Most subscription boxes are designed to fit maybe one or two categories and if you don't fit into those categories then it's just not for you. When it comes to creativity and problem solving those are categories that apply to every person regardless of age. KiwiCo recognized a need for more age-specific choices in a single subscription box and they seem to have nailed it! Their boxes go from 0-36 months, ages 3-4, ages 5-8, and ages 9-16+ with two different types of subscription boxes to choose from for their oldest users. You'll find that their boxes are heavily STEM/STEAM themed and offer a wide variety of projects. We were lucky enough to try a few of their single crates: The KiwiCo Light-Up Speaker box is recommended for ages 12+, but does fall within that 9-16+ box age range. In the kit, there was everything needed to make a fully functional light-up speaker. The goal is to teach users how to build an amplification circuit, learn about transistors, and see electromagnetism … [Read more...]

Go from physical blocks to a virtual game that you designed! Bloxels allows players to be designers, programmers, and publishers when it comes to this video game creation platform. All you need to get started is Bloxels and the free Bloxels Builder app for your smart device. The 13 x 13 gameboard is your design space, and you use the eight different colored blocks (320 blocks total) to make your creations. You have blocks designated for terrain, coins, power-ups, water, enemies, story blocks, exploding blocks, and hazards. Players can design the layout of their game and even create their own characters using the blocks. Once you've gotten a room or a character exactly how you want it, snap a picture of it on the Bloxels Builder app and further customize it before you animate and play. A completed game can be shared on the Bloxels Infinity Wall (Bloxels online account needed) for other 13-bit builders to play. The best part is that if anyone wants to play your creations, they … [Read more...]

The craft jewelry market is booming with so many brands that it truly takes a unique product to set itself a part from the crowd. In general, crafting jewelry has very similar processes to achieve necklaces, bracelets, or earrings. Neat-Oh! and Rebeca Mojica created the Linkt® Craft Kits so that kids could make high quality artisan jewelry in half an hour. It's not the speed that sets Linkt® Craft Kits a part from other jewelry kits. Thanks to Rebeca Mojica you learn a simple chainmaille technique to make each piece. No longer is chainmaille just the archaic dress you remember learning about in history class. It's a technique that yields beautiful pieces of jewelry in record time. Linkt® Craft Kits Bubble Loops is a set that produces five necklaces or bracelets (or a combination of the two.) This kit provides hundreds of colorful metal rings, instructions, Youtube videos, and Linkt® Craft Kits patent pending tool. What is this magical tool you ask? A soft rectangular ring holder … [Read more...]

Barbie has come a long way since the pink evening gown clad lady I just HAD to have for Christmas as a little girl. A great example of how Barbie has shifted to reflect our changing ideals is the Barbie Crystal Geology set. The highlight of this set is a block of plaster with three crystals hiding inside. My daughter loves science and has had several different excavation kits, but this was one of the best. What sets this kit apart from the others is the quality of the tools. The hammer has some weight, the chisel has a metal tip, and the brush has sturdy bristles. After my daughter was done digging out gems, we saved the tools for other kits because they are better than anything that comes with other kits. To add to the experience and increase your child’s interest in earth science, the Barbie Crystal Geology Set comes with a terrific activity book that details the excavation process and includes directions for other simple crystal-related experiments that you and your child can … [Read more...]