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Ivy Kids November 2014 Review
Ivy Kids is a subscription box for children 3-8. Ivy Kids is a small, home-based business started by a stay-at-home mom and former teacher. Each kit is personally made with “tender loving care†by a teacher/mom on the Ivy Kids’ team.
Kids are $38.95 a month for the monthly option, and you get so much stuff. You can also add on a sibling package for $5.00 a month. Each month you will receive a kit containing a book and ten or more activities based upon the story. Everything you need to learn and play is included in your kit. The activities have been carefully crafted to encourage curiosity, problem solving, and creativity in young children. The Ivy Kit games and projects are a fun way to develop fine and gross muscles, build math and literacy skills, encourage reading comprehension, and promote scientific thinking. My son has really loved his Ivy Kids boxes.
The Details:
Cost: $38.95 monthly, $36.95/mo for 3 months, $34.95/mo for 6 months. Add a sibling pack for $5.00 a month.
Coupon: Click HERE and use the code IVY20 to get 20% off your subscription.
What's in the box?: Each month you will receive a kit containing a book and ten or more activities based upon the story. Everything you need to learn and play is included in your kit. The activities have been carefully crafted to encourage curiosity, problem solving, and creativity in young children. The Ivy Kit games and projects are a fun way to develop fine and gross muscles, build math and literacy skills, encourage reading comprehension, and promote scientific thinking.
When does the box ship? Boxes ship around the 22nd of the month for ongoing subscribers with the expectation that the kit will arrive within 5-10 business days in the U.S. You can check the status of your shipments in the U.S. on your My Account page once your kit has shipped.
When will I receive my kit? Kits arrive around the 1st of the month
When am I billed? When you sign up for the monthly membership, you will be billed for your first kit immediately. After that, you will be billed on the 20th of each month until cancelled.
Can I skip? Yes! Just email info@ivy-kids.com
How do I cancel? You can cancel a monthly subscription any time after the first kit ships. Please cancel by the next month's billing date to avoid getting billed for and shipped the next kit. Gift subscriptions (3 or 6 month terms) are not eligible for cancellation. Auto-renewing subscriptions (pay every 3 or 6 months) are only eligible for cancellation after the initial prepaid term has been completed. To cancel, please email customerservice@ivy-kids.com
Website: http://ivy-kids.com/
Ivy Kids comes in a pretty big box, and it is packed with activities. Boxes ship by USPS.
First Look
The inside of the lid has all the activities in the box, along with pictures!
Each month, all the activities are centered around a book. I love that there is a book included, as literacy is very important to me. This month the book is “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom”.
Ivy Kids also personalizes one item for your child. This month, the personalized item was a laminated paper with L's name in it. He can practice writing his upper and lowercase letters.
Animal ABC Matching Game: This game uses the laminated sheets and the dry erase marker. Your child matches the upper and lower case letters, or matches the baby with the mama animal.
A note about directions: Ivy Kids includes a sheet of directions with every activity. They tell you what materials you need, (they include everything), directions for the activity and questions you can ask your child to scaffold learning. They also list the learning goals and objectives. There are also directions separated for Little Ivy's (ages 3-5) and Junior Ivy's (ages 5-8). This ensures no one is bored.
Tracing Letters and Numbers: There is a laminated sheet with upper/lower case numbers on one side and numbers on the other. Your child uses the dry erase marker to trace the letters and numbers. This is a great activity for L to do. He is learning to write all his letters, but this activity helps improve his handwriting.
All About Palm Trees: There is always a real life book with information about a topic in the box. This month, the book is all about palm trees. L loves reading these books.
Experiments with Coconut Shells as “Boats”: This activity uses the coconut shell, to see if the boat will float or sink when you put it in water and various objects inside the boat. There is an observation paper, for your child to document their findings.
Make You Own Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree: Your child uses the supplies to make their own palm tree. Then they add the stickers to the side, to make them walk up the tree, just like the book.
Make Your Own ABC Puzzle: Your child colors the puzzle, then takes it apart and puts the letters in order.
Chicka Chicka Name Tree: Using the materials, you help your child place their painted hands on the palm tree, to make leaves. Your child writes their name at the bottom, and writes the number of letters in their name. I love activities that include my kids hand prints.
Coconut Game: You put the coconuts on the top of the palm tree. Your child then takes turns spinning and taking that number of coconuts off. If they land on a tree, they put two back. This is a great activity to teach numbers.
L and T played this game tonight and had a blast. It was great practice for L, since we have been working on number recognition.
Magnetic Palm Tree: You stick the plain palm tree on your refrigerator, or other magnetic surface. Then you child uses the magnetic letters to act out the story.
Palm Tree Bingo: You take the letters, put them face down, then take turns drawing and placing them on the the bingo cards. Whoever fills their's up first WINS! Oh my, let me tell you this game was awesome!
All my boys playing. This was not a staged photo, my kids had a blast with this game.
T finding letters. I didn't realize he knew so many letters, until we placed this game. My little baby is growing up.
The game was a easier for L, but it was great practice for him and he had a blast. When the game was over, both boys cheered that it was so fun, (also not staged). This is a game I am keeping out and playing often.
Final Thought: This was an outstanding box. There were a total of 12 activities. This box will last you the whole month. Don't forget, there were two games you can play again and again. L had a blast tonight playing the games and has an activity he wants to do tomorrow. I love that T is getting old enough to participate too. If you want to try Ivy Kids, click HERE and use the code IVY20 to get 20% off your subscription. Also all past kits are 10% off until Dec 31st!
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Disclosure: I received this box free for review.