a kind of (something)
A replacement or alternative to (the real thing). I had to use the block of wood as a kind of hammer to get the loose nail back into place.
a kind of something
a variety of something that is fairly close to the real thing, even though it is not exactly the real thing. I used a folded newspaper as a kind of hat to keep the rain off. Bill is serving as a kind of helper or assistant on this project.