Construction Toys
I’ve already mentioned blocks, but there are so many different options.
Magna-Tiles
In many ways Magnatiles have become the Lincoln Logs of the 21st century, though the former still exist and are great for older builders.
The magical Magna-Tiles can be stacked much like a house of cards, but because each plastic tile has embedded magnets they can form everything from abstract shapes to complex rockets, vehicles, and castles. Unlike wooden blocks they collapse into a relatively small clean-up, a plus for city dwellers. There are numerous specialty and add-odd sets that I like, but the space set ($47) has been a big hit with my four year old grandson. 3+
KiwiCo Kits (from $24 per kit) I’ve been wary of recommending subscription toy services. Some trade more on the idea of the box, than what is really inside. Then there is the variability of quality; some projects are just deliver more value, yet the price remains the same. No tools are necessary beyond what is provided in the set. Finally, there is the question of shifting the labor cost from the place of manufacture to the home. In other words, is the learning experience of building the kit sufficient to justify us paying to build it ourselves? In the case of the products sent to us by KiwiCo, the answer is a resounding yes.
These kits have multiple lives: First, there is the experiential part of assembly. Then there is the science part – how does the toy work? Then comes the troubleshooting, if needed, an extension of both the science and the assembly process. Finally, the kit becomes part of play. We’ve seen versions of all the toys in the kits, but in each case the process of building these enhanced the value of the toy above and beyond what it would have in a packaged, ready-made toy.
I tested four of the kits from KiwiCo and came out very impressed. The instructions were clear, the component parts of the highest quality, and the projects varied and interesting. Each kit comes with all the parts necessary to assemble to project, an illustrated booklet with step-by-step instructions, and (sometimes) assorted extras inside or printed on the box that extend the fun. The products in the subscription are determined by the age of the child; I tested the 8 to 12 year old kits. Each set took our kid tester about a half an hour with minimal adult help. The wooden pieces were smooth with no splintering, and all the components were well marked
Three of the sets were battery powered and motorized, but the electrical work is usually no more than connecting like-colored wires together by inserting them in metallic sleeves, no soldering (or even wire-stripping) required. The bulk of the construction consist of building the housing where the paper spins while paint is dripped in from above. Remarkably, the set contained the paint within, there was no splattered paint outside the toy. Our one comment was that the paints were a bit too lacking in punch, contrast, and color, but it was a big hit.
I hesitated to send the archery set to test, afraid of someone getting speared or losing an eye. Although the “bow” that is built in this set does launch light-weight ping-pong type balls, the “arrow” never leaves the bow, it only knocks the balls to send them flying. It comes with five balls, and a Velcro-style target that is adorned with giant googly eyes on one side and a bullseye on the other.
The motorized marble maze took the longest to build, closer to an hour, but the toy had the most open-ended value as kids can design their own mazes on the rotating platform, construction doesn’t have to end once the toy is “built”.
Deconstruction Toys
I Dig It Treasure: Egyptian Artifacts ($9.95) Thomas & Kosmos’ excavation kits come in many flavors from paleontology to archeology, all based around the play pattern of chiseling out hidden treasures buried in a plaster like material. These sets are always big hits with our testers who enjoy the mystery of what they will find within. There is a bit of history or science in each box, and a pamphlet gives additional facts and activities. For instance, in the Egyptian Artifacts kit kids learn to write in hieroglyphics. This is better as an outdoor or “on the porch with newspaper down” activity; a bit too messy for indoors. Similar sets are available with pirate and dinosaur themes
