We received a very exciting-looking box masquerading as a time machine from Mysteries in Time. This particular one was all about Ancient Egypt, and is the first in a series of history subscription boxes aimed at children aged 6-11.
The idea
Characters Max and Katie take children on an immersive journey through history via the adventure story and magazine included in each box. Join them in the story as they try to solve a mystery concerning the era that the time machine’s transported you to.
What is included:
Base pack
- Mystery/adventure story
- Glossy history magazine full of interesting facts, puzzles and activities (including colouring sheets)
- Egyptian bookmark
- Hieroglyph chart
- Themed sticker sheet
- Timeline sticker
- Lovely, large world map with timeline (this comes in the first box)
Upgrade
All of the above plus crafting materials and a history-related gift.
Mysteries in Time – History Subscription Boxes
The pack is wonderfully presented and full of intriguing and colourful items, which were all good quality. My children (aged 8-11) couldn’t wait to get started. Our surprise gift was an Egyptian-themed pen (Nefertiti as they later discovered). Our crafting materials were modelling clay with gem stickers, which went down very well.
Unboxing
We unfolded the world map, which was delightfully large and glossy, and found Egypt. This led to lots of discussion about the relative sizes of different countries (much surprise about how tiny the UK is). We then added our timeline sticker to the bottom. You add another sticker each month so you get to see different historical periods in context.
We shared the story together over the course of a few nights at bedtime and they really couldn’t get enough. I initially thought my eldest daughter might be a bit old for it, but she thoroughly enjoyed it too and actually took over the reading.
They loved being historian detectives and finding out lots of interesting facts and details in the narrative; it really brought history to life in a fun way. They were so engaged that we’d refer to the magazine the next day to find out more about the things we’d read about in the story.
The magazine is very informative and covers a surprising amount of ground in a succinct, enjoyable and easily digestible way. You can dip into it whenever you want, which is exactly what we did. They even used Mysteries in Time for a homeschooling project!
My younger two really enjoyed the colouring activities and we all loved the quizzes and decoding the hieroglyphics. The crafting materials are a great extra. The air-drying modelling clay (with gem stickers for decorating) was very well received. They made an Egyptian-style amulet as per one of the suggestions included. However, they went a bit off piste with their modelling 😁
The final verdict
The children enjoyed the whole concept from start to finish. They got a lot out of it both in terms of fun and education. I thought it was a brilliantly cohesive, engaging and enjoyable way to learn. As with all the best educational tools, they didn’t realise they were learning. It was also a great antidote to learning via a screen or worksheet. It’s a resource we’ll be able to go back to time and time again.
My one tiny complaint about the whole box is that the it would have been better to have blue clay as opposed to green (as yellow was also included).
The details
The other subscription boxes in the series are: Elizabethan Era, Evacuees in WW2, Ancient Greece, Wild West, Aztecs, Ancient Rome, Victorians, Vikings, Ancient China, Space history and Stuarts.
The base version is £11.95 per month plus postage. The optional upgrade, which provides the extra activity and gift item, is £6.95 plus postage. Use The Parent Social’s discount code PS10 to enjoy 10% off any subscription.
You can cancel your subscription at any time.
We were sent a free ‘Mysteries in Time’ upgraded subscription box in return for an unbiased review.
