Tinker Crate Review & Coupon – Gravity Game

No, it’s not a Red Bull sponsored sporting event — “Gravity Games” is the theme of January’s Tinker Crate!  Tinker Crate is a subscription box that inspires kids to learn about science, engineering, and technology, all while having lots of fun.  Each month, the box explores a field of study within a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) discipline.  Kids practice their problem solving skills and learn how to engage in both structured and but open-ended exploration and investigation.

Everything that arrives together in a single Tinker Crate – the supplies, a fold-out instruction sheet, and the Tinker Zine.  In addition to the cool stuff found in the Tinker Zine, most crates have a secondary project that builds on the primary project, extending the exploration and focusing in on the science principles demonstrated by the main project.

The kit includes all the materials needed to construct the main project.  Sometimes you need to provide some simple items from home for the second project or the additional explorations suggested in the Tinker Zine.  

The instructions and other project info are printed on a faux blueprint fold-out sheet.  Along with materials and instructions, you get some handy pointers and a troubleshooting guide.  The sheet tells you everything that came in the box, some tips, and help if you can’t get it to work.  This is a well-designed and tested box — we’ve never had a project with a fatal design flaw or any frustrating, unresolved engineering issues.  Plus, there is help available if needed!

The instructions are clear and easy to follow and include both visuals and text, with lots of tips and checkpoints to make sure you’ve done everything correctly as you go.   You aren’t expected to be an expert or know all the principles behind the project coming into it — the instructions are well thought out and anticipate areas where a novice might go astray.  We can tell from the exquisite detail and thoughtfulness of the instructions that the projects and designed and tested, with lessons from testing and re-testing make their way into the instructions.

The main project is always a great hands-on activity and a great demonstration of the scientific principles featured in the box, but the Tinker Zine is where the lessons really take shape!

The Tinker Zine explains the principles behind the project.  In this case, we learned about the center of mass of an object and how it factors into the balance and behavior of the object.

A secondary project had us join two cones together at their base, creating a larger object to ride the rails of our gravity game, illustrating the path of the rider more clearly.  The Tinker Zine explained that the path of the center of mass was heading in a downhill direction because the shape of the object allows it (like the ball) to sink as the rails widen — it only appears to climb the uphill rails.

With the science behind the illusion explained, the Zine goes on to discuss other carnival games and how positioning of the center of mass makes each so so hard to beat.

The Tinker Zine had even more to do inside.  It included instructions on creating a simple center of mass detector to find the center of mass of a (flat) object.

The main project was a great rendition of a “Shoot-the-Moon”-style game.  I remember playing this game at my grandmother’s house over thirty years ago.  Fun both to make and to play, this game typifies the Tinker Crate approach in each box — making, learning, and playing all go hand-in-hand.

Along with the science lesson, this game was good for working on fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and patience!

Our daughter is seven, a little below the recommended age range for the box.  We have to help with some of the more intricate assembly operations, but the materials are written in such a clear and accessible manner (and with a kid-friendly tone and focus), that intellectually curious and habitually inquisitive kids younger than the suggested age shouldn’t be afraid to give it a try.  She loves the projects and always reads the entire Tinker Zine!

The secondary project was much easier to observe in motion.  Tinker Create is great at pointing out the science behind everyday things, making fun games into great learning opportunities.  I think this kind of explore, then learn approach is really effective at gaining and holding kids’ attention — it also encourages kids to see scientific principles playing out all around them everyday.

We really love Tinker Crate, because the projects are extremely well designed, with a comprehensive and engaging STEM-grounded lesson built around the project in each box.

Visit Tinker Crate to subscribe or find out more. Use code MS30 to save 30% on your first box!  (or Kiwi Crate  and the KiwiCo family subscriptions Koala Crate and Doodle Crate).