Eureka Crate is a monthly STEM and maker subscription box that teaches kids and adults how to apply principles of science and math to make awesome things you will love to use every day – from an articulated desk lamp to an electric pencil sharpener to a wooden ukulele. Every Eureka Crate includes an engineering project, detailed step-by-step instructions, everything you need to complete the project, a Maker’s Guide that explains all the design, process, and engineering behind the design, plus a design challenge to take your project knowledge to the next level!
DEAL: Save 30% on your first month! Just use this link to subscribe, no coupon code required! You can also use the same link to save 30% on the first month of any other KiwiCo crate – just check out this page to discover which box is right for you.
Eureka Crate is KiwiCo’s latest subscription! Eureka Crate is designed for ages 14-104. If you’re ready to graduate from KiwiCo’s other boxes or just can’t get enough (or are just too old for their other subscriptions), you’ll love this box, which is designed to create a hands-on learning experience using everyday items to delve deeply into the science and math principles they embody, along with the design process of the month’s project.
This month, we’re making a Card Shuffling Machine!
Everything in this month’s box!
Eureka Crate Maker’s Guide
Like the other crates from KiwiCo, Eureka Crate includes a booklet.
One of KiwiCo’s goals is to equip the next generation of innovators with the tools and confidence for creative exploration and problem-solving.
CARD SHUFFLING MACHINE
The booklet gives a complete history and details about this month’s project. They also included some fun facts and trivia related to the theme.
Eureka Crate Materials
This booklet means business as it jumps right to the activity.
Here are some of the materials! You may check if you have the complete parts by comparing it to the picture in the booklet.
The first part of the project is building the frame. It’s a good thing that the booklet divided the instructions into parts as it makes it easier to manage.
After gathering all the materials needed to build the frame, my daughter started building it by following everything that’s in the booklet. It’s also awesome that there are images that we can just copy to make the tasks easier.
She added two thick foam pieces to the sides of the wooden piece.
You also need to check if you followed the steps thoroughly, or else you’ll go back to starting the project all over again, which will definitely take more time.
As we make these smaller square wooden pieces stand on the sides of the bigger wooden piece, we felt more excitement!
The next part is to add the tray and the handle. It is easier to add these parts this early than later.
Here’s what we need to accomplish part B of building this machine.
There are reminders to stop and check your work as you go along. This will ensure that you are on the right track!
In making the card shuffling machine, we also need some petroleum jelly, and of course, a screwdriver!
Using the screwdriver, we have to ensure that the screws are tightly locked in place!
As we screw the last piece in place, the frame is ready!
Next up is building the camshafts. This will grab the cards to shuffle them.
For this part, we’ll need the smaller wooden pieces, straws, rubber stickers, and o-rings.
We need to check if the gears will spin and the camshafts will turn freely. Also, there’s an article about the card decks!
The next part is to build the drive mechanism, as this will make the machine move!
For this step, we’ll need the wooden gears!
The steps are all completely laid out and all we have to do is to make sure that we attach the parts to their right places.
As we look at the machine, there’s a screw that was loosened.
We used the screwdriver to screw it more tightly.
The booklet also included step-by-step directions on how to effectively use the card shuffler.
In case you encounter some problems with the card shuffler, the booklet also included troubleshooting of some common problems encountered when using it.
If the cranks are hard to turn, you can just swap out small gears with some extras that are included in the box.
Our machine is almost ready!
We tried turning the gears, and inserting the card. It’s a good thing that the machine works! We’re ready to play!
The kids were so excited with this project they ran off with it immediately, and we had to demand its return so we could finish the photos. This one was really a hit, but anything from KiwiCo is always fantastic.
The magazine also included different card games, like Baloney Sandwich which is a game for three or more players where telling the truth is optional!
Another game is Twenty-One! It is a game of Math skills and probability for a dealer and one or more players.
The booklet also provided us more information about this amazing project, and also lets us know more behind the design.
It also talks about Probability, the Science behind this project.
The science of chance, a.k.a. probability, is the likelihood that a certain outcome will occur (like drawing a certain card). Assuming the deck has been randomly shuffled, you and your friend have equal chances of drawing any given card… and equal chances of winning.
They also included the history of playing cards, from the 9th century, up to the present!
For the Design Challenge, they’re encouraging us to do a card architecture. They also included some design inspirations.
They also included a complete card deck!
Here’s the shuffling machine! We’re excited to play card games!
The machine looks complicated, but with the detailed guide and instructions, we’ve finished it in no time!
Here’s the machine with the cards on it, ready for shuffling!
The first try is a success as we’re able to shuffle them!
It’s really fun and easy to use!
Now, when we play with card games, we’ll just use this machine to shuffle them. I bet this will work with other card games too!
Since the 9th century, people have been using playing cards to pass time. There are lots of card games to play, that’s why this card shuffling machine is pretty usable whenever we want to have some fun with friends or family. We enjoyed making it, and had even more fun using it! We even learned about deck of cards, as well as the science of chance, probability! The booklet is always a great inclusion as it teaches us more about the project and the related science, engineering, and design concepts. The challenges are amazing too! We’re looking forward to our next Eureka Crate and our next project!
What do you think of this month’s Eureka Crate?
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