While comparing Atlas Crate to Little Passports compares geography boxes to geography boxes. But what about those parents that aren’t sure if a geography/culture box is the best thing for their family? I completely understand. So here I want to compare boxes in the Kiwi Crate family. Luckily my in-laws, who gifted us our original Atlas Crate subscription, changed it this year to include Kiwi and Tinker crates. So I thought it would be fun to post about Kiwi Crate vs Tinker Crate vs Atlas Crate.
Links are affiliate. Opinions are my own.

I’ve written a few posts about Atlas Crate, so I’m going to save that one for last. First up Kiwi Crate
Related: Atlas Crate: Thailand Box Review
What is Kiwi Crate?
Kiwi Crate is a subscription box service that offers monthly STEAM boxes. Boxes are geared to different age groups and interests. In addition to it being the name of the company, Kiwi Crate is also the name of one of the specific boxes – which is the first one I want to write about.
Kiwi Crate at a Glance
Age range: 5 – 8
The monthly box includes:
- A STEAM Project with tools to make the project and detailed instructions
- A magazine with information about the month’s topic
Sample Kiwi Crate Box

This fun box includes a disk launchers activity + information about inertia.
At first glance, this disk launcher activity feels like a single activity. It’s not. Kiwi Crate has them build a disk launcher, create clay obstacles, and the actual game. Awesome.
The magazine includes a comic, a magic trick, inertia-related activities using items you have at home, more information about inertia, and a recipe.
Now, let’s look at Tinker Crate.
What is Tinker Crate?
Tinker Crate is a STEAM box by the same people who brought us Kiwi Crate. It’s geared towards older kids and, even, adults… although, between us I think all of their crates are fun for adults.
Tinker Crate at a Glance
Age range: 9 – 16+
The monthly box includes:
- A STEAM project with instructions and materials to make the project
- A themed magazine
Sample Tinker Crate

This box includes a spin art machine project + a magazine about spinning scenes.
When we opened this box we were excited to see the wires and batteries. This is a big kid box, for sure. I love that for this particular project, they use the box as part of the project. After creating the machine, the kids make actual spin art.
The Tinker Zine is definitely geared towards older kids with longer articles and bigger words. This magazine covers things like physics, ideas for changing how the spin art machine works, the science behind it, and other related activities using items found at home.
And now, let’s see Atlas Crate.
What is Atlas Crate?
Atlas Crate is the geography/culture STEAM box by Kiwi Crate. We talk a lot about these boxes on this site, but I wanted to go ahead and look into it to make it easy for you to compare boxes.
Atlas Crate at a glance
Age range: 6 – 11
The monthly box includes:
- Two distinct activities about one country
- A group of cards with more details about the country.
Sample Atlas Crate

For the Atlas Crate Germany box, we have two distinct activities: a fairy tale activity, and a car launcher, and an information packet.
The fairy tale activity involves creating dice using the provided stickers. These dice can be used for prompts for more storytelling in the future.
The car launcher needs to be built first, and then it can be played with over and over again.
The informational sheets include info about Germany, more activities that are related to Germany that can be done with items from home + a recipe.
Related: Atlas Crate Germany Review
Which is the best for your family?
First, I’m biased. I love learning about other cultures and teaching my kids about other cultures. The Atlas Crate box, obviously, makes that immediately possible in a very fun way. We were recently sitting around the dinner table and my kids grabbed the cards from the Atlas Crate Peru box and started talking about what they learned. It was pretty amazing.
Related: Atlas Crate Peru Review
My second biggest love, after travel, is science. We don’t currently sit around the dinner table talking science, though, and I’m not sure if we will. However, both the Kiwi and Tinker boxes open up the opportunity to talk about science as we’re walking around in our daily lives. As science is everywhere.
The Atlas Crate box lends itself to being easy to share with siblings. They’re two distinct activities. While the activities are simpler than the Kiwi Crate, and especially the Tinker Crate boxes – they aren’t simple.
Both Kiwi and Tinker Crate boxes have one big project that can be broken into distinct steps. Because these are larger projects, I think they work best for one person who has the focus and determination to go through each of the steps.
Whichever you decide, I think you’re in good hands. And Kiwi Crate has wonderful customer service should you need it.
Do you subscribe to any boxes? Let me know what you think about them in the comments.