KiwiCo is a subscription service and has many different lines for various age groups every month. My kids and I have become obsessed with it and who could blame us with all the COVID-19 craziness going on? Case numbers go up, numbers go down, we are to stay home, we can leave, and then have to stay home again – it’s hard to remain sane through all of that!

Kids suffer not any less than we do. Their schools were closed, summer camps are nonexistent, playdates are scarce, and vacation trips never happened. Naturally, we the parents are looking for solutions to keep them busy and tamed this summer.

Ever since I discovered KiwiCo, I feel like I have an ally in my corner. The company delivers a box with a project or two every month. Everything you need is included, so the only thing you have to produce is your time and sometimes scissors. I absolutely love these projects not only because they keep kids busy, but because each one is STEAM-related and actually educates kids seamlessly.

See KiwiCo Coupons:

• 60% off 1st month with code snapshots
• Free month trial, Free Shipping on orders over $49 when use code LENAE
• $15 off select 3-Month Subscriptions with code TRAVEL

I am on a mission to test as many age-appropriate KiwiCo crates as possible. So far we have tried Kiwi crate (5-8), Doodle crate (9-16+), and Tinker crate (9-16+) and we loved them all. The ones for older kids required some adult help, but the Kiwi crate was sheer perfection for my 5 year old son.

A few days ago we received our first Koala crate. It had three projects and that meant hours of work for my little one and me. I am also an unofficial photographer, so I definitely stayed busy. Thankfully we have an older brother to share the work load with.

The first and biggest project was a cloud with a rainbow pillow, which also served as a hiding place for a cute little doll. The cloud was easy and fun to make and stuff with white fluff. My little guy had to attach the patches of different colors to make a rainbow, which he really enjoyed.

He had to figure out how to stack them based on size, from bigger to smaller.

The felt pieces were actually stickers, so no sewing was needed.

And yes, the cloud is big enough for a travel pillow.

The second project was to design and color a tote bag. And it was also all about rainbows and magical colors. I loved watching my son mixing all those colors and making the bag exactly how he wanted it. I always take reusable bags to grocery stores and now he will want to use his own creation. This teaches environmental responsibility among other things and I couldn’t be happier.

The last project was a stained glass landscape creation. Michael really used his imagination here. Colorful shapes and cut-out shapes were provided, but he had to arrange them however he wanted. Sure, 5 year old is no Picasso, but he took his time with it and created a mosaic of colors.

And when you are 5, you don’t care about trees and mountains, but colorful squares are all the rage. It was perfect for some serious work outside, where even our dog participated in this activity hoping for some colorful squares to fall her way.

Finally, there was a magazine, where kids can find various ways to recreate rainbows using everyday items. I appreciate any ideas at this point of my despair! Since schools are not opening in the fall, I will collect these magazines and help my kids stay busy with various small home projects when they will feel particularly bored.

One other reason to love KiwiCo is how all their projects last for longer than just an hour or two of active work. The tote will be used for shopping, the pillow will be played with and taken on road trips, and the stained glass project will be used to reflect sun light with rainbow colors.

This crate just confirmed that my love for KiwiCo is not fruitless and that we have some excitement brewing in our house in anticipation for the next month’s crates!