I talk in detail about the Kiwi Co line of subscription boxes in this post and a bit on our Educational Resources page, but this post is all about the Eureka Crate specifically and why we’re fans of it in our house.

What is the Eureka Crate?

I guess we should start with the most important question. What exactly is the Eureka Crate? It is a monthly subscription box sent to your door with a STEM related project inside that gives teens (and adults) a hands-on lesson in the design process and uses engineering skills to make things that solve real-world problems.

As the most advanced of the Kiwi Co lines, it’s meant for ages 14 and up, or kids with more advanced skills. Especially those who have experience with the Tinker Crate which is for 9-16 year olds.

Eureka Crate challenges brains, builds skills and encourages creativity.

What are the projects like?

Each month a different project of varying difficulty arrives in the mail. They vary between fun and more practical projects.

This is a 2-in-1 lantern that we actually used when the kids camped in the backyard.

This fun table tennis robot lets you practice your ping pong skills in a small space–without a partner.

He’s also made a desk lamp, a table fan and a lock box.

What comes in the box?

All boxes come with the pieces needed for the project, and a few spares.

There’s also the instruction book that gives step by step instructions with pictures.

Near the back of the book there is more about what went into the design, and how to take the skills even further.

Who is the Eureka Crate for?

This particular line is for teenagers and up because the projects are more involved and complicated than those in the Tinker Crate. It’s officially for ages 14+, though we have it for my 12 year old. But, he did have the Tinker Crate for a year and wanted something a little more advanced. He sometimes feels that the Eureka Crate projects are a bit too complicated/hard though.

The Eureka Crate is appropriate if your child is really advanced in engineering and building, has used the Tinker Crate line for a while, or is of the “appropriate” age.

How much does it cost?

The Eureka Crate, like all the others, is a subscription with a few options. There is monthly, which costs $29.95. If you get a 3 month subscription it’s $28.95/month. For 6 months the price drops to $26.95/month and the best value is the 12 month subscription at $24.95/month.

We opt for the 12 month subscription because I know we’ll want it that long anyway, and I like the nearly $200 in savings over the monthly price. We give it as a gift for a birthday or Christmas. We’ve also had grandparents contribute because they know we prefer quality activities over a quantity of toys.

Final thoughts on Eureka Crate

If your teenager is into building things, likes engineering, science or math, this box is a great option. It will help them learn more about those things, and give them practical applications–without you having to come up with ideas or find supplies all the time.

Here’s the final project:

The post Eureka Crate: Stem Engineering and Design Subscription Box appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

There are so many options when it comes to teaching our kids. Learning at home is where the greatest amount of time is spent. But sometimes it can seem like a burden, because we aren’t sure just what to do. Or how to do it. Or even have the energy to spend time planning and gathering materials and making it happen.

That’s why subscription boxes can be such a game changer. When you choose the right one, it can save you time and energy, plus help you teach your kids a little better.

Why Subscription Boxes For Kids

In general, a subscription box is sent monthly to your house and includes something for your kids to do. The point is to have something regular for kids to look forward to. It’s something for them to do, and often to learn and practice something they’re interested in too.

I was not an easy or early convert to this concept. But then I changed the way I thought about it, and now we get several different subscriptions for my kids–it’s one of my favorite things.

Finding the right one

The key to finding good educational subscription boxes for your kids is knowing what they’re into, and finding one that meets your criteria. It should be both fun for your child and keep them engaged and learning like you want.

There are sooooooo many options for most interests you can think of, for any age range–from babies to teenagers. Here are some of the categories your kids may like and what I recommend for each one.

For cooking I recommend Raddish Kids. It go into a whole lot of detail about it in this post, and even more in this one. I like it because it’s easy enough for kids to follow, especially because it uses pictures for its recipe cards. There is a monthly theme that’s often to do with cuisine from a different country, but sometimes follows the time of year–this month was all about lunchtime. And it comes with a high-quality utensil or cooking device to use with one of the recipes.

For reading and books we LOVE our Literati box. I did a lot of searching before deciding on this one, and am so glad that I did. All of the details about it can be found in this post, but basically you get 5 books each month that you can choose to keep or send back. The pricing is the same or cheaper than Amazon, so you know you’re getting a great price too. They’re all based around a theme like friendship or space or adventure. They come with a beautiful art print and little extra goodie (like a book mark, friendship bracelet, cootie catcher game, etc.) to keep. I like this one because the base price is a whole lot lower than other options, and I get a variety to choose from.

For all-around variety and value nothing beats KiwiCo and their line of crates. All the details about them are here in this post. They have different options for babies all the way up to teenagers, focusing on STEAM–science, technology, engineering, art and math. And you can switch between crates at any time. My son has tried the Tinker Crate and Eureka crate (for engineering) and my daughter will be getting the Kiwi crate.

For science we’ve used the Young Scientist’s Club based on the Magic School Bus and my kids love it. Everything you need to complete experiments is in the kit (except water) and there are 6-7 experiments to complete each month.

Kids have many more interests than these, so check our some more options at Crate Joy.

Making it cost effective

I was not on board the subscription train for a long time because I thought they were just expensive and not worth it. I thought I could find the materials and put things together myself for a whole lot less. Which may be true in some cases, but a subscription saves you so. much. time. And energy. And mental space. Because they’re put together by people who do this full time. Especially the ones I listed above.

But, to make it have the most value, you need to look at what you get and what you want them to get out of it carefully. The reason I chose Raddish Kids was because after looking at the other options (and there are many) I liked that it checked off my criteria. The emphasis on building skills and not just making things; the way it was presented; and what was included both in the box and online– dietary substitutions, and additional recipes.

Same thing for Literati–the base price is only $9.95, so it’s not such a large monthly investment. I also get several books for the same price as many other boxes that only include 1 book plus extra goodies we don’t need. My goal is building our library, not adding to our clutter.

Another way to make it cost effective is buying the full year subscription all at once. It’s almost always cheaper on a per box basis that way.

We then give them as birthday and Christmas presents. They’re gifts that keep on giving throughout the year instead of ending up in the corner after a few weeks.

Or, view the price as class or camp you may sign your child up for. You’re spending the same amount of money, but just for a different thing.

How to use your subscription box

The beauty of having something fun and engaging for your kids to look forward to is that you’re in charge of how and when they can do their box.

Want to reserve them for rainy days? Cool.

Want to let them open it up and start on their project as soon as it lands on the front porch? That’s cool too.

If you’re homeschooling or remote learning this fall, add it to their curriculum. It will give them a little something extra fun to do and learn.

The point is, there’s no wrong way to use your educational subscription boxes with your kids. The important thing is them learning and have fun–and you having the time, mental space and energy to use for things other than keeping your kids entertained all. the. time.

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