created at: 2012-11-20You know that excitement you feel when you discover that the package you’ve been waiting for so impatiently for days has finally arrived, and that opening the box suddenly becomes the most exciting thing ever? Yep, that’s us at the JewishBoston.com office, eagerly awaiting the mail cart.

And we’re pretty positive that’s how parents and kids alike will feel when they too receive the green box from Kiwi Crate that’s full of crafty and educational activities for kids and families. Receiving our sample “Handmade Hanukkah” box was kind of awesome—the contents were neatly packed in lime green tissue paper, which we peeled back to reveal the crate’s activities: a colorful menorah and dreidel spin art, with all of the supplies needed to create them.

Launched last fall by a mom of two, Kiwi Crate, if you didn’t know (we didn’t!), is a monthly subscription program designed around fun themes and filled with all of the materials and inspiration for hands-on projects. We know that getting creative with your kids can sometimes be overwhelming (where to start? what to buy?), but this program takes care of the guesswork for you and even created at: 2012-11-20includes activity cards that tell you the messiness level, grownup involvement necessary and things to think about to engage parents and kids in conversation. You can choose an annual subscription for $220 per year or a month-by-month subscription for $19.95 per month. You receive two projects per month, and shipping is free.

The crates are designed with help from a team of parents and are reviewed by an advisory board that includes experts in science, art, education and child development. And then they’re tested with kids. The result is well-designed kits that will help busy parents keep kids entertained and occupied for hours.

This truly is a creative Hanukkah gift to give or get. For more information, visit kiwicrate.com. And stay tuned for JewishBoston.com’s own Shabbat of the Month Club, coming soon!

Explore all our Chanukah events, recipes, tips and more on JewishBoston.com’s Chanukah page.