Last month I reviewed the first mission in the Junior Explorers subscription (Mission Arctic). This month we’re heading to the Serengeti to learn about the great African migration and all of the animals who take part in it.
Junior Explorers is a fun, educational subscription box for kids 6 to 11 that allows them to explore the natural world. They’ll learn about wildlife and ecosystems, as well as the importance of protecting them.
Your child will embark on a new “mission” each month, which is comprised of both physical materials as well as exclusive online content. The mailed portion includes collectibles, activities, animal facts, and more. They’ll also receive a password to access the online portion of their mission. This will allow them to play games, solve mysteries, and even earn rewards.
What’s really neat about Junior Explorers is what they refer to as “Mission Giveback”. As your child earns points online, they’re converted to dollars and at the end of every mission kids get to choose which nonprofits (such as World Wildlife Fund and the Nature Conservancy) receive their donation. I love that!
Subscriptions are $19/month (plus $2 shipping), or less with multi-month commitments. (Look for an exclusive 50% off coupon code at the end of this post!)
To the Serengeti we go!
Once again, everything for the mission (aside from the online content) was packed into a large Junior Explorers envelope.
First, there was a letter from fellow explorers Kia and Kyle explaining this month’s mission: To locate the animals migrating across Africa so that the lions have something to prey upon. (Kind of a downer, yeesh. Way to be cruel, nature!) Oh, also included were a collectible pin, wristband, and mini animals (lion & a giraffe).
A checklist highlighted everything inside this month’s packet, along with how it’s all to be used.
A colorful fact sheet and kid-friendly flashcards provide more great facts and background information about the Serengeti and the animals that live there.
Mission Serengeti Postcards were included for your child to share their “journey” with friends. Each one included a fun fact about the African landscape or one of the animals who dwells there.
Stickers and a sheet of temporary tattoos were included to decorate your trunk (from the Welcome Kit) and your… self. Er, your child. Your child’s self?
A Junior Explorers activity book (which was really more of an activity sheet) featured fun, Serengeti-themed games including a crossword puzzle, photo hunt, and lion drawing tutorial.
Next up is the online portion of the mission!
As mentioned before, the mission was to find the migrating animals so the lions can feast on them. sniff
Millions of animals? Eh, I guess it’s okay to spare a few for the lions then. 😉
Along the way, you learn about various animals who live in the region. The interactive screens feature pop-ups that give you facts on the corresponding part of the animal that you hover over with your mouse.
One of the in-mission games was to put the food chain components in the correct order. The chains got longer and more difficult as you played.
All of your achievements are automatically tracked in a mission report. There’s also a map that tracks your progress as you go.
Woo! Found ’em! Mission complete.
I was given two different charities to donate my “points” to (later they’ll be converted into actual currency). I gave half to each one.
It’s official!
After the mission is complete, you’re able to go back and replay any of the games you’d like.
While quite similar to last month’s Junior Explorers mission, this one was still fun to complete. It looks like the physical materials and online content remain pretty consistent month after month, only with a new destination/mission. It would be nice to see different activities, collectibles, etc., but I think this subscription is more about the whole learning experience than the little “extras”. It definitely makes learning fun (even for non-kids!).
Wanna check out Junior Explorers for yourself? Save 50% on your first month of any subscription when you use my exclusive coupon code “ROSE50″ at checkout!
Disclosure: I received this box for review purposes. I was not compensated in any way. All opinions are my own. Post may contain affiliate and/or referral links.
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