This is a sponsored conversation about Tinker Crate and the value of a STEAM education
If you ever find yourself on my Instagram or Facebook pages, you will know that I’m a HUGE fan of subscription boxes for children. They provide great structure, and it’s always great to be able to pull something out on a rainy day, or when it’s too cold outside to really enjoy. Kiwi Crate is one of the subscription programs that we love, and they have crates for all age groups. The Cricket,Koala, Kiwi, Doodle and Tinker Crates are all available as subscriptions, or a la cart month by month purchases. Before we move further into sharing the great crate we’re featuring today, I’d like to share this GREAT deal for 40% off your first month’s crate using code MAYSAVE40
Today, we broke open the hydraulic claw crate that came in the mail last week, and I let the ladybug loose with a bit of guidance from me. The type-A parent that I am, sat down at my desk, and let her tinker away at putting the claw together and seeing all of her hard work come to fruition. She had a blast connecting brads and zip ties together and seeing everything working together. It also came with a mini Tinkerzine magazine that helps to delve into hydraulics a bit deeper.
She worked quietly for about 30 minutes before coming and showing me the entire contraption together. We discussed what hydraulics were, and why they’re necessary for some machines to work. We also discussed other liquids that could be used in place of water, and if those liquids would be good or bad when used with other machines.
She was very excited to test out her hydraulic claw on various items in the house and deemed it a bit too weak to pick up really big things. Good thing that the Tinker Crate offers extended instructions to build a larger hydraulic system for young and old tinkerers. Building a more complex claw was all that she needed to see. It was nice to have something meant just for her as well, since she’s getting to the age of growing out of the Kiwi Crate subscription that her twin siblings are now moving into claiming. There’s also encouragement to really tinker with the pieces to create a claw that isn’t assembled like the one in the instructions. Playing around with the claw pieces, and formatting the claw is just what we need to create an S.T.E.A.M rich environment this summer and throughout our homeschool year.
I do feel that the challenge of the crate was just right. The Tinker Crate is stated to be for children 9-16+. I’ll see if Nathaniel is interested in guiding the ladybug as she creates a larger and stronger hydraulic claw using the crate box and all of the other syringes that were sent in the kit.
Overall, it looks like someone will be moving up to a Tinker Crate from now on, and based on her affinity for putting things together in her spare time (she LOVES fixing my broken jewelry and other broken items around the house) I am very confident that she will be successful in learning a new skill each month.
Educational toys/projects are so awesome and serve so many purposes! This tinker crate looks so cool.
I had no idea of these education subscription boxes. This particular one is cool because it goes beyond reading and math. I’m glad that there is an element of hands on learning for topics that can be understood at an earlier age than when it’s typically taught in school.
I’ve heard of tinker crate, and have seen the different crafts and tinkers that are made. My daughter would absolutely love it. Your daughter looked like she LOVED her new Hydraulic Claw!
I must say this absolutely amazing! I was completely unaware that subscription boxes existed so this is a great example of the evolution of education for children going higher. One of the things I like about this is that your ladybug seemed so attentive from start to finish; she looked like she was having fun putting her hydraulic claw together!
Now this is so cool! I love finding out about cool educational toys like this! I never even heard about a tinker crate subscription box before now, my boys would love this!
I can see my son playing with this. I love toys that are not only fun but educational. We love subscription boxes so I am sure this one would be a great addiction to our collection. Going to do some research and maybe order to keep my son busy during school break
That’s such a cool thing you do for your daughter. I know my daughter likes to put stuff together herself and this defnitely gives me some ideas for things that I can do with her. I wonder if they have similar things that are maker space kinds of things that I can do at the library.
What a great gift idea for my son. His birthday is in June and he is a totally puzzle guy. I would love to have him try this. I think we might add this to his birthday list!
Oh this looks good, I will have to see what they offer for my son’s age. He definitely needs to tinker and get into more hands on activities.
Subscribing to get interesting toys to play with like this is awesome. I think the tiner crate is so much better than a usual mobile app game. This will create more opportunities to make the kids think and learn outside the box.
I love this! I’m going to look into this and other monthly subs for kids for my boys. They like putting things together and anything STEM related. Thanks!
My daughter would love this! She’s the mechanic/engineer in our family, and always tinkering or fixing something. She’s been in charge of changing all the batteries in the house since she was three, lol. At eight, but I think that she could easily follow the directions;they look like they’re really well done in the Tinker Crate.
This looks like so much fun! I had no idea this existed. My son would really enjoy it.
Now, this is a great summer activity for kids! My children love putting things together, taking them apart, and then figuring out how to do it all over again. I wish there were more “toys” which actually encouraged children to use their critical thinking skills to solve problems/puzzles or learn how to put things together. I am so happy to see the Tinker Crate is doing just that. I need to order this for my little ones!
This is fantastic for kids! Thanks for posting about Tinker Crates, I will browse their website. Very educational will help kids in problem solving and critical thinking for sure.
