Reviews for Construction Sets
First of all, we love the entrepreneurial success story behind this product. Louise Stall, the inventor of CARES — Kids Fly Safe airline safety harness, is a grandmother of 9 who was inspired to make airplane travel safer for her own grandchildren and for all young children. As she watched her own kids struggle to fly with her small grandchildren, Louise recognized a problem that most of us have encountered. Normal airline seat belts are not safe for toddlers and preschoolers, and it’s nearly impossible to lug a car seat onto the plane along with carry-ons and children themselves. Sketches and work to file for a patent eventually led to a partnership with AmSafe who also manufactures most of the airline seat belts found on today’s flights. After 4 years of developing and testing the prototypes for safety, the FAA certified the CARES system as the first and only alternative to car seats allowed on planes. The best thing about the CARES system, aside from peace of mind, is that it weighs just one pound. It’s packaged in a small nylon travel pouch with an instructional dvd and a safety card similar to the one found on airplanes. It can fit easily in a carry-on bag or can even be carried by your grandchild. When installed, the restraint system itself looks similar to a 5-point harness system used in an infant or toddler/convertible car seat. It should be noted that installation varies slightly depending on the type of airline seats and tray tables on the plane (and this is clearly diagrammed on the instructional safety card). On seats with a “non-recessed” tray table the CARES is installed under the tray table of the person behind you (allowing that person to use the tray table). Thus the CARES can be used throughout the entire flight. On seats where the with a “recessed” tray table, the CARES is installed over the tray table, thus it can only be used during taxi, takeoff and landing. Cares is designed for children age 1 and older who weigh between 22 and 44 pounds. Louise and her family-run business suggest that airlines should be required to carry and offer the CARES restraint to any child flying with them who fits that profile — and that sounds good to us. In the meantime, if you have grandchildren who fall in that range consider presenting them (and their parents!) with this gift of safety and convenience, invented and brought to market by a concerned and industrious grandparent — bravo!
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The Magic School Bus - Soaring Into Flight Science Kit$19.99 at Amazon.com |
We like the Magic School Bus flight science kit series for several reasons. First, it’s geared to children as young as 5, and, with some guidance from you, they can actually do the experiments and learn a thing or two. We also like the instruction booklets included in the kits. Your grandchildren will enjoy following along because they feature Ms. Frizzle, Ralphie and all of the Magic School Bus characters they already know and enjoy. You’ll appreciate the easy-to-understand, yet informative curriculum provided, as well as the format of the booklet. For instance, each experiment follows the same format: 1) Question; 2) Hint; 3) Hypothesis; 4) Materials Needed; 5) Methods 6) Results; and 7) Conclusions. There is also supplemental information included with each experiment in the form of dialogue from each of the Magic School Bus characters. Clever! My little scientist at home was thrilled to test the Soaring Into Flight kit. This is a perfect Spring or Summer activity — however, these experiments can also be conducted indoors, with guidelines and plenty of space. The kit is ideal for children who enjoy airplanes or anything that flies. Twelve age-appropriate experiments explore basic concepts essential for various types of flight, such as: air pressure and resistance, wings, Newton’s third law of motion, gas pressure, spinning rotors and gravity. Your grandchildren will build and fly paper airplanes and gliders, conduct a balloon experiment, launch tiny rockets, propel spinners, compare the effectiveness of different-sized parachute sails, and more. Soaring Into Flight is one in a series of several Magic School Bus science kits, including: The Secrets of Space, A Journey Into the Human Body, and The World of Germs. The Series was created by The Young Scientists Club, who also sells its Young Scientist Series and Adventure Science Series. The company’s products are designed by a team of Harvard graduates, scientists, educators and parents — and have won all of the top educational toy awards.
Children love rocks — collecting beautiful ones, plopping them in water, and making glorious piles of them. But building structures with them? It’s not often that you find a collection of small, naturally-shaped rocks and stones that can truly build things. Stonees natural building blocks are a new product made from real rocks crushed with natural pigments, that are subtly shaped so children (and adults), with practice, can build creative things with them. They are all individually shaped to enable them to build upon each other in some way, but they are still rocks, so tumble they will, especially if they aren’t balanced properly. Building with Stonees takes a certain level of motor skill development — and they’re also smallish and hard (they’re rocks!) — so they’re not recommended for children under 3, and probably best for kids 5 and over. They also require patience and discipline, as it takes a while to figure out how Stonees best fit together, and a fair amount of practice balancing them. Once your grandchild has that down, the creative options are endless. I found that sitting down and working with my son (age 5), introducing him to the concept and testing various configurations together, helped avoid any possible frustration and gave him a great basis to work from. After that, he was off and running, creating walls to complement his action figure set-ups, towers, etc. We recommend you doing the same with your grandchild. Stonees are naturally fun and challenging, and can be used inside or out.
