Disclosure: This post includes my personal Tinker Crate Subscription Box Review for which I was not compensated but it may contain affiliate / referral links. Read the full disclosure.

Signup for Tinker Crate

Tinker Crate is part of the Kiwi Crate Inc. family and is a monthly box subscription for engineering based projects geared toward ages 9-16. I ordered one for my son who is less than a month shy of 11. I had intended it would be an Easter present but when it was delivered my curiosity was too much for me and I totally caved and gave it to him.

However, just as he was about done ripping into the box I realized I hadn’t taken any photos for The Society. DAMN IT!

I stopped him fortunately before too much had been dismantled and strewn about. I told him I needed to take some quick photographs of it all first. And then, of course, as days continued to fly by with each I forget a smidge more of the crate awaiting photographic evidence of it’s existence.

Anyway about 8 days into this slow decline in the priority standing pattern, suddenly it’s last night. I was struggling to manage my list of “things” and I had to work with Brother A on his essay about Dinosaurs that was due. Brother B was distracting me by asking all sorts of silly questions like “when’s dinner”, even though I’d just fed him yesterday.

As I take a mental scan of plausible options to offer in exchange for silence, I saw the orange box out of the corner of my eye and voila “I need a few minutes…build the tinker crate!”

Success! If you think you don’t need these projects in boxes around your house…just stop that nonsensical thinking now. YOU DO!

In our (his) Tinker Crate was a Biomechanical Hand that needed to be constructed. I was hoping it would keep him interested long enough, but I won’t lie the thoughts certainly had crossed my mind that it may either be too complex or possibly not engaging enough to keep him distracted long. I mean it’s not like he had ever expressed an interest previously in Biomechanics or the human hand.

Biomechanical Hand

I was super curious to see how he would tackle the tactical portion of this project. I wasn’t necessarily concerned with what new stale facts or knowledge would he be able to regurgitate after.

Actually, before we go there let me first just get this out of the way.

I’m not that parent. I don’t push my tiny humans to have genius level brains. I don’t monitor their grades or homework daily. I don’t expect them to be within a certain percentage of highest recorded testing scores, nor do I waitlist them in schools that I feel will better prepare them for successful futures.

I realize this is a very touchy subject so before you go hating on me and judging my mediocre parenting skills…I promise I love my children and think they are amazing miracles simply by the mere fact that they exist.

Busy Tinkering

Seriously, do you know how perfect conditions needs to be in order to make a human being? It blows my mind how many humans are conceived and born each day against so many variables.

I guess I can chalk this mindset up to my college Philosophy classes and exploring John-Paul Sartre’s theory that “existence precedes essence”. It always resonated with me that the mere fact that we exist at all is far more miraculous than anything that we become.

Holy Fuck…this Tinker Crate is making me visit all sorts of intellectual nonsense I thought I had killed during labor…I’m discussing Sartre in a monthly subscription box review? Oi Vey!

Enough of my dribble nonsense…back to the tactical project expectations. I wanted (needed) this to be fun and something that he would enjoy doing. If he thought, it was expanding his intellect he would never have bought into it.

The Tinker Crates Biomechanical hand DID NOT DISAPPOINT. He sat and built this hand for about 90 minutes. He didn’t need to ask me one question throughout the entire build.

Biomechanical Hand Palm

Well except “mom, where’s the scissors?” Which in my home translates to “I don’t want to get up and get the scissors”.

He was quiet, he was engaged, he was engrossed, and most of all he was beaming with pride after he was done! Well Done Tinker Crate, WELL DONE!

I am so overwhelmed with the quality of this subscription box. Seriously, like beyond expectation!

Included with the parts to build the Biomechanical Hand was the TinkerZine magazine. This little book (made of sturdy stock paper that will survive typical child handling) was overflowing with freaking amazing information that is relatable on so many levels to kids.

TinkerZine Magazine

It explains the applicability of the project to real-world scenarios and communicates it with relatable explanations. It makes what they are about to do (or just completed doing) connected to real life and shows how it’s helping to make the World a better place.

For example, this month provided different aspects, functions, and physiological constructions of the human hand. Did you know there are 27 bones in the human hand?

It doesn’t stop there though, it continues with appropriate and child engaging information on prosthetic hands, 3D printing technology, and how engineers use the same principals in their careers to make world changing contributions.

Inside TinkerZine

I’m actually quite surprised at how impressed I was. Being that I am not that parent (as previously mentioned) I didn’t expect to find so much intellectual, tactical, and socio-economic value in a box that was $19.95 a month. BRAVO…I can’t say enough.

My aspirations for my children are huge in my view. I want them to have it all. But for me, “all” is a little bit of everything throughout their lifetimes. It’s a perfect blend of experiential balance;

a balance of ego and humility, financial wealth and financial hardship, love and heartbreak, play and work, wins and misses, and the list goes on.

Tinker Crate is the perfect representation and offering of that balance.

Although, just so I make things good with my Karmic fate…I do have a tiny admission, last night me and the Brothers did sit around and have a good laugh for about 20 minutes, as we took turns making our new Biomechanical Hand give each other the proverbial bird.

Shhh, please don’t go broadcasting that, I’ve got a rep to protect.