In Praise of Mark Rober and CrunchLabs

A few years ago, a friend with a son the same age as my grandson (Tucker) suggested I look up Mark Rober's videos on YouTube. Life has not been the same since!

When it comes to online learning and exploration, I feel his videos are the Gold Standard ... fun and engaging, making complex scientific concepts easy to understand and relevant. He asks the questions that every tween (and beyond) has wondered - what happens IF? how can I? why does THIS do THAT? how can I build the world's largest nerf gun?

He makes science approachable, messy and full of wonder. I appreciate the fact he makes mistakes and misfires part of the process. As a former NASA engineer, he is obviously an accomplished scientist, 

but presents himself in shorts, a T shirt (that looks like he picked it up off the floor) and a backwards baseball cap.

If you have never seen his videos, I highly encourage you to grab your inner middle school troublemaker and check out a few of them. I have linked two samples below:

https://youtu.be/57MKxz4pJKE?si=Uc961XDdO5jhAukm

https://youtu.be/DTvS9lvRxZ8?si=oXmssW86aBx0LKyT

Additionally, he offers a subscription service for build boxes, to allow students to build their own contraptions. Some have defined instructions, while the higher level have "hackable" projects, where builders can tweak and modify projects endlessly.

Science + messes + fun + rule-breaking + problem solving + hands-on learning = having Tucker learn about physics painlessly and enthusiastically. Win/Win.











Comments

  1. We're All Potatoes at HeartMay 17, 2026 at 12:21 PM

    I often feel like I missed the wave on YouTube. I know people (or, in my case, potatoes) who have been following influences for years! They've learned a lot from them, and if they've followed them for a while, they speak of them fondly as though they know them personally. As though they've welcomed them into their homes. It seems like Mark has found a way to do this with his viewers. One of your videos is of the Nerf Gun, and it made me remember a cool thing. I met the inventor of the Super Soaker, Dr. Lonnie Johnson, an aerospace engineer and former NASA scientist.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KGabbingMay 19, 2026 at 12:43 PM

      I love that! The Super Soaker is a regular part of our household - good to know a NASA scientist invented it!

      Delete
  2. VanessaMay 18, 2026 at 10:05 AM

    Mark was recommended to my by my daughter's science teacher in middle school as an option for summer extension. He's given such a nice contribution to the world.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KGabbingMay 22, 2026 at 6:57 AM

      I agree! He has made science so cool and interesting. Love him!

      Delete
  3. JenSum26May 18, 2026 at 11:48 AM

    I love the squirrel videos!! But Mark Rober has some really cool other videos, too. I particularly love the sequence where he creates a fake package to spray glue and glitter all over people who steal packages off people's porches.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KGabbingMay 19, 2026 at 12:42 PM

      I've seen those! They are awesome. We actually ordered a Phat Gus stuffed animal! I also love the videos with the octopus obstacle course. So astonishing - and I appreciate the fact he turns the octopus back to her original habitat at the end. As an environmentalist, that was very touching and important.

      Delete
  4. thnMay 21, 2026 at 2:54 PM

    I love those squirrel videos and the glitter boxes as well! (They were my first introduction to Mark Rober. So cool!)

    ReplyDelete

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