Today, we are reviewing Tinker Crate by KiwiCo! The January 2021 box had a Glowing Pendulum project!
Tinker Crate is a STEM subscription box for kids ages 9-16+. Each month, you'll get all the materials and step-by-step instructions you need to build a creative, innovative STEM project. You'll also get the Tinker Zine magazine that will be filled with additional science content and activities.
Tinker Crate is great for kids who aspire to be scientists, engineers, and innovators!
Price: $19.95/month
Ships to: US, Worldwide
Shipping Cost: FREE (US), Varies (Worldwide)
TinkerCrate Deal: Save 30% off your first month of any KiwiCo line with this link and coupon code SHARE30.
Subboxy paid for this box.
TinkerCrate Glowing Pendulum
Typically, you can choose the theme of your first box but since we are on our 3rd box, TinkerCrate sends an orange box which is their normal rotation.
The project for the month of January 2021 is Glowing Pendulum! This for me feels like I’m in a Physics class. My 9-year old was pretty excited about it too!
Here’s a quick peek of all the materials inside the box.
Here’s the “blueprint” of the glowing pendulum project. I love how my son looks into it and pretends to be a full-fledged engineer!
The instructions are very clear and easy to follow too. You can easily guide your son/daughter through every step!
The Glowing Pendulum box included a glow board, soft and scratchy dots, pendulum arms, a UV LED, LED holder, battery pack, a medium and long arm, bolts, brace, base and arm bearing, harness piece, and washi tape. All you need to supply are heavy items like a couple of soup cans. We also go citric acid, cotton swabs, and a craft stick for experiments in the Tinker Zine magazine!
This is the finish product that is based on the “blueprint”. I can tell you the my kids really loved the finished product!
Our Assembly of the Glowing Pendulum
My son started the project by putting the soft and scratchy dots to the glow board in places as marked on the glow board.
The white soft dots were stuck on the gray side of the glow board.
And now to the other side of the glow board!
The black scratchy dots were put on in the blue side of the glow board.
After that, you just easily connect the soft and scratchy dots to make your glow board stand on its own.
This is how it should look like. It’s easy-peasy!
After that, my son started to assemble the UV Led light. He was able to read the instructions and figure it out mostly on his own!
My son was learning how circuits connect, which was amazing! The instructions from TinkerCrate were really thorough and understandable!
Then he continued to assemble the pendulum. At this point, he was really excited to finish the project!
Although most of the materials used are plastic, they are very well made and will not break easily.
He taped the brace using the washi tape at the back of the glow board and placed the bolts along with it.
We only used a little amount of the washi tape for sticking the brace in place. The remaining washi tape can be used for other things!
After securing the brace, he then connected the pendulum to the glow board and it looked like this.
He then tested the pendulum to see if it would work. He just needed to swing the pendulum in a not-so-strong motion. We also put some weights behind the glow board so that it wouldn't fall easily.
And it worked!!! The joy in my son’s face was priceless! It’s like he won a Nobel Prize in Physics! 
The final reveal! Look how chaotic the patterns are!
My son and his brother took turns swinging the pendulum and they bet whose swing took the longest time for the pendulum to stop. They were really having fun!
Wrap Up
We really enjoyed reviewing the January 2021 Tinker Crate. It was so satisfying to watch my 9-year old son work through and finish this Glowing Pendulum project from TinkerCrate. He was so proud of it and plays with this pendulum a lot! I just love how TinkerCrate gets my son excited about building a new contraption each month, while also including STEM-concepts at the same time! TinkerCrate also gives parents a fun way to have quality time with our children… and I’m grateful for that!
Deal: Save 30% off your first month of any KiwiCo line with this link and coupon code SHARE30.
About TinkerCrate
Tinker Crate is a STEM subscription box for kids ages 9-16+. Each month, you'll get all the materials and step-by-step instructions you need to build a creative, innovative STEM project. You'll also get the Tinker Zine magazine that will be filled with additional science content and activities.
Tinker Crate is great for kids who aspire to be scientists, engineers, and innovators!
Save 30% off your first month of any KiwiCo line with this link and coupon code SHARE30.
Price: $19.95/month
Ships to: US, Worldwide
Shipping cost: FREE (US), Varies (Worldwide)
Tinker Crate
Tinker Crate is a STEM subscription box for kids ages 9-16+. Each month, you'll get all the materials and step-by-step instructions you need to build a creative, innovative STEM project. You'll also get the Tinker Zine magazine that will be filled with additional science content and activities.
Tinker Crate is great for kids who aspire to be scientists, engineers, and innovators!
Save 30% off your first month of any KiwiCo line with this link and coupon code SHARE30.
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