I was pleasantly surprised with this subscription box.
I originally came across it when I was writing the post about budget friendly subscription boxes for kids that also offer free resources on their sites. I went with a nature based box, but it still incorporates STEM concepts and encourages hands on learning and creativity.
When it arrived, Teghan was thrilled to see her name on the box.
I had selected the nature bag and greenhouse craft kits.
When the Toucan box arrived. Teghan’s older sibling Freedom helped with reading the directions and leading the activities. There wasn’t much input from me. While Teghan didn’t have much interest in the magazine, Freedom enjoyed it.
Toucan Box Mini Greenhouse
Teghan loved this!
We tried to get her to write her name, but she wasn’t feeling it.
We got Sunflower, Basil, and Nasturtium seeds.
It came with the cutest little booklet for her to update by drawing what she saw every few days and explained the process of seed germination.
One downside, was that the planter is too small for the sunflower to really grow. We ended up having to put the seedlings in a larger pot. I would have loved to plant them outside, but based on where we live we shouldn’t plant outside for another few weeks. Due to having cats who love to eat any and all plants, we constructed a make shift greenhouse from items in our recycling bin and my old trellises that I use when I grow cucumbers on the patio. It was a good lesson in designing and building something and reusing materials. The clear plastic, I am actually glad that it got another use. We had to use it on our windows over the winter.
Teghan was excited to watch the seeds sprout.
She also asked if the plants talked to each other.
My on-the-spot answer was yes, they kind of do… that they release chemicals that allow them to communicate.
Toucan Box Nature Bag
Teghan is very proud of this one.
While Freedom helped with the tissue paper strips, Teghan decorated the rest of the bag herself. The box came with stencils that she has continued to use for other art projects. She coloured a rainbow on the other side of the bag and used some of her stamps that she had at home.
It was hard with our schedules and finicky spring weather to plan another nature walk.
The craft came with scavenger hunt cards for different seasons.
Freedom had the smart idea before we left of making copies of the cards so we could do it again. By the time we got home, Freedom had come up with the idea of creating more cards that were more specific to our area.
I was in such a hurry to get out the door that I grabbed a copy of the summer card instead of the spring one. We tried it anyways. We only found the bird. I think this may be part of the reason why Freedom wanted to design more scavenger hunt cards.
Teghan used her bag to bring home some leaves and sticks.
She tried to construct a boat out of some of the leaves she found, but she came to the conclusion that the reason the “leaf boats” weren’t floating in the puddle was because they were “old and dead”. She has plans to try again when the trees have “new leaves for this year”.
Overall thoughts on the Toucan Box
It kept both kids engaged and encouraged Teghan to ask more questions.
My only suggestion would have been to offer seeds that don’t require as much soil depth. I know my kids, and they would have been disappointed if I had not moved the sunflowers.
I had purchased the box for half off using a coupon code, and it was definitely worth it. I believe I will be keeping this subscription box as it was a hit.
Ready to try out a Toucan Box for yourself at half price?
Would you like to try this amazing box for half off?
If you use my link, you will get 50% off your first box, and we will get 50% off of another box.
My kiddos enjoyed it, and I am sure yours will as well.
[Narwhal + Moon] 