Tinker Crate is a subscription box for kids and tweens ages 9-14 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 9-14), which costs $23.95 per month or less depending on your subscription length.
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 our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
First Impressions
It's hard to believe that my kids are almost 8 and 10 years old, when it seems like just yesterday they were babies. The quote: "The days are long, but the years are short" rings all too true. It seems like there were endless opportunities of subscription boxes when the boys were little, but now as they age, it is harder and harder to find subscription boxes that suit their interests. Because they are now honing in on specific interests, one of them being construction, Tinker Crate has been hard to beat. Hank has been hooked since his first box, and Charlie has been itching to try it out for himself, so it was his turn to create this month's STEM inspired project. Including a bottle, citric acid, baking soda, rocket pieces, launcher pieces, and more, this kit was jam-packed with goodies. Read below to see exactly what we discovered.
What's Inside This Box
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Similar to the layout of the Koala Crate box we are most familiar with, this particular Bottle Rocket box also comes with a magazine. Featuring trivia, stories, experiments, and more learning opportunities, this booklet is packed full of useful info that coordinates perfectly with the theme. Did you know that frozen carbon dioxide is called dry ice because it doesn't melt; instead it transforms directly from a solid to a gas?! Crazy!
Filled with useful information and stories pertaining to the monthly theme, Charlie loved reading about pop trivia, exploding gas, and dancing raisins!
Bottle Rocket
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When Charlie opened up this month's box, he was excited to see the amount of included materials. Everything needed to create this month's project was included, from the measuring spoon to the mixing cup. Literally all we needed from home was a small amount of water. With a little Tinker Crate experience under our belt, we continue to be impressed with the quality of the supplies, and the thoughtfulness of the build. Though Charlie and I have a little experience with baking soda and citric acid mixtures, we haven't put that combination to use with a bottle rocket before, so he was very excited to get started.
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Broken down into manageable steps, after going through the instructions, Charlie started building the launcher. After securing the launcher pieces together with foam, the cork, and the zip tie, he set it aside to work on the second step.
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The second step was the build the actual rocket. After placing the bottle onto the cork, Charlie taped the fins of the rocket on with the rivet stickers. Using the sticky foam disk to add the nose cone, it was a pretty easy build, and was really good for his fine motor skills!
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Once the rocket was complete, he created the funnel using the plastic funnel piece and a sticker, and measured out his launch mixture.
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Ready for lift off! While not the greatest of rocket launching weather, this project got us outside, and totally worked! Because we received a good amount of baking soda and citric acid, we were able to launch multiple times, which was awesome.
Value - Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $23.95
ACTIVE DEAL: Get 50% off your 1st month! No coupon needed - just use this link.
Because Charlie has been pretty jealous of Hank's cool creations, he took the reins on this Tinker Crate box and absolutely loved it. The designs of the projects and the magazine are so well put together, and create interesting and fun themes. Because I work in education, I try to expose my kids to as many STEM related activities as possible, and this subscription is a fantastic way to do that. We already can't wait to see what's in store for next month!
Key Takeaways
This kit was well-organized and really fun. Charlie had a wonderful time learning about soda science while creating a bottle rocket and is hooked on this subscription box.
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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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