Love sharing the delight of when kids accomplish something on their own. For Christmas I got Big P and little p crate subscription. The different crates range by age appropriate activities from art to science for them to do. Little p got a Koala Crate (ages 3-5ish) and Big P a Kiwi Crate (ages 5-8ish). 
They came way early and were the first gifts under the tree. They were both so excited they got a box with their name in the mail so it was a good start. The anticipation of what they were really tried their patience.
Looking into Big P’s crate was based constructing an arcade game. It was a grabber arm and little Pom Pom critters that she had to make. She did a great job following the instructions with a little help from me. It turned out great and the smile of her doing it on her own was a bonus!
In the Koala Crate for little p was more art based. It’s theme was reptiles! She was making a stuffed snake, a title box and a basic chameleon game. We started the the turtle box. It was simple and mostly doable for her. She mainly needed me for the reading part.
The snake was a bit harder. But it worked out as she kept putting the stuffing in it gave me time to assist Big P with her project. I ended up doing most of the snake stuffing but it wasn’t anything crazy. She then got to decorate and put the eyes on. She absolutely loved it! And the fact she made it made her more proud. She named the snake Coral which I found amusing letting her know about the coral snake and how it’s poisonous. I always welcome an opportunity to teach. The chameleon game was simple and she had fun. It came with a booklet to learn about reptiles and honestly was a fun evening.
So back to Big P when the grabber arm was finished and she did the first pull it didn’t work. But we read the directions which must have anticipated this stating to loosen the screws a bit. Worked like a charm.
On to the Pom Pom critters, easy and fun, and pretty cute. We only had time to make one before bedtime came but made the second one the next night.
The girls loved their crates and being able to create and accomplish them with little help. I enjoyed the time as well. I was happy to give this as a gift and recommend you give one a go. You can buy one or get a subscription. There’s no crazy contract just pay for what you want. I started with one to try it and then got the three month subscription and am so looking forward to the next crate. Order whatever works for you. There are also individual crates you can pick if you know your little one will enjoy something. I prefer the random factor. Too many times I get what I know they like so this allowed for more exploration outside the zone.
I hope you give it a go. Please leave a comment on how you like it or if you have had one before. I would love to hear the input and see what how other crate users are having fun!
http://www.kiwicrate.com/Referred/?i=DawnB97
The Claw for the arcade, so much fun!
