KiwiCo, home to Tinker Crate and other STEM subscriptions for kids, has a new Make-And-Play Fort Pack! There are 3 crates available, Light-Up Lantern, Cannonball Launcher, and Make-and-Play Fort. We’ll be reviewing all three, but this is a review of the Cannonball Launcher! The box costs $24.95.
The KiwiCo Make-And-Play Fort Pack boxes are suitable for ages 5+!
In this box, the kids will learn about potential and kinetic energy, develop and improve their building skills, and engage in creative pretend play.
The box contains everything that we’ll need to build the launcher. The box contains a barrel piece, cap piece, stand piece, wood set, rubber bands, string, yarn, dowel, sticky foam sheets, foam balls, and an instruction sheet.
We’re excited to build this project!
Cannonball Launcher ($24.95)
Build a launcher that uses elastic power to shoot foam cannonballs. Contains everything you need to build a working launcher and matching mount.
Each pack contains an illustrated instruction booklet.
In this crate, we will learn how to launch foam balls with a cardboard cannon, and the booklet also lets us know what inspired this project — Carnival Cannons!
The booklet also lists and explains the different materials we’re going to use to build the cannonball launcher.
Here are some of the materials we’re going to use, each being identified by the kids so it’ll be easier for us to build this project.
Here’s the barrel piece and the wood frame that will make up most of the cannon’s body.
The kids identified the materials and started to build the cannon.
The instruction booklet also included checkpoints where you can check if what you’re doing is right, or the thing works as expected.
The kids started rolling the barrel along with the frame. The parts stick with the help of sticky foam pieces.
After completing the barrel, it’s time to build and add the launcher!
The barrel is looking good! We just need to add the launcher and we’re ready to roll!
My son is tucking the square tabs and sticking them to finally complete the barrel.
For the launcher, we’ll need the cap piece, rubber bands, launch piece, string, and sticky foam pieces, aside from the completed barrel.
They attached the launch piece at the other end of the barrel.
They added more details to the cannon by using and sticking the foam donuts around the barrel.
The booklet not only explains how to fire or launch a cannonball using this project but also, it explains the physics behind it. It also includes lessons about kinetic and potential energy.
We also need to make a stand/base for the cannon!
In doing so, we need to fold and build the stand piece that’s also included in the box.
After the stand was completed, the kids mounted the cannon on it. Now, all that’s left to do is to test it out!
There are 3 foam balls that will serve as the cannon balls, and see how they’ll form a projectile once launched.
My son looks ready to shoot!
He aims at his target…
And release! He actually hit the thing that he’s aiming at!
The cannon is looking fantastic! And the kids are excited to play with it, along with their fort!
Here’s how it looks inside when locked and loaded.
The cannon already fired so the foam ball is not inside anymore.
Here’s how it looks before loading up and ready to shoot.
The cannon is designed to go along with the play fort!
Here’s my son ready to fire the cannon from the inside of the fort.
He aims and ready to launch!
We’re really happy to get all three Make-And-Play Fort Packs! The cannonball launcher is great, it goes well with the fort and the project is really fun to make and play with! My son really enjoyed building this one, and he doesn’t really need any help from any one of us. He was able to complete the whole thing all by himself! The science behind this item is also well-explained in the booklet so the kids really understood what is happening inside and when you launch a cannon. It’s truly fun and educational, and really worth our time and effort!
Are you getting the KiwiCo Make-And-Play Pack? Want even more? You can also subscribe to the regular Kiwi Crate, Koala Crate, Atlas Crate, or Doodle Crate and save 30% on your first month! Just use this link to subscribe!
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