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My son has been getting tinker crates for quite a while now. This one he did a while ago and he pulled it out the other day just to make sure it still worked. Sometimes I wonder if he’ll ever rehome any of them, his shelf is pretty full of finished projects.
I remember it took a bit finally complete and we had a lot of fun with the tiny guys… both as arcade items to capture and just in playing. They turned out to be rascals who got into everything and found ways to tease the lad. 🙂 (yes we had a lot fun together). 🙂 It’s been oh… about a year, possibly longer…
What you get with a Tinker Crate:
A tinker zine, directions, a kit to build. Those are the basics. What they don’t tell you included is fun, creativity, wheels turning in young minds, what ifs, and could I try….Seeing my son mature in his skills with the crates and his burgeoning confidence that he can come up with ideas and make things on his own. It’s a great thing indeed!
You see what Tinker Crates does is give young people a proven kit, they give excellent instructions that if the builder follows them, ends in a well finished product. Mastering this skills has the benefit of teaching coordination, thinking through problems one step at a time, pride in a build well done, and the fun of success.
Kiwi and Tinker Zines:
The Tinkerzine opens their eyes to new possibilities, and real world applications. Providing links to interesting sights, books to increase awareness, and the “did you know factor” that so intrigues young people (and their parents for that matter). The things we have learned is amazing.
Some of the magazines will come with comics, others with a lot of facts. Regardless of the style, the learning received is more than you would expect. I find that the kiwi crates use more cartoons than the tinker crates (but that would also be age related right?) Tinker crates are geared for youth 9+. Information to draw the student in and
Additional builds to make. Every kit will come with additional projects to try. Sometimes this will be with materials added to the crate, other times you need to use items you find at home.
As I said earlier, if you follow the instructions the builds are easy enough to put together. Complicated steps just require you the slow down and take it step by step.
Here my son demonstrates how well the claw works from the Arcade box.
I urge you to check out Kiwi Co for their crates. They have some for most age groups. Tinker crates are a welcome part of our household, make them part of yours too. See the confidence, knowledge and excitement build.
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