Junior Explorers Review: February 2015

I am so far behind on this review! Back at the end of January, I ordered Junior Explorers for my eight-year-old son to try out when I saw a deal through Groupon. Life got in the way, though. Since I work nights, we usually wait until the weekends to look at boxes that for them so we can spend quality time together. However, between ongoing weekend events and the moods of an eight-year-old, we finally got the chance to check it out this past weekend!

The box itself serves as the trunk for your explorations, plus it is filled with some really cool stuff!

The first thing my son noticed was the bright orange water bottle. The kids are kind of obsessed with water bottles these days and orange is one of his favorite colors (although he won't admit that often because it is also one of my husband's favorite colors and that just isn't cool when you are eight). He loved this! 

We took a look through the box after he stopped playing with his bottle. There was a welcome letter from Kyle and Kia, a membership card, stickers to decorate the trunk, explorer tattoos, a field guide, a button, a bracelet and a code to access Biomes on the computer. Oh, and a giant map to hang on the wall!

My son was thrilled that there was an interactive computer element that goes along with this box. While he loves "stuff," he loves doing things more.

I sat with him while he looked through the online activities. He started at the Mission Center. This is awesome; instead of the online component speaking to him, it actually requires that he read the information. We read the opening letter and then proceeded to get ready for the trip. I have to say that this is a very cool addition to this box! 

The interactive map allows the child to learn all about the animals living in certain areas. There are also quizzes about the animals. It is so much fun that the kids don't even realize that they just learned something! 

As if this isn't enough, every month kids can complete a giveback program. They will play games online and get points for those games, which can be used to help fund conservation projects. The children not only explore and learn, but they are helping out as well. 

Junior Explorers is for children ages 6 through 11 and offers monthly, three month, six month, and annual subscriptions. Since I had the Groupon, it was only for one month. However, my husband and I are in the process of sorting through the boxes we might sign up for over the summer when the kids are home with me all day. This is high on the top of my list for my older son. Ideally I will be able to have at least one box for each of them through the summer months.