My two children love to travel, so I try to take them on trips as often as possible. Of course, traveling with kids can be challenging at times, and it's hard to travel with them as often as we'd like. Still, exposing my children to the world and its cultures is important to me, and I think it's essential to teaching them the importance of respecting and appreciating people from different backgrounds. Not to mention, it's fun!
How does the Little Passports subscription work?
Instead of flying with my kids all the time, I decided to try out a monthly subscription box. There are a ton of subscription boxes out there these days, some with a specific focus and some that are more general. The Little Passport Box focuses on geography, culture, science and art through the lens of celebrating the world.
The monthly subscription boxes are divided into age groups (from ages 3 to 10) and themes like animals, food, crafts, science, geography/world travel, etc. I ordered “Animals Wild” and “Early Explorers” for my 2.5-year-old, and had my 8-year-old try “World Adventures” and “Kitchen Adventures.”
Prices range from $18 to $29 per month (including shipping) depending on what's in the kit and whether you sign up for a 1-, 6-, or 12-month term. It's well worth the price when you consider what's included in each box and the hours it will keep your kids entertained.
What's in the box
Early Explorers (for kids ages 3-5) and World Adventures (for kids ages 6-10) are both geography/travel themed boxes with different age groups. Your first shipment will come with a cute toy suitcase to keep everything in one place, luggage tags, a passport to stamp and sticker on, and a world map to keep track of your travels. You'll also receive a welcome letter from a fictional character featured in each box edition.
Early Explorers also comes with a cute pop-up playset and an activity booklet with puzzles, stickers, games, and facts. The first edition doesn't focus on a specific country, but features activities and information about the seven continents and some famous destinations like the Himalayas and Paris. Kids in this age group will definitely need help, but 5-year-olds may be able to complete most of the activities on their own. Overall, my younger son enjoyed doodling in the activity book and sticking stickers on the map and suitcase. He also seemed interested in the facts I read about the continents and enjoyed dragging his luggage around.
Each edition of World Adventures focuses on a different country. The first one is Brazil. I was impressed with how much this kit came with: a replica of a real Brazilian coin, a display board to store the coins of each country featured in the box, an original chapter book, and a souvenir project (in this case, a mobile in the shape of a scarlet macaw). My older son is a collector, so the coins and passport stamps were perfect. And the craft project kept him occupied for 45 minutes. The best part was that he devoured the book and said it was interesting and fun. He also told me one fact after another about Brazil, a country we haven't been to yet and that he wants to visit now. I was thrilled that he actually learned a lot, had fun, and finished the whole book.
Another category, “Animals Wild” (for kids ages 4-6), is all about discovering wildlife from different regions. Each delivery includes a pop-up cardboard playset with animal figures and a background filled with fun facts, as well as an interactive game. The first one is about the Amazon, while subsequent boxes feature the Serengeti, the European woodlands, and the Australian outback. This kit kept my toddler engaged, and he kept coming back to play with the figures. Adult supervision was definitely necessary, but it was worth the effort, as he learned some facts and enjoyed a game that was easy enough for him to understand.
The final kit category we tried was from Kitchen Adventures (for kids ages 7 and up). What I liked about this kit was that it not only included recipes, but also grocery shopping lists, kid-friendly utensils needed for the recipes, and facts and history about each dish. Our kit was for Rome, and it included recipes for two different types of pasta, Semifreddowe ordered pizzas (each with a different level of difficulty). The instructions were clear, Amatriciana and Cacio e pepe It has become a traditional dish in Rome. My son and I managed to make a delicious cacio e pepe for dinner one night without any hassle. The only downside to this kit was the project. My son was very frustrated putting together what looked like a cool marble maze but was poor quality and didn't work very well.
Are Little Passports worth the money?
Overall, Little Passport offers a variety of boxes that are educational, yet still manage to keep kids interested, all related to travel and exploration. This is no easy feat. Kids love to collect anything, whether it's objects or stamps. These kits really help give kids a way to keep track of their items and accomplishments. Plus, getting a new box every month keeps kids excited. Each kit is filled with multiple goodies, so I feel like I got good value for my money. The instructions and quality of some of the projects could be improved, but ultimately there was enough content in each box that it wasn't really an issue.