Home School Product Reviews

A great way to use

When I first saw this set (EDTOY MagnaMobiles Construction Set), I knew that I had to order it for my 3 year old son who loves vehicles. I gave them to my son for Christmas and they were a hit. He loves playing with them and trying to create different vehicles. They were such a hit, that I ordered the second set for his birthday, Christmas day. I love that the magnets stick the pieces together while playing, but are not at all difficult for him to remove and change. These vehicles will be played with for some time to come and have been played with daily since received on Christmas Day.

This is a great (Engino Mechanical Series – Cams and Cranks) product and I was very surprised at all that came with it!  My 7 yo. son likes to take things apart, fix them and then put them back together.  So this is super perfect for him!  The pieces snap easily and stay together.  He was able to follow the directions on his own with minimal assistance. The companion booklet is very thick with detailed “take it further” and exploring different cranks (remember the early model T?!).  I am looking forward to using all the other sets and really digging in with him once fall arrives.  I can see this lasting for a long time and getting a lot of uses.  One thing is the string, it is super long and can be difficult for him (and me!) to manipulate in place.  The directions are not clear on whether it should be cut or what…But that has not spoiled the family’s enthusiasm on this product.  :) Highly recommend it.

We bought this (OLLO Action Kit) for our science loving 7 year old for his birthday.  It is like an erector set with a battery pack.  We knew it was going to be one of those toys where an adult would have to assist in the building of it, but that was ok with us.  Right away our son and his dad built 2 of the creations: the windmill and the puppy.  The fact that the battery pack makes them work (backwards and forwards) was great fun.  He was proud of himself for being able to mostly build it.  I hope to buy an additional set for Christmas.   This will be a toy that will be played with again and again.

It does have small pieces, but afterall, it is recommended for children ages 8 and up.

Perfect for the Curious Budding Engineer!

This OLLO Action Kit was a great challenge for my curious 7 year old daughter. It did require my assistance in the beginning, but as she got the hang of the system, she loved figuring out how to build all of the variations in the designs. Additionally, the battery operated features brought her great satisfaction in completion. Caution – there are very small parts included in this set. Construction takes steady, patient hands and a willingness to endure through a challenge! Well worth the effort to build!

Incredible Set!

I purchased the Knex Transportation set many months ago for my eight and nine year old sons for Christmas.  I was so excited to give it to them and it was definitely worth the wait.  They both LOVE it!  They have built the majority of the models already.  There are a ton of models, they just devour them!  Most of the models inspire their own improvements, changes and ultimately their own designs.  I love what they learn building with Knex and how they can now “see” the infrastructure and build almost anything they choose to.  This is the first Knex set we have seen with design cards rather than a design book.  The cards are thick and high quality and allow multiple children to build multiple models simultaneously.  Incredible set!

Simpsonville, SC

CitiBlocs 200-Piece Wooden Building Set

My boys absolutely love them (including my husband)! I am amazed at how such a simple toy can be so incredibly fun and cause my children’s imaginations to soar! I was surprised at the complexity of things my children could create from the very beginning. They also have fun just making very tall towers that actually will stand, and not easily topple over, even at 6 feet high. They are so much more versatile than Lincoln Logs or regular shaped wood blocks. I like that they don’t require sorting. When I first considered Citiblocs, I thought they were too pricy, however, after I saw what my children could do with them, I feel they are worth the price. They provide hours of creative fun and are enjoyed by my younger and older children alike, especially the boys. I highly recommend Citiblocs!

We received our Bubber three days ago. It has already provided HOURS of hassle-free entertainment for our boys, aged 9 and 6. They say it’s like cotton candy and Delta sand mixed. I’m glad to say it isn’t near the mess that Delta sand is..or cotton candy for that matter I find it irresistible, as well – before I knew what my hands were doing, I sculpted a turkey and carved it. You simply cannot go wrong with this stuff.

I bought my 6.5 year old son this K’Nex set because I wanted a specific way to challenge him in new engineering and building methods.  He spends many hours with Legos during the day, but I would like his mind to be more well rounded.  This suited him perfectly.  I assigned one project at a time, and he was able to follow all the steps with minimal help from me.  He enjoyed doing it mostly on his own, but I enjoyed the opportunities to walk him through the challenge of thinking outside the box, and tackling a new sort of building toy.  They are also very well made, and next to impossible to break, with a sturdy reusable storage case.  Once again another winner from Timberdoodle.

I purchased the value pack of Bubber as well as some of the delta sand for my children for Christmas. I have 7 children ages 1 to 18. I figured the older children would like the sand and building castles and the younger ones, ages 3,4 and 7 would like the bubber. Well, I was right, the older ones do like the delta sand and building castles, but they ALL just LOVE the bubber. They love the texture and the ease of working with it. They use the castle molds from the delta sand and build blue bubber castles. Thank you for your terrific products. Whenever I am looking for something fun and educational for a gift for my children or other children I know, the first place that I look is Timberdoodle.

I purchased Wedgits years ago from Timberdoodle. From an educator’s point of view, this is definitely the best toy I’ve ever purchased. Age doesn’t matter with these things!! My husband and I enjoy them as much as my children (ages 3-12) do! I took them to our church for our AWANA program and it occupied the children for the whole handbook time as we worked with them individually. Wedgits can be stacked or turned. There is something about their shape that fascinates. Wedgits are AMAZING!!