Discover Guatemala – A KiwiCo Review: Atlas Crate for 6-11 Year Olds (Deluxe Box)

What is in the Guatemala crate?

You begin by opening your travel mail from Milo and Anya to find out about their latest travel adventures! Miss 6 enjoys seeing all the photos in Guatemala.

There is a passport sticker to add to our Adventure Passport and various cards about Guatemala to add to it as well. These range from a country map and cultural information, to activity cards with things to do. Learn: some Spanish greetings and phrases; learn about the Quetzal as both a currency and the national bird, learn about Chichicastenango – one of the most beautifully colourful cemeteries in the world, and the turtles of Monterrico. We did a small study unit on turtles at the same time as learning about Guatemala 🙂

We ordered a book separately and chose Abuela’s Weave by Omar S. Castañeda. We also had a go at weaving on a mini loom that we were given.

Making a wooden spinning top

Our first craft was making a wooden spinning top with launcher. Trompos are popular in both Guatemala and Mexico and are launched from a standing position (check out this video); Atlas Crate make their’s easier for beginners by including a launcher.

Making a worry doll

These are inspired by Guatemalan Muñeca quitapena. Legend has it that a Mayan princess named Ixmucane received a special gift from the sun god of wisdom to solve any problems that worried humans. Children whisper their worries to the dolls and place them under their pillows at night; the dolls will hold their worries for them and hopefully the children will have a peaceful night’s sleep – waking with new insight and solutions for their concerns.

HOW DO I ORDER ATLAS CRATE?

This is not a paid review. I spent a lot of time searching the internet to find out more information about the Kiwi Crate and Atlas Crate boxes before deciding to try them and found the blog posts / photos that people shared were really useful!

If you would like to try Atlas Crate (or one of their other lines), you can receive 50% off your first box by clicking here.

What I like about the Atlas Crate kits is that they provide a colourful and imaginative way of exploring the world through hands-on activities. I like that they use a mix of STEM and art to explore different concepts and ideas. Their products are also very well made, with clear instructions, and kids feel a real sense of pride in what they accomplish with each box.

There’s no obligation to sign-up in an on-going capacity so it’s easy to tie them in with birthdays / Christmas; the boxes are quite compact so they also store easily in a cupboard for bringing them out on a rainy day. Other families will choose to sign up for a longer period (like a 3, 6, or 12 month cycle).

WHAT IS IN AN ATLAS CRATE?

Each Atlas Crate comes with a special airmail envelope from Anya the Cricket and Milo the Sandpiper revealing where they’ve been on their latest adventure. There is a special passport sticker for your child’s Atlas Adventure Book plus seven new pages to add about a new country (highlighting geography, customs, landmarks, history, and foods).

There are supplies for two activities (which might be a mix of art, STEM, and games) as well as suggestions for more DIY activities to try at home – from things to make, to things to bake!

If you choose the Deluxe option, then you will also receive a book that helps you explore that month’s destination. This upgrade is an additional USD$9.95 (approx. $15 NZD) and can impact shipping costs as well. Since we’re homeschooling, I decided that we’d try the Deluxe option for 6 months to see how useful we find it.