Little Hands Learning | Earth Box review

 “A monthly subscription box, inspired by the magic of books”

Firstly, I need to apologise for how late this post is. We've already received and opened our June Little Hands Learning box. *Spoiler Alert* – the theme is ‘at the seaside’ which is perfect for this gorgeous weather we've been having. Also, I forgot to take any photos of the box as we opened it, but the unboxing it is on my Instagram highlights – so be sure to check it out.

The theme for May’s box was ‘Earth’ and came with a cute handwritten quote as well as being inspired by the book ‘The Girl who Planted Trees’ – written (and signed) by Caryl Hart and illustrated by Anastasia Suvorova. As always, the book has been carefully chosen because of its connection to the theme as well as its message, and this was a story all about resilience and community spirit. The illustrations were just beautiful – full of colour, perfect for the summer season and to help inspire gardening, or more generally, being outdoors. This was also reflected in the monthly activities, which were:

• Grow basil plants
• Craft a windsock.
• Make and sow wildflower bombs
• Learn about the water cycle

Let it grow

Let's start with the two planting activities. Alfie loves helping in the garden, and I'm sure I've mentioned it before. He previously loved growing the wild strawberries, although sadly, they’ve still not germinated. I don’t know if it’s the pots I’ve used, or I’ve not watered them enough (or too much!). I'm genuinely thinking of replanting them – do I, don't I?

Anyway, I just knew Alfie would love the basil and wildflower activities in this box.

We planted the basil first using the cute terracotta pot provided, as well as an old yoghurt pot. Alfie loved mixing the soil and water together, and carefully pushed the seeds into the soil. I put them along with the strawberry pots on an old paint tray on our windowsill in the kitchen. We’ve loved watching the progress and I'd say they're ready to go outside now. I love fresh herbs, particularly basil – and already cannot wait to make some bruschetta or an Italian inspired salad, using our homegrown produce.

A couple of months back, we planted wildflower seeds and seed bombs at dad’s plot, but never had we made seed bombs before. What fun it was, and so simple too – although it was quite messy! Alfie didn't like handling the clay, especially when wet, so I was in charge of making the bombs themselves. I couldn't find the gardening gloves, so ended up using washing up gloves instead – I didn't want the clay to get in my nails. Alfie enjoyed pouring all the dry ingredients in the bowl. Once the seed bombs had been formed, it took between 24 and 48 hours for them to dry. And while we are yet to plant them, we're running out of space in the garden – so I’m considering buying some more pots for these.

Colours of the wind

I don't think as a child I ever made a windsock and was so excited to make one with Alfie. It was really easy to make and such a nice craft to do together – we really worked as a team. I cut the strips of crepe paper and he stuck them onto the card. He also asked me to decorate the card, so I drew a sun between the clouds and added some (very!) basic birds. Once rolled up, it looked fantastic and so colourful too.

After it was dry, we then went outside to hang it in the garden and the first time it was so windy it fell down straight away. Then I hung it by the garden gate and that worked better – until the gate kept slamming and the crepe strips were getting trapped. I was worried they would rip. But it was third time lucky – and I finally found the perfect place. The windsock looked great, and it was so fascinating to watch the strips change direction with the wind and then drop when the wind was still.

If you're interested in purchasing a one-off box or even subscribing, visit the website. And if you're looking for a discount on a future box or anything in the shop, use code: LUCYLOCKET – and in the notes, mention that I sent you.

For sneak peeks of future boxes, as well as other crafty and educational ideas, follow Little Hands Learning on Instagram.

Love, Lucy xx