How to get your kid ready for kindergarten. And it's fun.

Though I know some eager young children who are excited to begin their kindergarten adventure, not one of them wants to be doing flashcard drills and workbooks on a summer's day. Which is why I love the adorable and smart monthly subscription box o' treats from CMP favorite Education.com that disguises learning as play, and insures that you have something on hand the second I'm bored escapes their lips. {unfortunately, Wonderbox is no longer in production} Education.com's Wonder Box* joins the growing category of monthly gift subscriptions for kids, though the treats found inside this box are all designed to help build those skills kindergarteners will need. And no, I don't mean being able to stand in a straight line without poking the person in front of them. Instead, kids will find three separate projects that focus on different areas of development, like a hand puppet craft to help develop fine motor skills, or sorting story cards which teach proper story sequencing. Along with the content, I'm super impressed with the quality of the materials which are packaged beautifully inside the Wonder Box. And I so appreciate that you don't just get a box full of fun stuff and leave it at that. Instead, each craft includes a tag that tells you how to approach the project to insure you work on the right skills--this is from Education.com, after all. For the hand puppet, for instance, the tag asks you to spread out the felt pieces and ask your child to sort them by shape and color before you start working. What a smart way to sneak in a little learning. And when you've finished the activities in the box, there is exclusive content online for Wonder Box members, like MP3 downloads of stories, coloring pages, and instructions for turning your box into the cutest desktop puppet stage. A little Shakespeare in the Park perhaps? -Christina *Wonderbox is no longer in production. Please see this link for more information.