My kids are fascinated by geography and learning about other places around the world. We are fortunate that we have been able to travel to a few different places with them already and our Common Bonds Kids Night In Box arrived just as we were getting ready for a trip to Niagara Falls, Canada. We immediately had to get out the inflatable globe from our box and blow it up to look at exactly where we would be traveling.
I love that every Kids Night In Box includes an educational theme with a book and activities that encourage kids to ask questions and learn something new while having fun. This month’s theme focused on peace, equality, and finding common bonds with people all over the world.
My kids were feeling a little under the weather the night we did our Kids Night In Box, so we skipped the “Optional Worldly Recipes” and agreed that we would definitely try the “Friendship Mix” and “Minestrone Friendship Soup” another day. So, we started our night snuggling up on the couch to read Whoever You Are by Mem Fox. I absolutely loved the pre-reading, monitoring comprehension, and post-reading questions that were included with our box. These questions really helped expand our experience by asking questions such as, “Why do you think the child from the book is crying?” and “What does ‘love the same’ mean?”
After we finished the book, it was time to get out our inflatable globe and play Globe Toss. This was our favorite part of the night! After talking about the different continents, locating all the places we have visited, and locating where some other Kids Night In kids live, we took turns tossing the globe and talking about the country our hand landed on. My kids really enjoyed talking about the animals that live in Antarctica and Australia. They also thought it was fun that we landed on China, a place we visited last summer.
We skipped decorating and writing the Pen Pals letter since that was going to be a project for my oldest (he really enjoyed writing his letter while we were on our trip and is very excited about waiting to get a letter back from someone he doesn’t know).
Next, we tuned in to the Music From Around the World playlist and started dancing. We all really enjoyed hearing songs from around the world and trying to guess where in the world the song originated from. La Bamba was a definite favorite!
We finished our night enjoying our included snack and playing the Around the World Board Game. The snack included two “This Bar Saves Lives – Kids” chocolate chip granola bars. It was interesting to learn that buying these bars (as well as “This Bar Saves Lives”) helps the company’s mission to end childhood malnutrition around the world. We will definitely research purchasing these bars in the future.
We also really enjoyed the Around the World Board Game, which is similar to the popular Candy Land game in our house. We loved using the finger puppet game figurines, but wished the game board was a little longer – it was easy to finish the game in less than 5 turns. The quick games just meant that we were able to play a half dozen times and make sure we each had a chance to make it “around the world” first!
I was excited to see how excited my kids were learning about compassion and common bonds with this month’s Kids Night In Box. As a parent, I am constantly trying to “teach” my kids everything they “need” to know, but it’s an exhausting job! I love that these boxes help make that teaching process for a parent a little bit easier by planning out a fun box around important concepts for kids.
To learn more about Kids Night In Box, or their affiliated boxes (Date Night In and Faith Night In), or if you’re ready to start receiving your own monthly box, please follow my referral link below and/or check out my previous reviews here on my blog of the Kids Night In and Date Night In boxes.
**I received this Kids Night In Box complimentary for review purposes, but all opinions expressed are my own. I am registered as a Night In Box affiliate and may receive a small fee for any purchases made through my link listed above, but this in no way impacts my review. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me!**