Reviewed by
Roxie
My little girls love exploring outside; splashing in puddles up to their knees, making squelching dirt cakes in their mud kitchen, climbing trees and collecting daisies. I think it’s important for children to develop a real hands-on connection with nature and gain respect for and nurture the world we live in. The Earthwise Box is a monthly subscription service that contains natural craft and gardening activities to fuel the curious little minds of children aged 3+ (suggestions are provided on how to adapt activities depending on the child’s age) from only £11 a month.
What’s in the box?
A brightly coloured, child-friendly 16-page activity booklet that containing nature bingo, a quiz, a bird’s & egg guide plus step-by-step instructions on how to use the materials in this month’s box. Also provided are organic compost pellets, labels, cherry tomato seeds, sunflower seeds and a sunflower diary to keep track of their height over the course of 10 weeks. As well as PVA glue and air-dry clay to make floral pinch pots and pure wool roving to make felted bird eggs. All packages in a letterbox friendly sized post so you never have to wait for your delivery.
The activities support the national curriculum and are created by a qualified Forest School leader and Environmental educator. They’re designed to be done together with a parent or carer and even though my ‘green fingers’ are virtually non-existent, even I could follow the basic steps provided to plant our own tomatoes. Each box includes two plants from seed: one edible and one for wildlife, with all seeds and bulbs certified Organic and the compost being peat-free.
Penny and I learned about how to harden seeds to prepare them for outdoor planting, when to collect wild flowers (only pick one if you see at least five others close by), how to make a mini-greenhouse from a simple plastic bag and what birds lay blue eggs and where to spot them. We both found it absolutely fascinating!
The only additional resources required are either items you may already have lying about the house, such as an egg tray and toilet rolls, or seasonal items you’ve collected from nature. We went to the woods to collect small twigs, leaves and stones and Penny even took her binoculars to search for birds and nests. We collected daisies and buttercups to decorate our clay bowls, unfortunately, her little sister got her hands on them before I was able to take a photo. We absolutely loved the March Earthwise box. It really has inspired us to get off our bums, put down the electronics and connect with nature whilst having quality family time and lots of fun in the process.
By Mary 
By Evelyn 
