Earthwise Box | Meet the Maker

Each month Claire and her small team create themed monthly boxes containing nature-based craft kits, seeds and bulbs to plant and fun activities, quizzes and information packs to inspire children to get outside and explore the wildlife around them.

To tell us more about it, we're delighted to welcome Claire to explain more about Earthwise and how her subscription box business all got started.

What sparked your decision to start up your box and how did you get started?

I've been running Forest School groups, Environmental and Climate Education sessions on farms, in woods and in schools for over 10 years. When the first lockdown came in March 2020 I suddenly found myself unable to do the work that I love. I was also incredibly aware of how many families do not have such easy access to nature as we do - getting outdoors in nature really kept me going in lockdown.

The first Earthwise Boxes were developed using funding to provide nature-based activities to families using emergency food banks in a very urban area of Bristol, with the aim of encouraging more families to explore their local green spaces. We now reinvest profits from all box sales for this purpose - sharing the love of nature for all.

Describe your box in three words?

Grow, Make & Explore!

Where did your box name come from?

As well as curating Earthwise Boxes we have been running forest school sessions and environmental education sessions long before that under the same name. It is all about getting children and families learning more (getting wise!) about our planet, her plants and creatures.

Are you a creator or curator?

Creator  - We create all the resources and activities ourselves.

What was your most popular box?

Our box sales have been growing every month so our latest box is our most popular :-)

How many people are involved with producing your subscription box?

3 people. I create the activities and write the activity booklet. My partner helps with design and I have someone to help me with packing the boxes. Occasionally our kids also get involved for the photos (when they're feeling helpful!).

Which subscription boxes do you subscribe to?

The Community Farm veg box (which is also the farm that I run events at).

Name a celebrity subscriber you’d love to have as a customer?

Hard question! To be honest, it doesn't matter to me if my subscribers are celebrities or not - our focus is just providing activities that take them outdoors to learn more about the natural world, whether they are a celebrity or not!

If you could put anything in your box, with money or scarcity no object, what would it be?

If money were no object then rather than add something to the box I would provide more regular free boxes to more disadvantaged families to fulfil our social purpose of reconnecting young people and their families with the natural world.

What do you love about uOpen?

It's another great way for me to share our boxes with families in the UK and get them out growing, making and exploring together!

A big thanks to Claire for taking the time to respond to our questions. As you can see Claire and her small team (including her kids) are all working hard to create a special experience for kids and to help parents inspire thier children to learn more about nature. 

To support the Earthwise box, why not try a box for your own children or gift it to a child that would enjoy this interactive delivery. You can try a one-off box or receive a different theme every month by signing up for a rolling monthly subscription.

Earthwise Box - Discount Code

Plus, you can save 10% on your first Earthwise box by using the code THANKS10 in the uOpen checkout. Just click on the link to get started!