Play Kids Explorer Box Review

UPDATE: While scrolling through my facebook feed I saw a link for PlayKids Explorer with a 15% discount (box only, not shipping) so can click here. I do not get any compensation from this. I have no idea how long it will last.

I'm always look for activities for me and my daughter to do, and she loves science, so when this popped up as an ad on my Facebook feed I couldn't resist. PlayKids Explorer is a STEM based subscription box for ages 1-10 (although I can't see a kids under 4 getting much out of it). Each box is created by child education specialist and curated to each age group. This box is for a 7 year old and costs $15.95 a month plus $6.00 in shipping, which I paid for myself. There a unfortunately no coupon codes, even though they have a place to enter them, and there is no referral program.

Your first box includes a cardboard brief case, and activity book, a DIY paper craft, a passport and stickers (first kit only), "The Super Guide for New Explorers," (first kit only), magic cards with quiz cards & one coloring access card, a personalized book, and access to their app.

First up, my daughter really likes the brief case and she can use some of this stickers to decorate it. 

The beginners guide doesn't really tell you any vital information. It simply tells you how the company got started and I learned more from looking through the material myself. 

The passport is beyond cute! Make sure to keep track of it because you only get one. I would really like to see on future boxes the option to order another one in case we ever loose this one. Each adventure has its own stamp you place in the passport and then on the next page (not pictured) you can draw what you liked best about the adventure. The extra stickers are great for the brief case or to help illustrate their drawing. 

The activity book is really great! Your first activity will be the DIY paper craft, so it took me a while to find the instructions. Its very hands on and this isn't a subscription box you can just hand to your kid and expect them to do it all themselves. 

My daughter loved the DIY paper craft but she needed a lot of help. Remind your little ones to hold pieces at the base next to the tab. My daughter had a habit of holding them at the top and pressing down which caused the little tabs to bend. The base and water piece will require an adult to assemble. My daughter also said she would have liked a few fish to pop out and play with in the little reef, and their was plenty of room left on the paper that they could have done that.

The DIY paper craft is cute but I have a few tips to make your life easier. To attach the top and base you'll want to use your finger to press down right next to the number slot you are sticking the side piece to (as pictured below). Its a very tight squeeze because you already have one tab in that slot when you assembled the base. Also, not everything is number, particularly the island and the very top of the water. 

The magic cards are really neat and require the use of the their free app which is available on android and itunes. Once the PlayKids app is installed it will ask you for your email/username and password. Your password is a code they send you when you first subscribe to the box so make sure you hold on to the code. The code will also be your password to log in to their website to view your subscription information. 

Half of the cards you receive will be magic cards while the other half will be quiz cards with 3 difficulty levels. 

To use your magic cards you will log into the PlayKids app and click on the Explorer image (pictured above). The app will access your camera which you hold over each card. 

The images are pretty cool and the app downloads each card so your kids do not require internet access when they are out of the house. However, that can eat up a lot of your storage space. 

It took a little playing around to find out that the images, once they've come to life, can be displayed anywhere. 

We were even able to make it appear as if my daughter was holding the jelly fish!

You will also receive one coloring card which unlocks coloring pages specific to this adventure. Kids can color other pages prior to receiving the box but this card unlocks pages previously unseen by your child. 

The last, and my favorite, thing you will receive is a custom book for your child. You get to create your child's avatar when you sign up and put in their name. Their custom avatar appears throughout the book and each new box you receive will be your child in a new adventure. The only issue is that if you have more than one child you can not feature multiple children in the same book. For me that's not an issue but I can see why it would be really nice for families with multiple children. 

Overall it was a great experience and I believe we will be getting more in the future. Although they said it would take up to 30 days to arrive after purchasing, it only took 10! I was shocked to see it in the mail. There are so many activities and I believe it is well worth the price. I also video taped her reaction and you can view it here.