KiwiCo in Australia: Everything you need to know

We take a look at KiwiCo, which provides fun learning activities for Australian kids with its monthly subscription boxes.

Raising kids is not without its challenges. With so many toys, tablets and passing fads vying for their attention, it can feel like an uphill battle trying to provide enriching, educational activities for your kids that are actually fun. It can also be disheartening to spend money on expensive art and craft supplies that just end up collecting dust in a cupboard. Enter KiwiCo, which provides fun and educational material for kids via monthly activity boxes for kids, and is available in Australia. 

KiwiCo’s mission is to deliver fun learning for kids of all ages, to inspire excitement, curiosity, and moments of discovery, and kickstart a lifelong interest in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics).

What is KiwiCo?

KiwiCo specialises in monthly and bi-monthly subscription-based educational products for children of all ages and interests. They offer a range of hands-on activity kits designed to engage kids in learning through fun and creative projects. Each crate is tailored to different age groups and focuses on various topics, including science, engineering, art, maths, cooking and more.

KiwiCo aims to provide children with opportunities to explore and learn about various subjects while also promoting creativity, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking. The company’s subscription model typically involves delivering new kits on a regular basis, allowing kids to experience new activities and challenges over time.

What comes in a KiwiCo crate?

There are nine types of KiwiCo crate, providing a huge variety of options for kids of all ages, even newborns (and the young at heart). So, the answer to this question varies depending on your choice. In each crate, you will receive project supplies, detailed instructions, and educational content (with an option for additional reading materials, see KiwCo Deluxe below).

Three examples of Eureka Crates, with projects focused on Engineering & Design Credit: KiwiCo

One of the more popular crates for teens is the Eureka Crate, which can cost as little as A$40.93 per month, and features projects centred around teaching principles of engineering and design. Since KiwiCo provides a recurring service, each month you will receive a new set of puzzles, games, and more, depending on the crate you have chosen. The exception to this is the Panda Crate for babies and toddlers, which gets delivered every other month, with two months worth of products.

Click any of the links below for a breakdown of each of the nine KiwiCo crates you can choose from:

• Panda Crate (0-36 months) – Explore & Discover

• Koala Crate (Ages 3-4) – Play & Learn

• Kiwi Crate (Ages 5-8) – Science, Art & More

• Atlas Crate (Ages 6-11) – Geography & Culture

• Yummy Crate (Ages 6-14) – Science of Cooking

• Doodle Crate (Ages 9-16+) – Create & Craft

• Tinker Crate (Ages 9-14) – Science & Engineering

• Maker Crate (Ages 14+) – Art & Designer

• Eureka Crate (Ages 12+) – Engineering & Design

Credit: KiwiCo

How much does KiwiCo cost?

KiwiCo crates are delivered on a monthly basis, with a number of pricing options based on your level of commitment, from monthly payments, to an annual subscription (which will save you a considerable amount over the course of the year). The nine different options all vary in price, but the below figures are representative of one of KiwiCo’s more popular project crates: The Tinker Crate, built for older kids ages 9-14, with a focus on science and engineering.

• Monthly – A$66.67/month (Save $6.07/mo)

• 3 Months – A$33.33/month (Save $27.33/mo)

• 6 Months – A$30.30/month (Save $72.89/mo)

• 12 Months – A$28.09/month (Save $172.21/mo)

Another example is The Panda Crate, designed for newborns aged 0-36 months, and created to celebrate toddler’s natural creativity and curiosity. Unlike the standard crates, these are delivered every other month:

• 1 Crate – A$66.67/every 2 months

• 3 Crates – A$190.89/every 6 months (Save $9.11)

• 6 Crates – A$337.13/every 12 months (Save $62.87)

• 12 Crates – A$28.09/every 24 months (Save $182.23)

Prices may vary (accurate as of August 2023). Savings are represented as comparisons to a one-month gift crate.

What is KiwiCo Deluxe?

For avid readers (or those who need a bit of a push), KiwiCo also offers KiwiCo Deluxe packages, which are supplementary to the standard KiwiCo crates. KiwiCo Deluxe adds a handpicked book each month, specifically selected to complement the project included in your base crate. These are a great way to extend the fun and learning, while building your child’s library, and doubling down on the lessons each project attempts to teach. KiwiCo Deluxe subscriptions are priced at an additional A$16.63/month, and are available for all KiwiCo lines except Yummy Crate, Maker Crate and Eureka Crate.

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KiwiCo crates are an exciting, recurring box full of play, with something to offer for children of all ages and interests. Above, we’ve focused primarily on the crates for tweens and above, with activities centred around enriching a young scientific mind. However, a great benefit of KiwiCo’s product lines are the range of topics, and levels of complexity for kids of different ages, skill sets and interests. The Yummy Crate is a particularly impressive option, which can teach important cooking and food science lessons to growing kids. In addition to this, the Panda Crate is a fantastic starting point for newborns and toddlers, which can take a lot of the pressure off new parents as they struggle to find fun, colourful activities that won’t “rot their brains”.

For more information on KiwiCo Crates, the nine product lines, KiwiCo Deluxe and more, check out their website here.