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Our young mechanically inclined son has been aching to learn more about electronics and how things work. Snap Circuits Jr. are a perfect fit for him and other children like him, who enjoy building, creating, and learning. Snap Circuits electronics kits have been a huge hit with kids and parents since they were introduced a few years ago. Although the recommended age is 8-12, younger children (like our son) still love the projects but need some assistance from an adult. What makes Snap Circuits so accessible and fun for most children is that the electronic components are neatly packaged within Lego-like blocks that are easy to manipulate and seem more like “play” and less like “learning.” Yet learn they do! Children can configure the 30 Snap Circuit pieces to build a.m. radios, burglar alarms, doorbells, and other electronic gizmos. Most importantly, the kit is safe, powered only by 2 AA batteries. And who can resist the price? It’s a wonderful value considering the hours of delightful learning it provides. We weren’t surprised to find that the kit has won several awards, including the National Parenting Seal of Approval and Dr. Toy’s Best Children and Educational Products awards. Larger kits that enable more projects are also available.
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Quadrilla Marble Railway - Twist & Rail$119.00 at Amazon.com |
Perfect for the child who already loves marble runs or construction toys, this set by Quadrilla takes marble running to a new level. Rather than the typical “follow directions to assemble and drop ball” experience, kids invest time and creative brainpower into designing challenging runs with multi-directional layouts. While most marble runs are plastic (and sometimes flimsy), this set’s 147 curved, straight and funnel pieces are made from solid wood. Although children as young as 4 can design with the Twist & Rail, in many cases, they’ll need help from a parent. However, there is enough challenging fun to keep mom or dad entertained. Older kids (up to 11, or even older, depending on interest), will also enjoy the set, which, in addition to the building pieces, includes 50 marbles, a “Smart Design Booklet,” and “Play Tips DVD.” The Twist & Rail is Quadrilla’s best selling set, and has won numerous awards, including the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award for 2006 and the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association’s “Best for Kids” Toy List for Holiday 2007. If you simply want to try the system out without making a big commitment, Quadrilla also sells the Marble Railway Basic Set for $44.99.
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You don’t have to be middle-aged (and male) to appreciate a nice sports car. And you don’t have to be all grown up to appreciate a beautifully-crafted wooden toy car. This sportster is just one of many modern Automoblox model do-it-yourself car kits, including coupe, SUV, and compact for eco-concious kids. Every component in the Automoblox system is interchangeable: wheels, tires, roofs and wooden bodies, so the possibilities are endless. A great toy!
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Thomas & Friends - A Day at the Works Set$150.00 at Amazon.com |
There are plenty of other fine wooden train sets available, but Thomas & Friends seems to be the favorite for the 3 to 5 year-old set, mostly because of the characters, like Thomas the Train, Sir Topham Hat, and others on the Island of Sodor. Kids (especially those who know the Thomas books and movies) essentially engage in two types of imaginary play with Thomas sets — the world of trains and locomotion, as well as the imaginary world that Thomas and his friends live in. Yes, these sets are expensive, but you can easily find generic wooden track that is compatible with the Thomas track, when the time comes to “add on” to your grandchild’s train set. This one comes with Thomas, Culdee, SC Ruffey and Tugboat, as well as Sir Topham Hat and the Engineer. It also includes “The Works” engine repair shop, a gristmill and waterwheel, Span of Sodor Bay Bridge, different pieces of straight and curved track, a track adaptor, engine shed switch track, 2 ascending track pieces and risers, road signs, trees, and a cloth play mat. You can also choose from plenty of other Thomas sets, engines, trains, train tables, and accessories by clicking on “Click Here” and searching under “Thomas Wooden Railway.”
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Wedgits are a fantastic building toy for boys and girls as young as 3, and as old as, well, any of us adults (trust us on this). Kids can stack, nest, link and lock Wedgits together to create all sorts of art forms and structures. Wedgits seek to enhance cognitive, perceptual, experimental and reasoning skills as kids use geometric principles to arrange the rhombus and octahedron shaped-blocks. Odd shapes, indeed, but this is how things get interesting quickly. This 35-piece Wedgits set comes in its own portable, plastic carry-case, so your grandchildren can design their creations wherever they go, including your house! Another nice thing about this product is that it evolves with your grandchildren as they grow. This set includes an instructional booklet and 10 design cards. Winner of several awards.
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Alphabet Stacking & Nesting Blocks$9.99 at Amazon.com |
We have three sets of these stacking and nesting blocks and each have continued to be used (separately and sometimes all together!) for four years now! Toddler girls and boys (age 1-3) learn to stack, building towers, only to knock them down, of course — and then put the boxes back together, as they master the satisfying (and sometimes frustrating) art of “nesting.” Preschoolers (3-5) still love these boxes, because they can use them as props for imaginary play setups (as homes for stuffed animals and action figures, for instance). This set of 10 blocks by Melissa & Doug is beautifully illustrated and helps children with letter, color and animal recognition.
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Everything your grandchild needs to build 17 different full-proof paper airplanes is in this Highlights Paper Planes That Soar book kit. 96 sheet of paper are patterned and “flight-ready,” and the designs are kid-tested with plenty of flight hours clocked. The book gives step-by-step instructions and diagrams to guide your grandchild through the process. Prepare for takeoff!
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