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If you have a kid or know a kid with a birthday coming up or who just needs some encouragement for the new school year, I’ve got a great idea for you.
Not too long ago I helped spread the word about a design contest for Uncommon Goods, and they asked if I’d like to review something as a thank you (yes, that means I didn’t pay for it, FTC). I picked this mail kit, and its adorable and a lot of fun for kids and adults.
The girl loves sending mail to her grandparents and pretending to send mail to us, so I thought it would be perfect.
What’s Inside
The kit comes in a sturdy box and includes
- a decorated cardboard mailbox
- 10 birthday cards
- 4 encouragement tags to stick onto small gifts
- 15 cards for grandparents and others to use
- the book The Surprise Inside
The Book
The book tells the story of Sam and the visits he gets from his treasure fairy. It’s a cute way to introduce the concept of the mailbox and to add a bit of mystery if you want. (The girl was still 3 when we got ours but she said, after reading the book, “You’re the treasure fairy.” Well, yes.)
Using the Mailbox
The mailbox has holes in the back so you can mount it to a wall if you want. We have so far kept ours on a table in the living room. Put little treats or letters inside, put the flag up when there’s something in there, and repeat.
The girl was really excited to have a mailbox and spent a lot of that first day “writing letters” (which at this stage means drawing stuff, making squiggly lines and stuffing it in an envelope) and has gone back to it regularly.
We stick little things in there every now and then. I recently bought her some new markers and put them in there, and when her dad went on a trip he put a couple of little presents in there when he got home.
The key word in all this is little. The mailbox itself is actually pretty small. It measures 7 inches across, 4 inches deep and 5 inches high at its highest point (the lid slants). So you can fit little cards and stationery in there, but not a full size envelope, unless you want to fold it.
That really annoyed the girl, and I can’t say I blame her. We’ve managed to fit most of the things we want in there, but sometimes the lid doesn’t close.
More than a Mailbox
Of course this is a fun gift even just for playing mail. But when the girl is old enough to read, it will also be a nice way to share encouraging notes and give her little gifts just for being who she is. Kids can use it to practice writing, too, in a way that’s more exciting than school.
I think we’ll be using this mailbox for a long time to come in a lot of different ways.
It retails for $36 and is a lot less creepy than that elf on the shelf thing.
