DigVentures Family Subscription

What's in the box: The site does not list the contents of a family box, so check the plan page to see what each delivery includes.

DigVentures is a UK archaeology organisation that runs crowdfunded and community digs, online courses and professional fieldwork. Its shop sells gift subscriptions that promise to give the gift of archaeology all year round, and the family plan sits there. The main appeal is who it comes from. This is a working archaeology team with live projects, including a Roman villa at Sacrewell Farm, Ampthill Castle (Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon's first home) and Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in Ireland's Boyne Valley. That gives subscribers a link to real excavations rather than a generic craft kit. The site also has a virtual museum of finds shown in 3D, videos filmed on digs and live updates, so curious children have plenty to explore. The weak point is clarity. The main pages do not say what a family subscription includes, whether anything physical comes in the post, how often it arrives or what ages it suits, and no prices appear up front. If you expect a monthly box of hands-on kit, check the plan details carefully before you buy. For families who already love history, and who might later go to a dig together, it looks like a credible way in. If you want a predictable craft box, a more conventional kids' subscription will be easier to judge.