Tinker Crate is a brand new subscription for kids ages 9-14 from the makers of Kiwi Crate. Like Kiwi Crate, it comes with everything you need to complete multiple projects based around a central theme. Unlike Kiwi Crate, however, these projects are less craftsy and more based on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning and enrichment.
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
The Subscription Box: Tinker Crate
The Cost: $19.95 per month (free shipping)
The Products: STEM-based crafts and DIY projects for kids, with supplemental learning kits, booklets, and activities. Projects are designed to enhace children’s critical thinking and problem solving skills through activities that are exciting and fun!
Ships to: Anywhere in the United States, including Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and APO addresses
Check out all of our Tinker Crate reviews!
Every box comes with a copy of TinkerZine magazine, which includes articles about that month's theme, as well as smaller projects and experiments. This month's theme is Building With Hydraulics! To be honest, this theme wasn't too exciting to my nine-year-old when he saw it, but everything changed after we did the big project together...
Here's a peek at the table of contents from this month's TinkerZine. In addition to the large project that Tinker Crate sends, the magazine has several articles plus smaller projects you and your child can undertake to gain a deeper knowledge of the scientific principles of that month's topic. One thing that's great about TinkerZine is that they take every monthly theme and bridge it to the most thrilling application possible for a 9-14 year old. Amazing Animatronics?! So cool!
This month's big project is building a robotic claw! The front of the blueprints (pictured here) just says "hydraulics," so we didn't really know what we were creating until it all came together. It was such a fun surprise!
This is the instruction sheet for the big project. For the second month in a row, they were complete and easy to follow. They may look a little daunting, but they are really not difficult. It took my nine-year-old and I about 20 minutes to finish it.
These were the materials for the project. The only thing we had to supply was a pair of scissors and a glass of water.
Here's the finished product, a robotic claw! It doesn't look very impressive in this picture, but notice that the syringe not attached to the claw is fully extended. Also notice that the claw is closed.
In this picture, the syringe is depressed and the claw is open. Basically, by extending and depressing the syringe, you can make the claw open and close. The movement of the claw is so smooth! It really is like a robot! Both kids became immediately obsessed with this claw! They are totally into hydraulics now and are working through some of the other activities on their own!
Verdict: I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Tinker Crate is seriously impressive. I cannot believe everything they provide for $20! The big project always is easy to do, ends up looking and working great, and teaches the kids about a new and awesome STEM topic in a short amount of time. I really can't believe how this month's topic went from boring to amazing in 20 minutes! My kids have not reached the age yet where they have to do real science projects, but any one of these Tinker Crate projects could be the main component of a winning science project. It's also recently occurred to me that these projects could be helpful in earning Scout badges (loops, pins, etc.) in science or academics. We love Tinker Crate!
What do you think of Tinker Crate?
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