toucanBox – May 2020: Art & Craft Activities Delivered to Your Door

Last month I reviewed the Kid Box Mister Maker Craft which you can read all about here, this month I’ve been lucky enough to receive the June toucanBox which is filled with even more incredible activities and materials.

ToucanBox is a flexible subscription service that encourages little fingers and minds to stay curious, creative and busy, which is especially important during this uncertain and confusing time.

This box is aimed at children aged 3-8. Penny turns 4 in July and although she did find a few of the activities challenging, she had fun playing with the materials and exploring texture and colour regardless. Plus, she had lots of fun in the process which is really what it’s all about.

Her little face lit up when her box arrived. It’s letterbox friendly so you don’t have to worry about hanging around for the postman and it’s also personalised with the child’s name which makes it that little bit extra special.

There are two large sections which hide this month’s activities, a mystery surprise in the middle and a magazine with stickers attached inside. The first activity was incredibly simple and also Penny’s favourite.

Inside the first sealed bag was a pack of markers, cupcake liners, foam, double-sided sticky tape, googly eyes, a paper bag, a glowstick and instructions to make your own Owl Lantern.

The activity didn’t really require any adult assistance and was perfect for her age range.

The second sealed bag contained materials for two activities based around the history of Modern Art.

Obviously, the concept of modern art went completely over Penny’s head (mine too) but that didn’t affect her ability to get stuck in and get creative. She received a small canvas, paintbrush, glue pen, black foam, paints and instructions on how to create her own canvas vaguely based on the work of artist Piet Mondrian and his use of primary colours.

There was also a bag of brightly coloured foam circles that encouraged children to overlap the disks and explore colour as a homage to artist Wassily Kandinsky. Penny also received a free gift; a tiny eraser shaped like an orange crayon. I was also surprised at how high quality the magazine was. Usually, these are thrown into subscription boxes as an afterthought but it was full of educational activities, puzzles and stickers.

Together we followed the instructions for the Own lantern step-by-step. We even went outside in her wellies at night so she could see it light up. We sat on the back doorstep talking about all the animals that come out at night and then read the Gruffalo together. It’s funny how the simplest of activities can lead to special moments like this.

As for the second set of activities, I gave her the freedom to let her imagination run wild. She painted a ‘unicorn eagle’ on the canvas with her paints and then used the stickers in the magazine to turn the coloured disks into little people. Not exactly what the creators of toucanBox probably had in mind, but I love how inclusive and flexible the material are. The aim is to create memories as a family, promote creative thinking and have fun; this month’s box definitely achieved this!

The ToucanBox Craft Box retails from £5.95 plus P&P. As a special treat, you can personalise your first box and chose which two activities you’d like to receive. These currently include a nature bag, mini greenhouse kit, dream capture, dinosaur dress-up and shadow puppet theatre.