Navigation skills for kids are one area where my outdoor knowledge is lacking. So when our May Think Outside Boxes Outdoor Adventure Subscription Box arrived, I was as thrilled as the girls were. The gear was cool and very useful, and the activities fit right in with our plans to get out hiking every day now that spring has arrived. (Well, we thought spring had arrived when we did our unboxing.)
Here's a rundown on what we got in our Think Outside Boxes Navigation Box, how the program works, what we're doing with it, and how it fits our off grid family homesteading and homeschooling philosophy.
What is the Think Outside Boxes Outdoor Adventure Subscription Box?
This program is a 13-month subscription box program aimed at children ages 7 -12. We use it with our advanced five-year-old and our nine-year-old and it's a good fit.
Each month a new box arrives including gear, educational material, and an activity guide to encourage outdoor activities and practical learning.
This month's Navigation Box is our fourth in the Think Outside Outdoor Adventure Subscription Box program. We've also received the Initiation Box, The First Aid Box, and the Weather Box.
When you subscribe, everyone receives the Initiation Box the first month. It includes a backpack (your child has a choice of colors), and a few key outdoor adventure gear items for kids. It also includes an activity guide with a useful worksheet on how to pack a backpack.
The contents of the next boxes depend on the season. (You'll find the list in our Think Outside Boxes Subscription Box post.)
Unboxing the Think Outside Boxes Navigation Box
My youngest LOVED this month's box, and couldn't wait to get outdoors to start using her compass and map.
As luck would have it, it actually SNOWED on the day we were planning to head out. Yes, it was almost the end of May.
Finally, the weather cleared, and we were able to get out exploring.
- A fluorescent green compact map compass with a lanyard
- A water-resistant multi-function sports watch
- A signaling mirror
- Practice map
- Organizing Pouch for Navigation Gear
- Hands-on directional puzzle
- Activity Guide
- Resource Cards (to go on the keyring with resource cards from previous boxes)
One of the reasons this box was so appealing to my younger daughter was because the navigation gear fits just as well with her imaginary outdoor adventures as it does with our real-life outdoor adventures.
Young Adventurers!
She wanted to go hunting for gold. And actually, it was a toss-up between a bear hunt or a gold hunt. So before heading out, we went over our outdoor safety skills, compass basics, and functions from the guidebook.
The practice map held her attention for ages, although she was a bit confused. She's an early reader, and spotted the word "Great" in the "Great Smoky Mountains" title.
Except she assumed it meant "Great Slave Lake," which is the large lake near us in the Northwest Territories. So she was studying that map very intently, looking for our little lake and off grid home!
This month's box is definitely a fabulous fit with our summer homeschooling schedule. We homeschool year-round but incorporate more life skills (we call it lifeschooling) in the summer.
As we live smack-dab in the middle of a boreal forest, there are many, many outdoor nature lessons for kids to learn including foraging, fishing, and wilderness survival skills. In fact, we include lessons from these boxes, along with nature books for kids and nature journaling to round out our homeschool science.
In fact, the Think Outside Boxes Navigation Box, Activity Guide, and Navigation Lesson Plan are so full of practical hands-on information and useful knowledge we'll be using them for forest schooling throughout the months of June, July, and August as well.
How to Get a Coupon Code for Think Outside Boxes Outdoor Adventure Box
If you're looking for a fun way to get your children (or grandchildren) off the couch and away from those tablet or television screens, sign up for the Think Outside Boxes Outdoor Adventure Subscription Box. You'll find several different pricing plans to choose from, including a bulk purchase plan for six or more boxes.