Friction Climbers
- Grades 6-8
Engineer 3 wooden animals to explore the mechanics of friction! Make a sloth that climbs up a vine, build a gecko that shimmies up a string, and craft a spider that spools itself upward. Read more
Additional details
From the desk of the product designer:
Behind the design
“I'm a rock climber, and wanted to showcase how friction can be harnessed to do useful work!”
- KiwiCo Product Designer
By the numbers
21
Total string used in meters during testing
7
Configurations considered for the different climbers
6
Steps to be your own friction climber
Reviews
4.8
17 reviews
GrandmaSam
01/05/2022
My 8 year old grandson loved these! They each work differently, so that made it more interesting to put them together and play with than I expected. He was very proud of successfully putting them together. I think he had some help from his 11 year old sister, but they didn’t need any adult help and I think that was only for the first one. Definitely recommend!
QuenOScots
11/17/2021
Loved that there were 3 builds in one kit. The sloth and lizard climbers worked great. The spider though did not climb all the way to the top because it ran out of bottom string - I think the string needs to be longer on the bottom so the kids actually get the spider to climb to the top of the upper string. The spider also took a lot of force to go up and then fell back down when you let go of the string - whereas the other two stayed up with friction. Lots of good teaching moments and the reading material showed the bumpiness of surfaces and that is why there is friction. I know this kit is for ages 9+ but my 6 year old loved it. He is accelerated in building and science so he regularly completes kits above his age level from LEGOS through Kiwicrates.
Linda
07/23/2021
The directions were very clear and the pictures easy to interpret. A perfect choice for a 9 year old!
Penny
04/30/2021
Love the 3 animals. I have 2 grand daughters. We make one together than each girl gets to work independently.
Bethanne
03/14/2020
My 10 year old son loved this. I love that it is wooden and can last
Marley
02/28/2020
there were several projects in one kit so my child was able to share it with a friend who happened to be over when it arrived. They worked together to put them together and experiemnt with them. They even went online for the template to make the dove.