January Koala Crate Review

Koala Crate is a subscription box for kids ages 2-4. The cost is $19.99/month. Each month has a theme and this month the theme was music. There were three activities as well as an activity book.

The first activity we did was decorate a tube and then put tissue paper on the ends so that when you blow through it it would sound sort if like a horn. This activity was easy and my three year old liked it. She likes stickers and she likes musical things. But she didn’t really understand the crepe paper aspect and so it didn’t stay on the tube long. Luckily several pieces were included.

The next activity was a rhythm game using this:

The last activity was a music activity which involved dying a scarf with cool aid and then swaying the scarf to the music.

My daughter loved all of these activities and I thought this was a great box. I can’t wait to see what they do next month. If you’d like to subscribe to Koala Crate use this link to get $10 off your first box. Subscribe

$10.00 off Koala Crate

Just click here to get $10.00 off this fun box for kids ages 3-4.

January Citrus Lane Review

Citrus Lane is a subscription box for kids ages 0-5. My box is for a 3 year old and contained 4 items.

The big item this month was the Melissa and Doug stamp set.

We already have a different Melissa & Doug stamp set so I wasn’t super excited about this one. Maybe my toddler will enjoy it a bit more when she’s older. Or I may gift it to someone. We’ll see. The next item I thought was kind of neat. It’s a pizza stacker. Here’s a picture of it in the bag and out of the bag.

My toddler had fun pretending to take my order and building the pizza. The next item was a book “Little Hoot.”

I really liked this book. It’s a funny book about an owl whose parents won’t let it go to bed. So amusing since my daughter is very resistent to bedtime. The last item was a Jammy Sammy Snack Bar.

This bar was just ok. I probably wouldn’t buy it but it’s always fun to try different foods.

Verdict – I love Citrus Lane. They have a great selection of products and the price is very reasonable. I fully recommend them.

December Koala Crate Box Review & Coupon

Koala Crate is a monthly subscription box for kids ages 3-4. Each month they send you a box full of play-and-learn activities plus the  imagine! magazine, which was created in partnership with Highlights for Children. Each month has a different theme and this month was Safari. Here is what was in the box:

The first activity involved making safari puppets. There were five different heads and five different bellies that my daughter could match to the puppet. She actually did really well matching them and each belly had a different texture which offered a sensory experience as well. After we matched up the puppets I hid them around the house for her to find. She had a lot of fun with this. She was so delighted when she found one. She’s not quite three and so I made them really easy to find. Here is a picture of the puppets.

The Safari search came with a little checklist so each time she found a puppet we could check it off the checklist. I think she really enjoyed this game and especially that I played it with her.

The other game was a set of ten cards of each of the five safari animals with their heads and feet. The kids have the option of matching them up or playing memory with them. I left her on her own to do this and I thought I had a picture but I can’t find it. There is also a story in the Imagine magazine and other activities and games.

My three year old and I really enjoyed this box. I thought the theme was great and the activities were perfect for her age. I fully recommend this box. The cost of Koala Crate is $19.95 a month but if you follow this link you can get $10 off your first box. Koala Crate

May Citrus Lane Review

Citrus Lane is a monthly subscription box for kids. Mine is for a 2 yr old girl. Normally I really like Citrus Lane but this month I was a bit disappointed in the products. Usually Citrus Lane products are right on target for her age but this box seemed like it would be better suited to a slightly older kid. I didn’t take individual pictures but here is a description of each product.

Mayan Pyramid & Parthenon Sand Molds – My daughter loves to play in the sand box but she didn’t really understand how to use these yet. They do make interesting shapes and as she gets older she will probably get more use out of them.

Goodbyn Food Container – I have not tried this yet but I’m sure it will be useful on picnics or long outings.

Paint with Water by Melissa & Doug – This seemed like a fun idea so we tried it right away. She did not get the concept of dipping in the water then the paint and then the paper. She kept just dipping in the water and trying to paint the paper. This just mostly frustrated her I think. It also says on the packet for ages 3+ so I will save this for when she gets a bit older.

Fresh Feet Wipes – We have not tried these yet but I am always in favor of more wipes.

Back to Nature Chocolate Chip Cookies – This was just an average snack. It was relatively good tasting and free of hydrogenated oils which is always a plus.

Overall this was not my favorite month of Citrus Lane. The toys were not geared to her age as much as I would’ve preferred. We’ll see what they come up with for next month. Hopefully it will be better.

Bluum Subscription Box Review

Bluum box is a subscription box for kids. Mine is geared toward my 26 month old girl. This month’s box had five items in it.

Slide & Surprise Numbers Book – I am always happy to get more books and we enjoyed reading this. She liked pulling the slides out and having her tell me the mumbers and objects were good practice.

4 pack Play-Doh – I love play-doh and I would’ve been more excited about this if I didn’t already have several cans.

Sippi Grips – This is an interesting idea. It’s a string type thing that you attach to a chair or carseat to keep a toy or sippy cup from falling on the floor or getting lost. Haven’t tried this yet. I think it would’ve been more useful a few months back.

Jack and Jill natural toothpaste – we were just running out of toothpaste for her so I was happy to see this. It has xylitol in it so it’s good for the teeth but is not harmful if swallowed. Hopefully she will like the flavor.

Klorane Dry Shampoo – I was just thinking the other day how I wished we had dry shampoo around. It says made in Paris so I’m excited to try this.

All in all a so-so box. It would have been better if the play-doh had been replaced with a toy but maybe other people were happy to get the play-doh. What did you get in your Bluum box?

 

Citrus Lane Review

Citrus Lane is the first subscription box I signed up for but it took a long time to get to me. They only mail out once a month on the 15th so I had to wait three weeks before they sent it out. Citrus Lane is a very popular kids box. They send out a box tailored to your kids age. This box had four items:

Silicone divided plate – This is dishwasher safe and will be perfect for my toddler.

Pink bowl toy with lid, spatula and spoon – my toddler loved this. She played with it a lot and even insisted on carrying the spatula into the store with us.

Green Apple Hand Cream – this is intended as a little something extra for mom. It did soften my skin but the scent was a bit strong for me.

Starlight Sailor Book – this wasn’t a book I would have normally picked out but it was a good story and we liked reading it.

Conclusion – This box is a reasonable value for me since I got the 6-month subscription so am paying less than just the one month. Except for the hand cream we liked everything in the box. Can’t wait to see what we get next month.

Use coupon code SPRING20 to get your first box for only $9.00. http://www.citruslane.com