This post and giveaway are sponsored by BabbaBox. Thanks, BabbaCo!

Annie is at that age where she wants to do everything and touch everything and she does NOT want help. But she does want my help entertaining her. I’ve pointed out this is a contradiction, but she ignores me. So I’m always on the lookout for new, interactive things for the two of us to do, and when I was approached about BabbaBox, I knew I wanted to try it.

A BabbaBox is a monthly subscription box that comes to your house full of all the goodies you need to entertain, interact, and engage with your kids. The box we received had two crafts, an activity, flashcards, and a book. The part I really appreciated was that the crafts were ready to go – I had the right amount of googly eyes, the felt was pre-cut, there was glue, etc. Everything I needed was in the box. Considering I don’t even know where my scissors are, this was huge.

I made a big deal about the box arriving, and Annie was SO EXCITED about it.

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The box had the theme of “Polar Exploring,” and every activity tied into that. The first thing we did was make penguin pouches:

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I liked that there were enough materials to make two pouches – that would be really important if I had more than one child at home. First Annie and I made a pouch together:

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I used the opportunity to say things like, “Where should the penguins eyes go? Where are mommy’s eyes?”

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Then she made one on her own (with me handing her the pieces with the glue ready to go).

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The pouches were designed to hold flashcards about the Arctic and Antarctica. While we waited for the pouches to dry, I read the flashcards to Annie, and then asked her questions about the animals. I made it a game, which she loved.

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(bonus – NARWHAL!)

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There was also a book about penguins, which Annie LOVED. LOVED. I don’t think I can stress enough how much Annie loved the penguin book. We have read it dozens of times. She talks about it constantly. She tells strangers about the penguins. Penguins? They’re Annie’s homeboys.

Another activity that went over big was painting with ice cubes. The BabbaBox came with an ice-cube tray, popsicle sticks, food coloring, and paper. I made the cubes during nap time, so when she woke up it was time to paint (outside, though, because it was messy). Mike had Annie point to each cube and identify the colors.

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“Dada, this is an iceberg. It’s where penguins live. I love penguins!”

I thought their finished products looked cool:

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In all, I really like the BabbaBox. Annie was really entertained, and loved learning about the penguins, and I liked that the box was completely self-contained. As she gets older and can read, the boxes will get even better. I will definitely be signing up for more boxes!

I am giving away one BabbaBox, courtesy of BabbaCo! To enter, BabbaCo would love it if you signed up for their newsletter. Once you’ve done that, come back and leave me a comment saying what you think sounds awesome about the BabbaBox. Contest ends on June 27th at 11:59 Pacific time (Yes, that’s my birthday!). Winner will be chosen by Random.com. US Residents only

BabbaBox wants to give you 50% off your first box! Enter SM50OFF at checkout. The coupon code is good until July 4th.

UPDATE: The winner is commenter 46, Cathy! Congrats, Cathy!