We are smack in the middle of the summer and I have basically lost all desire to do anything besides sit poolside or relax on the couch. My creativity is a bit zapped and I can barely pull it together to figure out dinner lately. Fortunately we have a few easy-to-prep play activities that I like to pull out when I'm tired and the kids want to create.
This post is sponsored by Ivy Kids.
Another favorite resource when I am busy or tired or un-imaginative are our Ivy kits created by Ivy Kids. Ivy Kids is a company that makes monthly educational subscription boxes for kids ages 3-8 filled with children's book inspired activities!!!
The goal of Ivy Kids is to make every moment with your child "quality time."
With four little kiddos I am desperate for easy fun and quality time. Lately when we get home from a day out I want to plop on the couch, turn on a movie, and zone out with the kids. Although we do that occasionally, lately they have been craving more connection and creativity. They get grumpy watching shows and argue. When we work on projects together and keep screens off my kids are much happier and kinder. Our Ivy Kits have been motivating me to use our time wisely and have a bit more fun. They have also allowed me to connect a bit more with my kids one-on-one as we play games or do art projects.
SO, WHAT IS AN IVY KIT?
An Ivy Kit is a monthly subscription box for preschoolers and elementary schoolers. It comes in the mail each month and is packed full of activities all based on a specific theme and children's book. There are over 10 activities in each box and several of the activities are games that can be played again and again.
Each box is clearly labeled inside the lid with all of the activities that are included in the box! When we open up our boxes there is always a mad rush to scan the activities and pick what we are going to start with. My kids are ecstatic every time I tell them we have a kit to play with.
You can learn a bit more about Ivy Kids and their creator over on my Ivy Kids post from last summer.
Recently we tried out three new themed boxes and were happy to see that they were just as awesome as the Ivy Kits we tried out last summer.
8 REASONS WE THINK IVY KITS ARE AWESOME...
- Almost of the supplies you will need are included inside the box
- The directions are very visual and the activities are simple, so kids can do a lot of things by themselves.
- A box arrives on your doorstep and you have an instant activity with virtually no "set up" needed.
- The activities are hands-on and there is a lot of variety... so kids don't get bored (and neither do you!)!
- You can pay a little extra to get a "sibling" set ($5/per month) and then siblings can join in too! There was enough stuff with the regular set and additional sibling items that all three of my kids had a blast and stayed busy!
- You can specially purchase past boxes!
- The monthly price is very reasonable considering all of the materials that are included in the boxes (in addition to the children's book) and how long it would take to complete all of the activities.
- They make me feel like a fun and organized mom... even when I don't feel like it!
CHECK OUT THE BOXES
This summer we tried out the Fish Out of Water kit, the Gotta Go, Gotta Go butterfly kit, and The Giant Hug kit.
The A Fish Out of Water by Helen Palmer kit included the following items/activities...
- The book A Fish Out of Water by Helen Palmer
- Read along Bookmark: Use to assist with reading comprehension.
- My Pet Fish
- A Home for My Fish
- Goldfish Body Parts
- My Aquarium Science Observation
- Fish Stick Puppet
- Feed the Fish - Vowel Race
- Fish Bingo
- Growing Sea Creatures
- Where is Otto? hide-and-seek game
- Fish Sun Catcher
- Fish Out of Water - Math Game
- Odd and Even Fishbowl Bingo
- Fish Photo Frame
My kids especially loved the realistic aquarium they got to make out of oil, water, sand, shells, starfish, and fish. They thought it was so cool to observe the effects of mixing oil and water.
Hunting activities are another favorite around here, so my youngest loved hiding this big fish for his siblings to find- again and again and again!
The instructions for the games were very clearly written, so it was easy to just pull out the instructions and game pieces, do a quick scan of the directions, and then start playing right away!
We had so much fun with our boxes that I took a lot of photos!!
The Gotta Go! Gotta Go! by Sam Swope kit included the following items/activities...
- The book Gotta Go! Gotta Go! by Sam Swope
- Read along Bookmark: Use to assist with reading comprehension.
- My Little Caterpillar craft
- Butterfly Magnets using coffee filters
- Butterfly Life Cycle Wheel
- Clay Model of the Butterfly Life Cycle.
- Butterfly Handprint or Footprint
- My Monarch Butterfly- label the parts
- Mexi-Go! Board Game
- Butterfly Symmetry with pom poms
- Hanging Butterfly
- My Butterfly Garden: grow your own wildflowers!
- Caterpillar Patterns using pom poms
- Rhyming Wings - Matching Game
Here are a few of the activities that we photographed.
Making the butterfly life cycle out of clay was a highlight along with painting our hands and feet for prints! Man were the kiddos ticklish on their feet and hands!
The Giant Hug kit included the following items/activities...
- The book The Giant Hug by Sandra Horning
- Read along Bookmark: Use to assist with reading comprehension.
- How Many? Counting hugs game.
- My Big Hug Project:
- I Love You This Much
- Send a Hug
- Decorate your own Mailbox
- Decorate your own My Mailbag. Use your mailbag to collect and deliver mail when pretending to be a mail carrier.
- Make Some Mail
- Special Delivery: After learning about the post office, dress-up as a postal worker with the hat, vest, and messenger bag provided. Have fun playing post office and delivering mail.
- Sorting Mail pretend play
- Make Your Own Stamps
- Buy a Stamp activity
We are still muddling through this third box because we've barely even had a moment to play with it yet! The first two have kept us so busy! Can you tell we had fun based on all of the photos we took?
If you're interested in trying out some boxes, check out the details below for more information.
SEND AN IVY KIDS SUBSCRIPTION AS A GIFT
These simple kits would make great presents for kids ages 3-8. You can shop through the store to pick your favorite kit or you can purchase a subscription.
USE AN IVY KIDS COUPON CODE
The July Ivy Kids kit features over 10 fun and creative activities inspired by the beautiful book Over in the Ocean In a Coral Reef. Sign-up by July 15th to start your Ivy Kids subscription with the July kit. All new customers receive a free gift and get 20% off their first kit with code IVY20.
All past Ivy Kids kits are now 10% off and are available for purchase, no subscription necessary! Use code Summer10 (exp. 7/25).
These boxes have been lifesavers for our family this summer, so I love them! I hope you have fun with them as well! If you have any additional questions, check out the FAQ over at Ivy Kids.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Ivy Kids. As part of our partnership we were sent three free Ivy Kids boxes to try out. The opinions shared in this post are mine.
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