Explore Sandbox… the name of this little box is very apt for what joy it contains. Sandboxes are traditional playground fare for kids to stretch their imaginations in through play. This little gem is no different.
Inside the little shoebox is everything your child needs to make their own arts projects, learn new things, and have lots of fun in the process.
It was like receiving a do-it-yourself arts class in the mail — no fuss, no hassle, no travel necessary.
Explore Sandbox and what a sample of what it contains
My son received his Explore Sandbox kit in the mail and he was so excited to open it. This month’s theme was music so all the projects had something to do with musical instruments. Inside were cute little bells, foam cutouts, colored paper, cute little paper straws, glass cups… it was obvious the items were of good quality and not easily found in our local bookstores. The instructions were clear and easily understandable. It’s obvious how much thought the makers poured into making it.
Rooting through his box of goodies
I always knew that the projects would captivate my 6 year old given what I learned about it on Facebook. What surprised me is even my 10 year old daughter was very excited to see it. She was watching my son taking the kit apart to figure out which of the projects he wanted to do first and she started begging me to let her have a chance to play as well. She wanted in on the fun!
So, I decided to make her the leader. I took a backseat and told her to be the one to guide my son in making the projects. All I needed to do was whip out my phone to take photos. My children poured over the instructions themselves and started building.
My 10 year old reading instructions
When my 8 year old niece and 4 year old nephew arrived and saw my kids busily making a tambourine, they were so excited to help with building the next project on the list which was a drum.
Cousins Unite!
The end results were beautiful.
After completing the project, they had fun playing with the items as well.
The two projects alone kept them busy for a couple of hours — and each box contains 4! It was a nice bonding moment for my two kids and their cousins as they helped each other. It was also an empowering moment for them to see they can do something by themselves without help from mommy.
Explore Sandbox may have been conceptualized with small children in mind… but its ability to entertain even tweens is a testament to how well-planned and creative it is.
My children spent a couple of hours completely engrossed with it and they obviously had a lot of fun in the process… almost as much fun as I had watching them.
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For more information you can visit their website at http://www.exploresandbox.com. You can also search for them on Facebook!
mom and pop moments 