Tinker Crate Subscription Box Review + Coupon – April 2016

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: Save 30% off your first month with coupon code MSA30!

The Products: STEM-based crafts and DIY projects for kids, with supplemental learning kits, booklets, and activities. Projects are designed to enhance 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 and the Kids Subscription Box Directory!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your Wish List or Subscription List!

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 all earthquakes! I do this box with my ten-year-old son.

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 a shake table! We didn’t know what that meant, really, but we were ready to give it a try! I somehow forgot to take pictures of the instructions this month. Generally speaking, they are pretty detailed, but they are always 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 except scissors. Sometimes Tinker Crate includes some supplies for the smaller projects in TinkerZine, too.

This is our completed shake table! Essentially, we put together a motor with a spinner underneath the panel (inside the box), and when we turn it on, it replicates an earthquake.

In this picture, we placed a damper on the top of our structure (that thing with washers hanging on it). The effect this had was that when we turned it on, the structure didn’t shake as badly. If we added an additional pair of washers, the structure fell right down. We learned that there are ways to apply weight to structures to help mitigate the effects of a potential earthquake!

Verdict: We love Tinker Crate! This was not our favorite project, to be honest, but they can’t all be. I had to help my son with little things quite a bit. I don’t mind helping at all; in fact, I love doing our projects together, but I prefer all the steps are doable for him. In the end the project worked as it should, and we had a fun time together. We always learn from Tinker Crate, too! As always, I’m impressed with the quality of Tinker Crate’s supplies and printed materials. When you add in the educational value, you really get a lot for $20!

What do you think of Tinker Crate?