If your young kids are like mine, then they love imaginative play and any chance to dress up and put on a show. All the costumes and props that they come up with just add to the fun of putting on a performance for the family. Needless to say, my children were delighted to open up “The Dinosaur and the Pirate Set” by Props in a Box. The cute fabric box held the costumes of a pirate, including telescope, money bag, hat, sword, and hook and also of a dinosaur with a tail, claws and hat. It also included a darling 55” x 42” backdrop that is very colorful with fun graphics. Included are the instructions on how to find the Props in a Box Movie Maker App so you can make your own movies.

The costumes were darling and of good quality, made mostly of felt. My kids had no trouble coming up with stories that involved a pirate and a dinosaur. They loved taking turns being the “camera man” and the “director” as well as having a role in the shows. If for some reason they did run out of material, the app provides “story starters” to get the creative juices flowing. They loved thinking up movie titles, typing in the cast of characters, and adding in the special effects. One special effect is included with the purchase of the box. Additional effects are $.99 or you can purchase all of them for $9.99. If you have some costumes already in your toy bin, they will just add to the fun and experience.

We did experience glitches using the app on our iPad. The video function would turn on and start recording, but would not turn off. We would have to shut down the app to get it to stop recording and the videos did not save. My kids got frustrated after several attempts and just used the normal video feature on our iPad to make their shows instead of going through the app. We will definitely give the app another try and hope that some of the kinks are worked out in the near future. 

The Props in a Box line has other sets including the Princess and the Chef, and the Doctor and the Farmer, and the Fisherman and the Astronaut. The sets retail on their website for $59.99. In my honest opinion, this price seems high, though I do like the product. These adorable sets would be a great birthday party gift, but that price point is more than we spend on gifts for preschool and elementary aged children.

Overall, I think the Props in a Box line is a delightful experience for families with elementary aged children. It gives children a channel to express their creativity and gets them using technology in a safe and fun way with a good balance of both.

-Product review by Audrey Tolle, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July, 2016