Teach Ecology for Kids with Junior Explorers Subscription Kit

I received a complimentary mission kit from Junior Explorers to facilitate my review; however, all opinions are my own.

Do you have a little nature lover in your house?  Junior Explorers helps teach ecology for kids through a monthly subscription kit with fun, interactive games and cool gear!

Monkey loves learning about animals and the natural world, so he was thrilled to receive an Amazon Mission kit from Junior Explorers!  This mission puts kids in the driver’s seat by telling them that they are needed to complete an important mission to help find missing jaguars!  To get ready, they first go through a checklist to prepare for their mission – including making use of the fun stickers, temporary tattoos, postcards, tiny animal toys, and official Junior Explorers button included in their kit!  There are also animal cards with facts about the animals they will encounter on their mission, as well as an information sheet about the Amazon.

Then it is time to hop on the computer to get started!  After “packing” up your gear at the station, you set off on your journey to find the jaguars! There is a nice tie-in between the website and the package, as you need to refer to the animal cards to complete some of the activities along the way.  I also like that you make use of virtual gear that a real explorer would have with them – like a compass, map, binoculars, camera, and (of course) a tablet.

While the Junior Explorers website is very visual and easy to navigate, it is also very text-based, so really more appropriate for kids that are already reading.  Of course, you could sit with younger children and help them with the reading, but the games are designed for elementary age and above, as they require good hand-eye coordination.  They were just the right level for Monkey, who found them challenging but not frustrating.  Once he had finished the mission, he had fun going back and playing some of the games again.

I would definitely recommend this for elementary age children who love animals!  It is a great way to help kids imagine themselves as explorers and envision themselves taking a leading role in helping the planet’s creatures.  Be sure to visit the Junior Explorers site for more information about their monthly subscription service!