Adventure Trunk February 2014 Review & Giveaway! Ends 3/10/14

Adventure Trunk is a brand new subscription box geared towards younger kiddos (age 2 to 4). Each box contains 12 different hands-on activities that are approved by a certified elementary education teacher. The activities will focus on math, reading, and art, with one activity dedicated to each area per week. Every month will feature a different kid-friendly theme that the activities will be based on.

Activities included will range from art projects, to stories, sensory activities, puzzles, and more. Every box will also include an “Explorer” booklet, which serves as your “lesson plans” for the month. It details how each activity is to be completed, as well as how to tweak them to match your child’s skill level. The booklet also has a “suggested reading” list that goes along with the theme and ideas for non-box related activities to do in addition to the ones in the box.

I was recently sent the debut Adventure Trunk — The Ocean! 

The first look was so colorful! I loved the fun, bright tissue paper and big green ribbon that held it all together. Cute!

Here’s the “Explorer” booklet. (I’m not sure why it says March, as I’m pretty sure this is their February box?)

Here’s a look at what’s included in the booklet. It’s very in depth and gives you a lot of great tips and ideas for getting the most out of each activity. You can definitely tell that a teacher had a hand in creating this. 🙂

Math – Weeks 1 & 2: Week 1 involves sorting and recognizing size. Whales of various sizes are included and you can refer to the questions in the booklet to help your child understand the size/sorting concept. Week 2 features objects that belong and those that don’t, as well as matching shapes.

Math – Week 3 & 4: Week 3 concentrates on counting and putting objects in order. It involves gluing puzzle pieces onto a sheet of paper in number order (glue stick included!). Week 4 focuses on counting and learning the difference between wet and dry.

Reading – Weeks 1 & 2: Week 1 involves recognizing which objects belong together, and which do not. It includes stickers and a song to sing with your child. Week 2 pairs a short story with a colorful picture that goes along with it. You read the story to your child and then ask them a variety of questions included in the instruction booklet that pertain to both the story and the picture.

Reading – Weeks 3 & 4: Week 3 focuses on learning about the letter A. Flashcards, stickers, and lessons in the instruction booklet help guide this activity. Week 4 is basically the same, but with the letter B. (Yep, I totally reversed the weeks in my photo. Oops.)

Art – Weeks 1 & 2: Week one is all about improving fine motor skills and hand/eye coordination. Your child will simply use the included cut-outs and glue stick to create an ocean scene. Week 2 involves recognizing numbers and following directions by coloring a “paint by numbers”-type whale.

Art – Weeks 3 & 4: Week 3 focuses on tracing and learning to correctly hold writing utensils. Your child will use the octopus stencil to create an ocean scene that they can color with the included crayons. Week 4 involves following instructions and using their creativity. It includes some little packets of colored sand and a beach scene with a sticky adhesive layer on top that the sand sticks to. The idea is to use the sand as paint and fill in the scene. For some reason, the instruction booklet refers to a fish, but I didn’t get one. Though I’m guessing a fish would be a lot easier to color with sand than an entire beach scene. Ah well.

There was also a small hardcover book included that tells of the life of a seahorse. It’s definitely meant for older children, but the booklet suggests reading a couple pages to your child every day and encouraging them to ask questions/explain to them any concepts that they may not yet understand. I skimmed through it a little, and to be honest, it seemed kind of boring. I’m not quite sure that it would hold a small child’s attention for too long, but who knows.

Here’s the included glue stick and crayons. 🙂

Overall, I was pleased with the contents of my Adventure Trunk. The activities all seemed easy enough to understand and engage a child in without much coaxing. I loved how in depth the instruction booklet was and how it guided you through each week’s activities. The only thing I’m not too keen on is the cost of the box. Subscriptions start at $45/month (UPDATE: now starting at $38/month), which I honestly can’t see anyone being willing to pay. I get that you’re paying for the full learning experience, but I truly don’t think it’s worth that much (to me anyway, maybe I’m wrong?). Since this is their first box, maybe they’ll rethink the price point for future boxes. I hope so! Aside from the cost thing, I really did enjoy the box. 🙂

Adventure Trunk was kind enough to offer my readers a chance to win a one month subscription! Just make nice with the Rafflecopter below!
Good luck!!

(Don’t forget to check out my other giveaways here!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UPDATE: All good things must come to an end... This subscription is no longer in operation.

Disclosure: I received this box for review purposes. I was not compensated in any way. All opinions are my own. Post may contain affiliate links. Giveaway open to US residents, 18+. Prize fulfillment to be handled directly by Adventure Trunk.