Toucanbox Review

Reviewed by Elly Sax

My 9 year old loves to craft, making things from paper, card, play dough , salt dough, painting, drawing, card making, we have tried them all. The number of times she has seen things on TV or in a magazine and I have had to go and buy a whole packet of pipe cleaners because she needed 2 green ones for a particular craft, or a whole pack of tissue paper because she needed one sheet of red. It drives me potty, costs a fortune and you end up with a craft box, or in our case craft cupboard, absolutely bursting at the seams with stuff you used once and have never used again. This is why we were so excited when we were offered the opportunity to test out the Toucanbox. She loved the idea of a craft box being delivered to the door and I liked the fact it came with instructions, all the bits you needed, and nothing more.

When the boxes arrived, we were sent 3 to try, I was really impressed. The box was securely fastened with tabs and tape, plus on the inside the box had perforated sections holding the kits, so no chance of bits and pieces getting lost on the way. I had heard of Toucanbox before we were asked to review them but had never tried them. I thought they would just be a couple of craft activities and we already have loads of that stuff, right? Well, I was very pleasantly surprised. The company was started by a mum and once you open the box and look at what is included it is easy to see that she understands the needs of kids and their carers.

Inside the box the first thing we found was a magazine (printed on really good quality paper it actually feels more like a book than a magazine), it had over 25 pages and was packed with information. Prior to the kit arriving I had just thought it was craft activities but the magazine has all sorts of science, art, technology, engineering and maths included too. In the kit we received there was an experiment to do which involved making a rocket, a section on cooking pizzas with funny faces, sheets to colour in, a messy experiment to have a go at using corn flour, pages about coding presented in a really easy and fun way, interviews with an illustrator and then pages to try out your own illustration skills, a board game to play and photos of children who had completed activities from other kits showing off their creations. The magazine on its own offered lots of exciting opportunities for being creative and having fun learning, this was before we even opened the rest of the box.

There were 3 sections within the box, one very small mystery section which in our boxes contained a magnet or eraser, nice as a little extra collectable gift. Then there were the two larger sections, about half the size of an A4 sheet. There was a mixture of activities as we had 3 boxes but regardless of which box all 6 of the activities were great. Apart from a pair of scissors and water for one of the activities absolutely everything else we needed was included in the kits, not too much but definitely enough. As well as the pieces of equipment there was an instruction booklet for each kit too. The instructions were written really clearly but also had pictures which you could follow without having to read. The age range of the Toucanbox says 3-8 and I would say it is fair. Obviously a 3 year old will need more help and guidance from an adult than an older child, the pictures are great for this though as they can use them to help stay on track. As the children get older they would be able to read the instructions and follow it independently. I loved the fact that my 9 year old was able to take the dreamcatcher kit and complete it by herself without any help at all and she was really proud of what she had achieved. I also liked the fact that even following the instructions, each child will still end up with something of their own creation. The instructions were great but not stifling and there was enough flexibility in the kits to allow children to use their own ideas within the parameter of the project. The fact that the kits come in individual bags within the box means nothing gets lost and they are great for throwing in a bag to take with you on holiday, on a trip to a family or friends house, some would even be suitable to do on long journeys in the car, or on a train or plane.

The kits are available to buy online from the Toucanbox website. There are various options when buying which gives great flexibility. In fact for the first subscription box you get to choose the 2 kits you want to include from a selection which has some seasonal options too. These then come in the box with the magazine, mystery collectable and a sheet of stickers, because who doesn’t love stickers! The total for this was £11.90 (£8.95 + £2.95 P&P), this gets cheaper per box if you choose a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription, a great idea for a gift for someone. You can also purchase the boxes individually at a cost of £12.00 per box plus £2.95 P+P. I like the fact that there are lots of options available as it allows you to adapt to your child and their needs. Overall, I think the Toucanbox offers real value for money, a great learning experience and an opportunity for children to be creative.

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £12.00 + £2.95 P&P (cheaper if you buy a subscription)
This item is available to buy from Toucan Box here.