Dutch startup Kiekebox has a clear mission: to stimulate to children play again. The Kiekebox is a box filled with play and craft activities for children 4-8 years old, which is sent monthly to subscribers. Since the company wants to produce the Kiekebox in a socially responsible way, it started a crowdfunding campaign. “If this campaign goes well, we can finally produce the Kiekebox in a social workplace”, Kiekebox founder Janneke du Bois states.
What was the reason for founding Kiekebox?
“Because children aren’t playing enough like they used to. Research shows that children who are behind a PC-screen for more than two hours a day have a higher risk of psychological problems. And the ministry of education stated that playing and crafting are more import nowadays than ever. Parents, however, lack time to develop such activities for their children, since they are more and more caught up in work. We wanted to make sure that the next generations have as much joy playing as we did, so we created the (pedagogically responsible) Kiekebox. Funny story: since three years, I’m the proud aunt of my niece Kieke. She was my inspiration for the Kiekebox – so the credits for the Kiekebox actually go to my niece Kieke du Bois!”
So, what’s in the Kiekebox?
“We try to learn kids different disciplines via the Kiekebox: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM). They’ll discover the world through experiments, playing and crafting. The box has a different theme each month, so there’s enough variety in the activities and subjects. The team of Kiekebox consists of a pedagogue and a teacher, so the boxes aren’t just fun, but also pedagogically responsible. We always focus on four principles when we develop new activities for the Kiekebox: fun, educational, challenging and creative.”
And what is the crowdfunding campaign about?
“We wanted to produce the Kiekebox in social workplaces from the start, but on this moment lack the scale. That’s why we organize this campaign. Of course, you can subscribe to the Kiekebox and help us achieve our goals in that way. But one of the other ways you can participate in the crowdfunding campaign is by donating boxes to the VUmc and Emma Kinderziekenhuis. That way, you can help us produce the boxes in a social workplace, even if you don’t have children yourself. And, of course, you help the children in these hospitals experience the craft and play-experience – which they really enjoy. Both the hospitals are delighted that we started this campaign and we look forward seeing the kids in these hospitals play with the donated Kiekebox’s.”
The Kiekebox crowdfunding site can be found via this link. The campaign is live from the 5th of June to the 5th of July.
