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KiwiCo’s Kiwi Crate is great for keeping kids busy for an afternoon! First, they make the project in their crate (sometimes with help from a parent). Then, they can play with what they’ve made. Today’s project is the Cannonball Launcher Kiwi Crate.
What is KiwiCo? KiwiCo is a monthly subscription box company that delivers a “crate” to your child containing art or science projects. There are 8 different lines focusing on different age groups, STEM, art, or geography. You can subscribe for a month, 3 months, 6 months, or 12 months. There is also an online store where you can shop for specific projects.
Ian received this Kiwi Crate (for ages 5-8) from my mom for his birthday, so I thought I would write a little post about it. The Kiwi Crate Cannonball Launcher would work great with either the Kiwi Crate Make-And-Play Fort or just a homemade fort in your family or play room.
Ian just turned 11 but this crate is so up his alley that I knew he would like it. His own cannon? I don’t think he’d refuse that!
This crate has a cardboard sleeve that is really informative before you even open the box. I wish all the crates had this sleeve, but I think only some of them do.
The picture of the cannon on the box is helpful. You know exactly what you’re getting.
The side of the box explains what your child will be learning with this crate. It is great to know this before you even open the box.
This is what the box looks like as soon as you open it. The assembly instructions are right on top. I really like how neatly everything is organized. There is no extra activity booklet with this crate. This may be because this crate is from the Kiwico online store and not through a subscription. Ian didn’t miss the activity booklet much and was ready to dive into assembly.
This is the first page of the instructions. The materials list is in here which is helpful once you start opening up little bags and pieces accidentally end up on the floor. I have to give kudos to the person(s) who writes the instructions. They are always easy to understand.
These are some of the parts for the cannon. As usual, everything is very sturdy; the outside of the cannon is made of cardboard and the rings that go inside the cannon are made of wood.
The cannon partially assembled.
I had to help Ian with this part: tying double knots onto this ring. Make sure these are tight. I didn’t tie these tight enough and the knots ended up coming loose during play.
This ring with the attached rubber bands and string is what will launch the “cannonballs.”
The cannonballs are made of sturdy foam. They won’t hurt if they hit anyone but it’s still not a good idea to aim the cannon at people.
Almost done with the cannon! Just some finishing touches.
The finished Cannonball Launcher
In this video, Ian shows us how the cannonball launcher works!
Thanks for reading!
-Lynn