FAQs
About Alderwick Adventures
What is Alderwick Adventures?
Alderwick Adventures is a story-driven history mail club for children ages 6–11.
Each month, your child receives a letter from Pip Whiskerton, a curious little mouse who travels through American history with the help of the magical Finder’s Compass. Every adventure combines an illustrated story, a small historical artifact or keepsake, and optional activities that help children explore the time period more deeply.
Our goal is simple: to make history feel alive, personal, and fun—without adding hours of planning to your week.
What age is Alderwick Adventures for?
Alderwick Adventures is designed especially for children ages 6–11.
Younger children may enjoy listening to the letters as a read-aloud and completing the activities alongside an adult. Older elementary children can often read the letters independently and explore the extra resources at their own pace.
Each month, we also recommend a related book that generally suits mid-elementary readers. Don’t worry if your child has already read it or needs something at a different level. Your monthly parent email includes alternate suggestions so you can choose what works best for your family.
Is Alderwick Adventures a history curriculum?
Not exactly. Alderwick Adventures is not intended to replace a complete history curriculum.
Think of it as a fun, story-based supplement that can be used alongside nearly any homeschool program, school curriculum, morning basket, unit study, or family reading routine.
You can keep things simple and enjoy the letter on its own, or use the story, artifact, book recommendations, and activities to build a fuller history lesson around the topic.
Do we need to be homeschoolers to join?
Not at all!
Although Alderwick Adventures was created with homeschool families in mind, it also works well for children who enjoy history, stories, crafts, and imaginative play.
Families use Alderwick for after-school enrichment, screen-free weekend activities, educational gifts, grandparent days, and simply as something special to look forward to in the mailbox.
How much time does Alderwick Adventures take?
That is completely up to you.
At its simplest, you can read Pip’s letter together, examine the artifact, and place the new star on the map.
Families who want to explore further can complete the Star Quest, read a related book, watch a virtual tour, or use the bonus resources in the monthly parent email.
You might spend twenty minutes enjoying an envelope or build several days of learning around it. Both approaches work beautifully.
How much preparation is required?
Very little.
The letter, artifact, and Star Quest arrive ready to use. The monthly parent email organizes additional recommendations and links in one place so you do not have to search for resources yourself.
The main preparation would be purchasing or checking out of the library any of the recommended books you would like to read.
Some optional crafts or projects may require basic household supplies, but they are intended to remain simple and manageable.
What You Receive
What is included in a subscription?
Every Alderwick journey begins with a personalized Welcome Pack. After that, your child receives one historical adventure envelope each month, followed by a final completion envelope at the end of the selected series.
A 12-month journey includes:
- One Welcome Pack
- Twelve monthly historical adventure envelopes
- One final completion and reward envelope
That is a total of 14 envelopes.
A 6-month journey includes:
- One Welcome Pack
- Six monthly historical adventure envelopes
- One final completion and reward envelope
That is a total of eight envelopes.
What comes in the Welcome Pack?
The Welcome Pack introduces your child to Pip, Alderwick Hollow, and the mysterious Finder’s Compass.
It includes:
- Pip’s introductory story letter
- A personalized Compass Keeper membership card
- An Artifact Passport
- A Star Map for tracking each adventure
- A special bookmark
- Instructions for beginning the journey
The Welcome Pack gives your child everything needed to become an official Compass Keeper before the first American history adventure arrives.
What comes in each monthly adventure envelope?
Each monthly envelope includes:
- An illustrated letter from Pip set during a real moment in American history
- A small artifact, keepsake, or piece of miniature mail connected to the story
- A Star Quest activity card
- A star sticker to add to the child’s Star Map
Parents also receive a companion email with additional resources, alternate book recommendations, videos, virtual tours, and optional ways to continue exploring the topic.
What are the Star Quest activities?
Star Quests are optional activities that help children explore the history beyond Pip’s letter.
A Star Quest may include:
- A related book to read
- A poem to read aloud
- A piece of music to listen to
- A simple craft, project, experiment, or hands-on activity
Your child may complete all of the activities, choose a favorite, or simply enjoy the letter and artifact. There is no required workload or grading.
What is included in the final envelope?
After your child completes the selected series, a final envelope arrives to celebrate the journey.
It includes:
- A personalized certificate of completion
- A Compass Keeper patch
- Bonus surprises or keepsakes
- A glimpse of adventures still to come
Plans and Series
Which subscription plans can I choose?
Families may choose from:
- A six-month journey
- The complete twelve-month American History series
- Both journeys are available as monthly subscriptions and one time payments
You will also select your preferred starting month during checkout.
What time periods does the American History series cover?
The full American History series follows Pip through twelve moments in American history:
- The Mayflower Voyage
- Benjamin Franklin’s Colonial Print Shop
- Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride
- The Winter at Valley Forge
- The Lewis and Clark Expedition
- Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
- The Pony Express
- The Statue of Liberty
- The Wright Brothers’ First Flight
- The Dust Bowl
- The Apollo 11 Moon Landing
- The March on Washington
The complete journey moves broadly from early colonial America through the Civil Rights Movement.
