Explore the World (and Learn Coding!)
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Kids can explore world cultures, hone their writing skills, and learn to code with The Adventurous Mailbox! Learn more with this Adventurous Mailbox review.
Thanks to the Internet and the fact that it’s available 24/7 on devices small enough to fit in our pockets, our big wide world has evolved into a pretty small space. That fact has its pros and cons. One of the cons is that thanks to an emerging world culture, we’re at risk of losing touch with the rich diversity of individual cultures.
The Adventurous Mailbox hopes to change that by exploring the beauty of a variety of countries’ cultures through exciting books and activities. Along the way, kids ages 8-12 will learn the basics of coding, hone their writing skills, and learn about the history, geography, and folklore of the countries they visit.
What Is The Adventurous Mailbox?
The Adventurous Mailbox is an exciting book series and accompanying website that explores world cultures through the eyes of Crameye. Crameye is a young kid from Taiwan who goes on some pretty crazy adventures with his best friend, Neva. Oh, and there’s also Crameye’s kid sister, Buster, and Neva’s little sister, Thor.
The Adventurous Mailbox starts with a delivery featuring a series of books following Crameye’s escapades in one of seven countries.
- Finland
- Taiwan
- Brazil
- Thailand
- Greece
- Tanzania
- Peru
Not only are the tales captivating, but they also plunk readers right in the middle of the culture of the land they’re visiting.
Parents can choose to order the books detailing Crameye’s exploration in either print or digital version. Each story is written in a kid-friendly conversational tone that drops readers squarely in the middle of the action.
After reading the book, explorers are invited to join the character’s online exploits via Crameye’s World. Crameye’s World is a website where kids can discover lots more about each country’s culture. They’ll also learn things such as coding skills by taking on missions relating to the book they’ve just read.
How Does The Adventurous Mailbox Teach World Cultures?
Kids will dig into world cultures through eight books that explore seven different countries. Each book is its own adventure but is part of a series kids should read in order.
After (or while) reading the books, adventurers can explore Crameye’s World online. Kids will find information and links to learn about the food, music, and geography of countries around the world. They can listen to the language of multiple countries spoken by native speakers.
Kids can also explore Crameye’s, Neva’s, and Buster’s blogs. On the blogs, kids can view photos of a Taiwanese market, explore foods from Finland, or learn why people in Taiwan aren’t being rude when they point out a giant zit on your nose.
How Do Kids Learn Coding?
Crameye’s buddy Neva is a world-class computer whiz. After each written adventure, kids can head over to Crameye’s World for a coding mission from Neva.
They’ll need to set up a Scratch account (free). Then, Neva will walk them through a detailed lesson (via downloadable manual) related to the book your students just completed.
You don’t need to know coding for your kids to learn it. Neva’s instructions are pretty easy to follow, but if kids get stuck, they can ask for help on the forums or check out a completed sample to see how it’s supposed to look and get back on track.
What Else Can Kids Do with an Adventurous Mailbox Subscription?
Kids can also use The Adventurous Mailbox to hone their writing skills. On Crameye’s World, they’ll find different writing missions with tips for improving their skills. If they’re up to the challenge, kids can complete the mission and have their writing featured on Crameye’s blog.
There are also tons of related links on Crameye’s World to explore with each book. Along with cultural facts, games, jokes, and contests. The welcome pack that kids get when subscribing to The Adventurous Mailbox refers to a “stupid game” on Crameye’s World. It is kind of stupid, but strangely addictive.
Don’t Forget the Teacher’s Lounge
Along with your child’s subscription to The Adventurous Mailbox, you get access to the Teacher’s Lounge. There you’ll find hundreds of lessons that you can download as full workbooks or individual lessons. For each book, there are related lessons for:
- vocabulary
- reading comprehension
- critical thinking
- writing
- links for further research and exploration
You can print the lessons as-is in pdf format or download as a Word document to add customizations!
If your kids would like to learn about cultures around the world while digging into history, geography, and folklore and learning how to code, sign up for The Adventurous Mailbox! Take 20% off with coupon code WUHS. now through September 30, 2019. This discount can be used with the current sale prices, so now is the time to save big!
I ordered this, and while it is really cool, I have to warn people that the coding projects are NOT well-explained. My daughter and I had a really hard time with the first one — the “step-by-step” instructions leave out certain essential steps. If you’re already familiar with coding, maybe you wouldn’t have any problems, but for a neophyte like me, it was baffling.