Tinker Crate Subscription Box Review & Coupon – December 2015
Tinker Crate is a 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.
Tinker Crate kindly sent us this box for review purposes. (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)
COUPON: 50% off your first month with coupon code SHARE10
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 here!
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 Automatons! Coooool. I do this box with my nine-year-old son, and he loves Tinker Crate!
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.
This month’s big project is an automaton! OK, I have to admit I had no idea what this picture was all about when I saw it. BUT, we can always count on Tinker Crate to pick awesome projects, so we dove right in anyway.
These are the instructions for this month’s project. They are pretty detailed, but they are very clear, complete, and easy-to-follow.
These were the materials Tinker Crate supplied for the project. With Tinker Crate, sometimes you have to supply a few things, but they are always items you have at home, like scissors or water. This month they included everything we needed for the project.
This is our completed automaton! Seeing it still like this doesn’t do it any justice, or explain what it is or what it does, unfortunately. It’s very cool, though! It’s the machine we built, and when you turn the crank on the right, the balls roll UP the stairs! Then they roll back down the chute on top and start back up the stairs again.
Verdict: My son and I love Tinker Crate! He loves the projects, and most of the time my seven-year-old is really interested in the completed projects, too. I love that he’s getting lots of hands-on experience with engineering! In my opinion, this is one of the best ways to spend $20 and an afternoon with your child every month. It’s an incredible value!
What do you think of Tinker Crate?
Written by Anna Rodriguez
I absolutely love Kiwicrate. I’ve gotten it for my son for almost 2 years now. But I’m thinking I need to switch to Tinkercrate since he’s 8 now. He still enjoys most of the Kiwicrate activities, but I know he’d just love Tinkercrate.
Kiwicrate is great bc they provide supplies for 2 projects or activities, where it seems like Tinkercrate has just 1, but also has ideas for others I guess.
My favorite thing as a parent is that they include everything you need, only thing we’ve had to supply is water (they sent a pair if scissors in his first crate to use for all future projects). And the stuff they send is really good quality. I recently got my niece Koalacrate and my sister in law commented on how nice all the supplies are.
I love the look of this crate so much. Wish my kid was old enough to sub to it because I’d enjoy doing it with her!
It is SO awesome, Erica! But don’t rush it, she will get there faster than you can imagine!
You could always sub for a little bit and stock pile some of the activities. Then when she IS old enough you have enough of them to do! 🙂