Since the bunkhouse isn’t big enough, Steve and Gever are banished to the sleeping platform. Which isn’t level. But is very spacious

Near the sleeping platform is the very secluded bathtub.

Liz is wondering what she’s gotten herself in for.

Steve is willing to go to any lengths to get the shot.

Fiona and Robyn chill on the bench now that everything is ready and we’re just waiting for everyone to arrive. Uh oh – did Robyn just think of something else?

While waiting for the real tinkering to begin, the girls explore Barn 2, best known for its smell and livestock viewing perspectives.

The parents gone, it’s time to get down to some tinkering. Gever demonstrates table-top motor wiring, best viewed from the table-top.

Clearly motor-wiring is just what these tinkerers were hoping for.

Piper is quick to get her hands on a tool and get this motor started.

Anna is not quite convinced that this battery-powered motor thing is going to work. Carter is quite confident he can prove otherwise (and he did).

Elena is quite sure she can figure this thing out. She just hasn’t quite… yet.

Julianna doesn’t hesitate to explore the supplies – she’s an old hand at the electronics, but there’s so much more!

Gever is thrilled with all the firsts he’s seeing. This was Leo’s clever switch design.

Anna’s suitcase is missing, but she hasn’t lost her grip on the motor tie-down.

Steve is distracted from his filming by another refinement of Leo’s design.

Gus has an idea for a 4WD system characterized by these straw joints. He definitely is adding the most color to Tinkering School so far.

Julianna is definitely the most comfortable with the electronics aspects. Perhaps she has an unfair advantage (her dad is the supplier we use for our motors!).

As an experienced tinkerer, Sam doesn’t hesitate to pick up the wire tool and get right to work.

Gus continues to be a bit cagey about his design. The straw segments now form an axle for one of the wires and the switch is successfully in place.

Leo does a test drive. Little does Gever know just how elaborate this car will turn out to be (he’s still not sure why exactly it needed a flagpole).

Gus needs a bit of sawing done, and Nik turns out to be an ace with the hand saw. When it’s pointed out that his clamp location on the table might endanger a leg, he tucks it up out of the way.

Sam has moved on from his motorized vehicle to creating an electro-magnet. It’s a popular discovery and Gever is trying to figure out if he has any more nails.

As soon as he saw Elkus Ranch, Theo realized it was the perfect setting for Capture the Flag. Teams are picked.

Julianna decides to take advantage of the beautiful, sunny day (which she may soon discover is a rarity here) to document the local flora.

Capture the Flag devolves into the Tinkering School staple: tag. Theo comes to terms with being “it”.

Since Elkus doesn’t have a dishwashing machine, everyone is allocated a mesh drying bag containing their mess kit (plate, bowl, cup, silverware). Everyone needs to claim their bag (well, any bag), so we can eat dinner.

Theo has built a motorized chariot, complete with seated (well, sawed at the hip) passenger. Steve has agreed to loan his camera for the first-person video.

The light is fading, but the table demonstrates that the real tinkering is well underway.

The various vehicles and projects from today are carefully collected at the end of the test-track-table, so that the rest of the barn can be tidied up before bedtime. Tomorrow: the lifesize version!

Chariot ride (Steve’s camera survives unscathed and lives to tell the tale).