mom review:
M is for Monster
Educational Boxes
M is for
Monster is dubbed
“Preschool in a Box”
and delivers four
weeks of activities to
those who sign up for a
monthly subscription.

The four activities
we tested included
one about flags, the
beach, the dentist and
watermelon – all fun
things for a child (yes,
even the dentist). These
educational activities
are designed to allow
children to practice
math skills, gross
and fine motor skills,
letter recognition and
cognitive development, among other
things. My children loved the coloring
activities that accompanied each week,
really appreciated the beach ball game
(any time we let them throw a ball in
the house it is a win in their book!)
and enjoyed learning how to properly
brush their teeth.

In week one, the lesson was about
flags. The kids select various flag
stickers and count each sticker as
they match them to the number on a
card. My 3-year-old loved counting
all the stickers and doling them out
to his little sister. We also talked to
them about what country the flag was
for, but this generally went over their
heads. The passport activity is also a
fun way to document special places
over a period of time – school, the
park, the ice cream store – particularly
if you start it at the beginning of a
busy travel season when the family is
going to be out and about a lot. In our
case, it didn’t really work as intended,
34 October 2017 washingtonFAMILY.com
all the accessories one
needs to clean their
teeth. We went over
each item with the kids,
although this part was
less engaging for them.

but they still liked having the passport
and covering it with stickers.

The beach ball game was fun for
our whole family and was the most
engaging out of any of the activities.

Sitting in a circle, we passed the ball
back-and-forth to each other and made
it a game. While we passed the ball,
we said the next letter in the alphabet,
which made practicing letters fun for
my little one. We also played beach
ball BINGO, and that was a fun game
my 3-year-old had not yet learned. It
is a pretty simple board, so it makes
learning the game easy for little ones.

The week of the dental activity was
fun and timely since we are nearing
our first appointment at the dentist.

We practiced counting the teeth,
My oldest child, who
is 3 ½-years-old, got
far more from this
activity set than my
20-month-old based on
the activities included,
and even then, some
activities struggled to
keep my older child’s
attention. For example,
the fourth week we
were supposed to glue
watermelon seeds onto
a paper watermelon.

While he loved the opportunity to use
glue, he lost interest after a few of the
seeds and declared his watermelon
finished. Overall, my kids looked forward to
these activities as something new
and different from their normal toys
and games. And I love activities
that turn fun play into a learning
opportunity. The kids were interested
in participating and seeing what was
included in each game. We tried the
preschool box and, as advertised on
the website, is recommended for ages
4-5. Try the toddler box if your kids
are younger like mine.

For more information or to sign
up for a subscription visit: http://
misformonster.com/. coloring on plaque with a dry erase
marker and cleaning the marker
off with a toothbrush. The kit also
provided a book about visiting the
dentist, which was a nice addition, as
my children love to read. Furthermore,
the kit came with a travel case with
Meet the Reviewer!
Tracey S. lives in Falls Church, VA with
her husband and two children. She loves
trying new products and learning from
others what products work best and are
worth a try.