Learn about the constellations in the night sky and then imagine and design your own! Play with gears and use them to engineer a model system of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. 

Everything needed, from materials to illustrated directions, is included, along with explore!, a bonus play & learn magazine with extra projects and activities!

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Exploring Stars

We received the Exploring Stars crate as part of our monthly subscription. My kids enjoyed all the activities. Unfortunately, I have to downgrade this crate due to scientific inaccuracy. When the orrery is in motion with the earth orbiting counter-clockwise around the sun, the rotation of the earth on its axis and the orbit of the moon around the earth are in the wrong direction. I hope that KiwiCo redesigns this crate so that the model is more accurate.

The model for how the Sun, Earth, and Stars move around each other was priceless.  The stickers of green land to put on the Earth did not stay on.  The tape to hold the wooden apparatus to the base was not strong enough or effective enough.  The other craft, the lamp, was a hit.  Just make sure you don't put stars around the edge or they will get covered up when placed into the lamp.  We did not try the outdoor sun oven yet - you need supplies from around your house like aluminum foil, marshmallows, chocolate, graham crackers, etc.  We did not have those supplies at that time and we are gluten free which makes getting those supplies more difficult, so we just never came back to it.  I suggest you get those supplies in advance so you won't miss out on all the fun.

My son and I had a lot of fun building the latern and making the outdoor oven (we are still using it)! We lost earth, the moon and the sun within the first 2 hours of building the solar system. 

It was fun

This was an incredibly well composed crate. My daughter enjoyed making her own constellations for the latern. Making the orbiting sun, moon and Earth was very easy for her to do.

The coolest

We enjoyed making the lantern, 5 stars, but the spinning earth required me to have to explain that the earth would rotate too, which went over her head, and the light in the “sun”  died quickly and wouldn’t stand up - 2 stars. 

I wish it was more accurate 

Great idea - my daughter and i had a great time putting it together 

Awesome project 

Creative and Technical skills being built with this crate. Being able to make your own constellations, building the lantern and creating the solar spinner was so cool. He loved it.

Building skills in my son!

Literally so cool! Building a diorama of the sun, moon, and earth rotation was a great hands on learning experience and a simple way to explain the solar sytem.

Lesson about the solar system

Kit seems low in supplies the few kits we have had in the past seem to provide extra supplies. Only two brads and one easily broke as we were trying to fasten it as instructed. Also the tape to put together the lantern was insufficient (small) needed to hold it together with tape from around the house. While tape is not a big issue we didn't have any extra brads in the house. I tried to look through past kits but my daughter must have used them for other projects. So seems the project is on hold till I find them in a store. Also I liked that other kits provide book recommendations,but this one does not. 

A bit disappointed

I enjoyed seeing my daughter build all of the different projects and learn so much about the solar system.

Exciting to see her learn

Learn about the constellations in the night sky and then imagine and design your own! Play with planetary gears and use them to engineer a model system of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.

Exploring Stars | KiwiCo

Build your own spinning kaleidoscope with changeable wheels in this brain puzzle kit for kids! Create a mirror book and explore angles and patterns. Then, use it to solve visual puzzles. Make a travel pouch for your mirror book activities! 
 
Everything needed, from materials to illustrated directions, is included, along with explore!, a bonus play & learn magazine with extra projects and activities!

Kaleidoscope Play

The Kaleidoscope was easy to put together. It was fun! My 8 year old spent around 2 hours playing with this. 

These kaleidoscopes were, and continue to be, great fun. The crate contains very high quality materials and the kaleidoscopes are very easy to put together. 

My granddaughter was with me for three days, she’s eight years old, and was totally entertained and thrilled with the whole process, the books that came with it and ability to do her own artwork with it.

Great crate! The kids had so much fun putting this together. Educational and fun. I also love that the stand up kaleidoscope came with a to go case. It’s great if you are going on vacation and are planning on some dinners out where the kids need to be entertained. Lots of activities they can do on the go and keep them entertained!

Great crate!

So many colors when you look in! It was cool to see these projects come together and make my child excited to learn.

Colorful and cute!

This crate was a cool way to get my child off of technology and away from a screen! He really liked the mirror project.

Less screen time!

This was a great time for my children to play and learn together as siblings. The different projects like the kaleidoscope and mirror were really interesting!

Fun play time

The mirror was very cool. Being able to swap in different patterns and change the angles to make a different image had my child really engaged and excited!

Had my son engaged

This was a great crate for family time. We were able to give the kids the control over the activities, but they were also able to share with us their proud accomplishments. The mirror was super cool too!

Great family time

This was a great Kiwi Crate. Both of my kids loved the end results and how they could keep playing with the mirror and kaleidoscope.

Played with it a lot

Build a spinning kaleidoscope, mirror book, and a travel pouch for your mirror! Explore angles and patterns.

Kaleidoscope Play | KiwiCo

Shed some light . . . on polarized light! Explore how polarized filters work using magnified models. Experiment with special sunglasses and discover the effects of polarized light. Then use what you learned to craft a couple of color-changing artworks that dazzle in the sun. 
 
Everything needed, from materials to illustrated directions, is included, along with explore!, a bonus play & learn magazine with extra projects and activities!

Polarized Light

Explore how polarized filters work using magnified models. Experiment with special sunglasses and discover the effects of polarized light. Then use what you learned to craft a couple of color-changing artworks that dazzle in the sun.

Polarized Light | KiwiCo

Investigate light and colors in a variety of activities. 

Polarized light - Shed some light...on polarized light! Explore how polarized filters work using magnified models. Experiment with special sunglasses and discover the effects of polarized light. Then use what you learned to craft a couple of color-changing artworks that dazzle in the sun. 

Kaleidoscope Play - Build your own spinning kaleidoscope with changeable wheels in this brain puzzle kit for kids! Create a mirror book and explore angles and patterns. Then, use it to solve visual puzzles. Make a travel pouch for your mirror book activities! 

Exploring Stars - Learn about the constellations in the night sky and then imagine and design your own! Play with gears and use them to engineer a model system of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.

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Kiwi Light and Dark

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Exploring Stars

Kaleidoscope Play

Polarized Light