Some of your kids might already be back in school so this is a late review, but if you’re looking for activities to fill the weekend you might want to take a look at KiwiCo’s Activity Crates. We ordered a bunch of them for the summer, to do on the days between the end of school and the start of her summer program. And here’s my honest opinion of them.

I ordered both these individual kits (the cannon ball launcher and bubble machine) along with Summer Adventures Series How It Works kit of six boxes (sold out). My daughter is five so a lot of these boxes were way too advanced for her to do alone, but we were expecting to do it with her anyway.

First off I have to say I appreciate that KiwiCo used nonplastic materials wherever they could. Many of their items are made from wood and paper, and even their packaging materials were paper or compostable air pillows (the first I’ve ever encountered).

As for the projects themselves, they vary in difficulty and level of engagement (and I’m sure that varies from kid to kid as well). The winner of the bunch was definitely the bubble machine. Even after making it, it kept my kid occupied for almost an hour+ and the next day as well. The bubble solution that comes with it however isn’t the greatest and we were able to achieve success using a pre-made bubble solution from Target that we already had on hand. The cannon was only fun for 15 minutes or so (and we sadly recycled/dumped when we moved).

The Summer subscription kit wasn’t as great since you don’t actually get to choose the kits, and a lot of them turned out to be duds for her. But on the plus side, each of the Summer series box came with two activities, so even if she wasn’t a fan of one she usually enjoyed the other activity. Our favorite of the bunch for the Summer series was definitely the rocket launcher and a mini kite. So overall the kit is a mixed bag, though I think goign forward I wouldn’t purchase a series but rather individual boxes.

I will say I think five was a little too young even though the age range for the Kiwi line of crates says 5-8. But since my daughter likes to build things, and legos was getting to be the “same old same old” for her, these kits were something different and refreshing to build. I definitely think older kids would appreciate the science behind it and the thoughtful booklets that come with the kits. And if you’re not enrolling your kids in a summer camp or school, these educational kits are a decent option.

P.S. It also looks like KiwiCo now sells certain kits at Target.