I’ve never heard of the Tinker Crates. It looks like a cool option for kids to learn and enjoy. Thanks for sharing!
We love the entire Kiwi Crate brand over this way, and figured moving up would be a little bit more of a challenge, but just as fun! Thanks for coming through!
This is an great idea. I’ve never heard of these education subscription boxes, but it sounds like an great opportunity for kids.
You have a budding engineer on your hands. I love that she loves to build and tinker with things at a young age. She’ll be able to tackle anything without fear! #Awesome
I wish I had known about this when my son was young. he loves building things. He’s older now and well on his way to doing some great things.
This is actually a box I’d subscribe too because the project is educational and challenging. My girls would love this subscription service.
That is fantastic! This is the kind of thing I love to get for the kiddos. It’s so important to make learning a fun and engaging experience.
I need to get this for my oldest son. He’s always taking things apart to see how they work. He would love this.
This is simply AWESOME! In today’s world of social media, video games, etc this is a must to keep young minds creative and active in a positive way! I won’t lie, I would love to have this myself!
This looks like so much fun! I know my son would love to have a Tinker Crate for himself!
Why have I never heard of this? It definitely looks like something my boys would love and I think I could incorporate this into some fun homeschool lessons!
I always appreciate a hands on approach to learning. What a great way to keep young brains engaged, especially throughout the summer.
This reminds me of something that we had as kids called Erector sets. They were meant to challenge and inspire young minds. This looks to do similarly. I think young kids should all have an experience with this. It would be great for them.
This looks like such a fun building project for the kids. A good change from playing video games and watching TV!
We simply love Koala and Kiwi Crate…can’t wait till my boys are old enough to enjoy Tinker Crate. It is such a great way for kids to create, learn and explore.
This looks like so much fun and can really let the imagination run wild each time they use it! Grew up using something very similar with this and was always so much fun to play with and learn how to build different things.
I haven’t heard of Tinker Crate before. This is such a fun activity for the kiddos. My twin granddaughters would love this box.
I think it is important for kids to learn how to build and create from a young age. It helps to teach them to be imaginative and to solve problems. This is a great subscription box to enjoy.
This is great! My daughter would love something like this but I will wait until she’s a little bit older and can understand it better.
I think Tinker Toys are just the BEST for kids!! They really make them use their imaginations!!
These all sound like great subscription boxes for kids. I will have to share this post with my nieces and sister for their kids. The Tinker Crate sounds like it would be perfect right now for one of my great nephews. I do believe in having the STEM toys for all ages of children and think it is an important part of education for them. Thanks for sharing this awesome post.
I know my kids would love Tinker Crate! I get so frustrated with the kids always wanting to be on the iPad or other devices or screen time. I love how Tinker Crate gets kids thinking and creating!
I love it when kids use their imagination through play. I bet the Tinker Crate would be something my grandkids would love.
I like the STEM aspects of this. Seems like a nice educational toy
Wow this looks fantastic! I bet the kids would all love this one! Perfect gift idea!
This is so awesome! I should really subscribe to something like this for the summer!
Yes ! These are so perfect for keeping little hands busy and occupied. We have done these with a couple of our boys and they absolutely adore them!
This looks like the perfect thing to keep little ones busy and occupied. I am going to have to try this with my kids.
My son would love this! He’s always building and tinkering with different things.
This looks like a lot of fun. My girls love building things. I think they would really enjoy this.
I love these tinker crates. My kids would build for hours. What a great idea.
I haven’t heard of Tinker Crate until today. This is a fun way for kids to learn science without even realizing it. My son would love to build something like this and play with it.
Wow this sounds like so much fun! This is great for kids and great for a super hot or rainy day in the summer. Love this! Have to get it for my nephew!
This looks like a really interesting set! Our kids would love to work with this set.
I’ve never heard of this but it sure is interesting! I will absolutely try this because I believe in using educational toys. It will help the creative minds of kids.
That is so cool! I bet my son would love that because he likes building or tinkering even the smallest things.
What an awesome way to keep the kids busy. They’re going to learn a lot of things, not to mention that this will also make them interested in science and experiments! Such a cool activity!
Oh my goodness I didn’t know this existed. This has my son’s name all over it!
This is totally up my son’s alley, so I’ll definitely have to check out this subscription company sometime soon. Thank you for the heads up!
This is SO cool!! I love the idea of this so much. It’s such a great way to get kids using their brains. I wish this existed when I was little, I totally would have loved it!
This looks like something my family would LOVE! I think this idea is awesome and a great way for kids to use their brains!
It looks like a very interesting set! Our child would love to work with this set.
I think it is great we can get an educational subscription and get our kids away from the television. These kits are great. My son looks forward to their arrival each month.
This is so nice way to keep the kids busy. All the child going to learn a lot of things, not to mention that this will also make them interested in science and experiments! I think this kind of activities boosts the abilities. My little son Jack also interested this field.