What is included in the six-month journey?
The six-month option allows you to choose one half of the American History series.
Early American History includes:
- The Mayflower Voyage
- Benjamin Franklin’s Colonial Print Shop
- Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride
- Valley Forge
- Lewis and Clark
- Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
Late American History includes:
- The Pony Express
- The Statue of Liberty
- The Wright Brothers
- The Dust Bowl
- Apollo 11
- The March on Washington
Do the stories need to be read in order?
Not at all. Each historical adventure is written as a complete, stand-alone story.
Pip, Thimble, and the Finder’s Compass provide continuity throughout the series, but your child will not be confused if you begin in the middle of the year or select only one six-month journey.
Can siblings share a subscription?
Absolutely. We love siblings learning and exploring together!
The main story letter can be shared, so you do not need to purchase a completely separate subscription for each child.
With a sibling add-on, each additional child receives their own personal materials, including:
- Compass Keeper membership card
- Star Map materials
- Artifact
- Star stickers
- Star Quest activities
- Certificate of completion
- Other child-specific rewards or keepsakes
The siblings still share the main monthly story letter.
Can I add more than one sibling?
Yes. You may add a sibling option for each additional child who would like their own personalized materials.
Sibling pricing and available options are shown on the product page when you choose your plan.
Can I give Alderwick Adventures as a gift?
Absolutely! Alderwick Adventures makes a lovely gift for birthdays, holidays, grandchildren, or any child who would enjoy receiving their own historical adventures in the mail.
When placing the order, you will be asked to provide:
- The child’s or family's name, so we can personalize and address their materials
- The mailing address where the envelopes should be sent
- The email address of the parent or adult who should receive the monthly companion emails
The monthly emails include book suggestions, activities, videos, and additional resources, so they should usually be sent to the adult who will be helping the child use the subscription.
Shipping and Billing
Can I order now and begin later?
Yes. During checkout, you will choose the month when you would like your child’s adventure to begin.
This makes it possible to order ahead for:
- A birthday
- Christmas or another holiday
- The beginning of a homeschool year
- A new history unit
- A visit from grandchildren
- Any month that works well for your family
When should I place my order?
To begin in a particular month, place your order by the 20th of the previous month at the latest.
For example, order by August 20 to begin receiving your adventure in September.
Orders placed after the monthly cutoff will begin with the following month’s mailing cycle.
When will the Welcome Pack ship?
The Welcome Pack generally ships one to two weeks before your selected starting month.
This gives your child time to meet Pip, discover the Finder’s Compass, and prepare the Star Map before the first monthly history adventure arrives.
When do the monthly letters ship?
Monthly adventure letters generally ship around the 5th of each month.
Postal delivery times can vary by location, so the exact arrival date may be different for each family.
Is shipping included?
Standard United States shipping is included with the subscription unless otherwise stated on the product page.
International shipping charges are calculated separately based on the destination and current postage rates.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes, international shipping is available.
Because international postage and delivery times vary, shipping charges will be calculated during checkout. International families should also allow additional time for each envelope to arrive.
Can I change my mailing address?
Yes. Please contact us as soon as possible if your mailing address changes.
Address updates must be received before the next envelope has been prepared and mailed. We cannot guarantee replacements for letters sent to an old or incorrect address when updated information was not provided before shipping.
When will I be charged?
For prepaid plans, payment is collected when the order is placed.
For month-to-month subscriptions, the first payment is collected when you order, even when you choose a future starting month. Future payments are then processed according to the billing schedule shown at checkout.
Your billing schedule and mailing schedule may therefore begin on different dates.
Can I cancel my subscription?
Yes. Month-to-month subscriptions may be canceled before the next scheduled renewal.
For one time payments, cancel within 48 hours for a full refund. Cancel within 30 days for a 75% refund (you’ll keep the Welcome Pack and Month 1 letter).
Additional Questions
What should I do if my letter has not arrived?
We know how special these envelopes are, especially when a child has been watching the mailbox for Pip’s next adventure.
Postal delays occasionally happen, particularly during holidays or severe weather. If your envelope has not arrived within 30 days of its expected shipping date, please contact us at alderwickadventures@gmail.com.
Include:
- The subscriber’s name
- The mailing address
- The adventure or month that is missing
We will review the mailing information and help determine the next step.
What if an envelope arrives damaged?
Please email alderwickadventures@gmail.com within 30 days and include:
- The subscriber’s name
- A photograph of the damaged envelope or contents
- A short description of what was damaged or missing
We will be happy to help replace the affected materials when possible.
Do you offer a digital-only subscription?
Not at this time.
Alderwick Adventures is designed as a hands-on mail experience, with physical letters, artifacts, stickers, maps, and keepsakes that children can open, hold, collect, and revisit.
Some supplemental resources are delivered digitally through the monthly parent email.
What if I still have a question?
Email us at alderwickadventures@gmail.com. If your question relates to an existing subscription, please include the subscriber’s name and order information so we can assist you more quickly.