Ivy Kids was founded by Taseea Lainas-Cruz, a former early childhood teacher and a mother of three. Taseea, who holds a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Hunter College and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University, was inspired to create Ivy Kids due to the challenges she faced in finding developmentally appropriate educational games for her children. Her personal experience and frustration led her to design and develop educational kits, first for her children and then for a wider audience, transforming her solutions into a successful business​ (Ivy Kids)​.

Grades

Ivy Kids is geared towards children aged 3-8.

Cost

The cost of the subscription varies, generally ranging from approximately $25 to $35 per month, depending on the subscription plan chosen​ (Ivy Kids)​.

Differentiation: Unique Attributes

What sets Ivy Kids apart in its category is its focus on combining literacy, science, math, and engineering concepts through hands-on activities that are inspired by children's literature. The activities are specifically designed to be engaging by incorporating children's favorite stories and characters, which helps in maintaining their interest and enhancing their learning experience. This approach not only makes learning enjoyable but also promotes creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills​ (Ivy Kids)​.

How to Get Started

To begin using Ivy Kids as a homeschooling curriculum, parents can subscribe to receive monthly educational kits. Each kit is filled with all the necessary tools and materials, along with a comprehensive guide to facilitate various activities. These kits are tailored for children ages 3-8, making them a flexible option for early education​ (Ivy Kids)​.

How It Works

Ivy Kids kits are designed to be used right out of the box, requiring minimal preparation from parents. They are ideal for both independent and parent-led activities, depending on the child’s age and the specific activity involved. Typically, activities can be spread throughout the month, with children engaging with them for about 30-60 minutes per day. This setup makes Ivy Kids an adaptable resource for homeschooling families looking to enrich their children’s foundational skills across multiple disciplines​ (Ivy Kids)​.

Educational Concepts Taught

  • Math: Number recognition, counting, simple addition and subtraction

  • Science: Observations, predictions, simple experiments

  • Literacy: Letter recognition, phonemic awareness, reading comprehension

  • Engineering: Building simple structures, problem-solving with materials

What’s Good About It

Users praise Ivy Kids for its high-quality, research-backed content that effectively combines education with entertainment. The kits are celebrated for their creativity and the ease with which they integrate learning into everyday play. Many parents appreciate the thoughtfulness behind each activity, noting that the kits provide valuable opportunities for meaningful interaction with their children​ (Ivy Kids)​.

What Could Be Improved

While Ivy Kids receives a lot of positive feedback, some users note that more customization options could enhance the experience. Parents of children on the upper end of the age spectrum sometimes find the activities less challenging than desired. Additionally, the inclusion of more digital content or interactive components could further enrich the program​ (Ivy Kids)​.

Advice from Parents

To maximize the benefits of Ivy Kids, parents recommend establishing a consistent daily routine that incorporates the activities from the kits. They also suggest supplementing the kits with additional books and materials that align with the monthly themes to deepen the learning experience​ (Ivy Kids)​.

Ideal and Non-Ideal Fit

Ivy Kids is ideal for families seeking a hands-on, interdisciplinary approach to early childhood education, particularly those who value the integration of STEM with literacy. It may not be as suitable for families looking for a more traditional, textbook-based curriculum or for those whose children need higher levels of academic challenge​ (Ivy Kids)​.

Ways to Get It

Ivy Kids can be subscribed to directly through their website, where parents can choose between various subscription plans or purchase individual past kits​ (Ivy Kids)​.

Affiliate Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links in our review are affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through these links, we might receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep our site running and continue to provide valuable content. Our reviews are completely independent and our opinions are our own. We strive to maintain transparency and trust with our readers.

Explore More Kits and Subscription Boxes

Manisha Snoyer (co-founder of Modulo)

For the last 20 years, I’ve taught over 2000 children in 3 countries (of all socio-economic backgrounds). I pioneered an English language program in a conflict region in the Middle East. I’ve worked as a bilingual public school teacher at some of the highest and lowest performing public schools and in all five boroughs of NYC. I’ve tutored 18 subjects in three languages to some of the wealthiest families in NYC, San Francisco and Paris to make up for shortcomings in private schools they were paying up to $60,000 a year to attend.

Since 2015, I’ve helped hundreds of parents start microschools (way before this was a household buzzword). I founded CottageClass, the first marketplace for microschools and learning pods that was part of the Techstars 2018 class. In 2019, I created a virtual learning program to help families through the pandemic, a free online math tutoring program (masteryhour.org), and schoolclosures.org, a hotline developed in collaboration with Twilio and 80 other partners including Khan Academy, Revolution Foods and the Crisis Text Line, that served 100,000 families impacted by school closures.

I’ve climbed trees with children in forest schools in San Francisco, and tested new digital apps with kids in seven countries.

I’ve also coached dozens of families at different stages in their homeschooling journey. Most recently, I founded Modulo with homeschooling dad, best-selling author and tech entrepreneur Eric Ries, to help families curate their children’s education, social and childcare experiences drawing from a diverse array of in-person and online resources.


During the last three years, I’ve devoted much of my time to reviewing and testing secular homeschooling curriculum and other resource. I’ve spent the last three years talking to thousands of secular homeschooling families, and poring over tens of thousands of secular curriculum reviews and testing physical curriculum and digital apps for with hundreds of students to find the highest quality, most engaging, personalized learning materials for every type of learner.

I’ve spoken about homeschooling and modular learning at multiple venues including SXSW EDU, NY Tech Meetup, and on the LiberatedEd podcast.

In 2022, Modulo was one of 8 organizations who were awarded the Bridge Grant from the Vela Education Fund to expand access to homeschooling and modular learning to under-resourced communities.

My experience in education and homeschooling has led me to believe that there is no perfect education for every child, but families have an extraordinary amount of wisdom they can apply to building the perfect education for their individual child.

My goal with Modulo is to make it possible for any family to easily build a customized education that their child will love, and that will empower the whole family to thrive, taking into account, social, emotional and academic needs.

I love to answer questions from parents and receive feedback on how we can improve Modulo, so feel free to reach out anytime! I personally answer all the questions and comments readers leave on my blogs.

In my free time, I like hiking, traveling the world, tasting ceremonial grade matcha, enjoying dark chocolate.

I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Brandeis University with highest honors, with a double degree in French Literature and American Studies and minors in Environmental Studies and Peace & Conflict Studies.

And I love to learn!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/manisha-snoyer-5042298/
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