Tinker Crate is a subscription box for kids and tweens ages 9-16+ created by kids subscription box company KiwiCo. Each monthly Tinker Crate contains all the materials and instructions needed to create innovative, hands-on STEM projects, as well as a "Tinker Zine" full of educational information and additional activities.
This review is of KiwiCo's Tinker Crate (for ages 9-16+), which costs $19.95 per month.
ACTIVE DEAL: Get 50% off your 1st month! No coupon needed - just use this link.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
First Impressions
I thought that making our own conveyor belt was a pretty cool project and I knew immediately that I would be giving this one to my kids so that they could use it for some pretend play! While it's a bit small, it will work perfectly for toys so they can have their own store at playtime.
What's Inside This Box
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Our Tinker Zine is full of educational information about conveyor belts. I was super impressed with how many different types of conveyor belts they were able to show us! There was also an activity at the back that taught us how to make our own conveyor belt cinema.
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The directions for our project come on a separate sheet with illustrated steps broken into different sections. They always include helpful troubleshooting information as well.
Part A: Assemble the Base
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The first step was to assemble the base. They provided several wooden pieces, some plastic caps, rubber bands, cardboard tubes, and both a paper and a fabric belt.
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They also provided a motor, a battery pack (pre-filled with batteries), some foam adhesive, stickers, a weighted ball, and even an extra fabric sheet in case our other belt doesn't work.
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First, I added the plastic caps to the two cardboard tubes. Then I placed the side pieces on holding them in place with the rubber bands. Then I attached the motor to the side using an adhesive foam piece.
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Next, I added the paper and the other tube before closing up the other side.
Part B: Complete the Conveyor
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To make the actual belt I laid out the fabric strip on the table then added one of the adhesive strips to the end and folded it up around the base. Then it was time to wire up the motor to the battery pack.
Part C: Make the Tumbler
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The tumbler was easy to make; I just added the foam pieces to the orange paper and folded it up around the weighted ball and used the stickers to close it up.
Part D: Balance the Tumbler
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I added the dowel underneath the jagged side of the belt and then placed the tumbler on top and turned it on.
The belt worked nicely and it was fun to play around with the tumbler at different heights to watch it move! It was such a simple addition to the project, but an effective one!
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Finally, we added the paper belt to it and completed a fun challenge! The goal was to try and mark the teal circles and avoid the red ones. My daughter was up to the challenge! Then she added the tumbler too to make it even more interesting.
Value - Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $19.95
ACTIVE DEAL: Get 50% off your 1st month! No coupon needed - just use this link.
We learned so much about conveyor belts with this box and made a working belt that will be perfect for some pretend-play for my kiddos. The materials were high quality and they included everything we needed so I think this was a great value!
Key Takeaways
My daughter and I both enjoyed testing this one out! The tumbler and the circle challenge made it even more fun. As for the belt itself, it was super easy to build thanks to the clear instructions they provided!
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To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? It is possible you might get this crate, but it is not a guarantee. From KiwiCo:
Crates are assigned each month based on availability and your crate history - not all subscribers receive the same theme each month.
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