Our Experience and Review of Tinker Crate: Rubber Band Glider

Since we had so much fun with the Kiwi Crates that we got last spring for Our End of School Celebration, I thought we'd give a few of the Tinker Crates a try. We spent the morning working on our first Tinker Crate together just this week. 

Let me give you some details, if you've never heard of Tinker Crates (We have a special referral link to Kiwi Crate, by clicking any of the Kiwi Crate company links below, you will be clicking that link. And right now, you'll received a $10 off bonus by using our links!!).

Tinker Crate is one of four types of crates that Kiwi Crate offers. Tinker Crates are science kits that are designed for ages 9-14+, but we use them as a family. They contain a Tinker Zine (version of a magazine that provides lots of information on the topic, directions for projects and resource lists for the topic of each kit which includes a video for how to construct or complete the project that is included), blue prints, and materials for projects. 

There is generally one large project and then other smaller projects or experiments included. Occasionally there is an extra that lets you use materials around your house to experiment.

The kits are available as a monthly subscription with options for purchasing one box at a time, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months. They even have a shop where you can purchase boxes without a subscription.

Our first box was called Rubber Band Gliders.

Each Tinker Crate subscription comes in a bright orange box, so there's no hiding what has come in the mail.

The Rubber Band Glider box includes: the Flight Tinker Zine, blue prints for constructing your gliders, materials for making your gliders, and materials for the additional projects.

Ceesa reads the Tinker Zine and directs the projects herself. I just run around snapping pictures. We start by reading the Tinker Zine and completing the projects in the order in the Tinker Zine. 

The Flight Tinker Zine contains lots of information on the firsts in flying, forces of flight, flying insects, and aerodynamics.

One of the first experiments, An Up-LIFT-ing Experiment, required paper and scissors from home,

some rolling,

and a bit of breath.

Next the kids worked on designing some gliders on their own.

Most of the materials were provided for the Designer Gliders. The kids got to be as creative as they wanted with their design. They cut out  their wings and of course added google eyes. 

The next project was making paper airplanes with special designs.  Our favorite was the cyclone.

We had some extra fun with these having contests to see whose would go the farthest. We even switched to see if some of us were better at our types.

When it was time to work on the main project, Rubber Band Gliders, we watched this great video for how to put the gliders together...

Then it was time to assemble and fly those guys!

This time we worked on them all in one morning. It took us all morning, but it was a lot of fun. We are planning to try out another box next month, but we'll spread it out throughout the month. That way the kids can really focus on one part at a time and digest everything they are learning.

We'd recommend trying out a Tinker Crate. They are a great way to get everyone working together on science!

Want to know what our other experiences have been with Kiwi Crate? Here are some of our links:

Our End of School Celebration

Tinker Crate: Rubber Band Glider

Tinker Crate: Biomechanical Hand

Doodle Crate: Shibori Cloth Dyeing

Tinker Crate: Paper Circuits
Doodle Crate: Sumi-E
Kiwi Crate: Wonders of Water

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