we were anticipating, this space station anti-gravity lab was a hit all around and has been utilized by all four of our household. A really neat project that gives some good insight to how gravity works.
Having nothing to do with our wonderful project this month, but still notable: we added a new member to our family the same day that we build our space station! Charlie named our new pup "Buxton" and has had a fantastic time romping around with his new best friend!
Verdict
Little Passports: Space Quest box is an extremely fun family project. While this box is listed for kids 5-8, after reviewing multiple boxes, would say 5 is a little young, and even 8 year olds are going to need some adult assistance. Fun projects and excellent concepts, the activities turn out great, but don't expect a child to complete this on their own. Overall, we loved the supplemental aspect this box adds to our at-home summer curriculum, and can't wait to see what next month's theme might be. What did you think about this subscription line? Have you given it a try yet?
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To Wrap Up
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Possibly. Your first activity kit will include the Glowing Galaxies kit, followed by five other themes.
What do you think of this month's box?
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