K’NEX represents the essence of the creative toy concept, a masterful system of components and attachments that allow creative children to explore mechanisms while putting together pretty much anything. Limitless ingenuity!

If you want to combine fun and education for children’s activities with toys, then K’NEX building kits offer great . . . → Read More: K’NEX]]>

K'NEX Sets at Amazon.com

K’NEX represents the essence of the creative toy concept, a masterful system of components and attachments that allow creative children to explore mechanisms while putting together pretty much anything. Limitless ingenuity!

If you want to combine fun and education for children’s activities with toys, then K’NEX building kits offer great choices.

These toy construction sets provide all the instructions that are required to build up: vehicles, machines, toy roller coasters, ferries wheels and more!

The components of these toys are made with good quality materials, the pieces are complex, yet intuitive, so children can start playing-building with no prior experience.

Although the rods (of various lengths) and connectors (of several different types) are the main components, these are not the only parts, other components to build fascinating mechanism and toy machines are:

• spacers
• gears
• panels
• tan locks
• hinges
• motors
• tracks
• pulleys
• tires
• wheels

KNEX also has people mini-figures similar to the Lego brand characters.

These play sets are ideal for the overall development of your child, creativity and imagination are stimulated constantly. In addition, curiosity and appreciation for mechanical principles, design and technology, are developed naturally. Kids get to process basic concepts of physics and mathematics spontaneously, and with fun.

K’NEX is and outstanding creative toy for children Ages 3+ to adults. Always check the recommended age group of each individual set, and match it with preferences, skills and requirement of your child.

To find about great deals and the best choices for K’NEX Click Here!

No Ends creative toys by Taurus Toys are truly some of the best toys on the market today. No Ends offer the perfect materials and tools for kids to transform ideas into forms, structures and objects.

The toy construction sets combine beams and 6-sided connectors that link easily. The . . . → Read More: No Ends]]>

No Ends by Taurus Toys

No Ends creative toys by Taurus Toys are truly some of the best toys on the market today. No Ends offer the perfect materials and tools for kids to transform ideas into forms, structures and objects.

The toy construction sets combine beams and 6-sided connectors that link easily. The sets contain curved and straight beams with connectors in 4 bright colors.

Children can spend hours coming up with magnificent designs, from houses to vehicles to robots.

A No Ends set is a great open-ended toy that encourages creative play and develops structural concepts consistently, it’s never boring.

Age 3+

No Ends 150 Piece construction kit includes: 50 cubes, 50 straight beams, 50 curved beams.

No Ends 360 Piece kit includes: 120 cubes, 50 straight beams, 50 curved beams, 70 hinged beams, 70 short beams.

Haba specializes in building blocks toys of outstanding quality and beautiful design. This German toy manufacturer uses wood from European woods obtained with sustainable forestry practices. Their toys are painted with water based, solvent-free products, safe for kids and safe for the environment.

Among other great qualities, a particular attribute that I . . . → Read More: Haba]]>

Haba specializes in building blocks toys of outstanding quality and beautiful design. This German toy manufacturer uses wood from European woods obtained with sustainable forestry practices. Their toys are painted with water based, solvent-free products, safe for kids and safe for the environment.

Among other great qualities, a particular attribute that I personally appreciate is the concept of world and cultural exploration. Not only does Haba provides great creative toys that promote motor skills development and spatial relationships recognition, these kids educational toys also focused on people and places.

Haba toys represent excellence in regards to educational wooden toys. Definitely, every house with  inventive children should have their toy construction sets. Here are some excellent choices I recommend:

Building Blocks Sevilla Age 1+

This toy building set features 25 pieces made of beech wood including: rattle, bell, mirror, magnifier, peephole, and prism.

Basic Building Blocks Extra-Large Starter Set Age 1+

This toy building set features 102 blocks toys made of beech wood including: domes, rectangles, squares, arches and more!

Haba Ball Track Roll ‘n Roll ‘n Roll Age 18 Months+

This beginner ball track is a sensory stimulator for curious toddlers, they play with goblins and hear the balls roll down the chatter track ringing bells on their way down. The set includes two single color balls and two balls of two other colors, making four balls total. No assembly required.

Haba sticky bricks (sticky building blocks) 13 Piece Age 1+

This toy building set features colorful blocks toys that attach with a system of round pegs and holes to secure hold. The set is made out of solid beech wood.

Haba Ball Track Construction Set Age 3+

This toy construction set features 42 pieces of beech wood, 6 glass marbles and a bell. This wooden marble run is an outstanding creative toy with many possibilities for ingenious children!

Haba products bring the best out of creative children. Encourage inventiveness, choose presents and gifts from Haba, they are great!

To find out about current deals on Haba toys and get the perfect toy building set for your family Click Here!

This creative toy set of colorful translucent blocks is perfect for building structures that incorporate light into the building play activities of creative children.

There are two toy kits of Rainbow Crystal Cubes to choose from: a 12 pieces kit and a 16 piece kit. Both sets feature a combination of . . . → Read More: Rainbow Crystal Cubes]]> Rainbow Crystal Pattern Cubes

This creative toy set of colorful translucent blocks is perfect for building structures that incorporate light into the building play activities of creative children.

There are two toy kits of Rainbow Crystal Cubes to choose from: a 12 pieces kit and a 16 piece kit. Both sets feature a combination of green, yellow, magenta and blue translucent building blocks toys, in groups of 3 or 4 accordingly.

Kids can use these cubes to stack them and make three-dimensional compositions enhanced by light, a new dimension of creativity to play and learn from.

The Rainbow Crystal Cubes are excellent multisensory creative toys when used in a Light Table Center or other illuminated surfaces. Also, you can expand your children imagination combining them with other translucent educational learning toys such as the crystal bricks, the crystal connectors, or the crystal towers.

Each cube is about 2 x 2 x 2 inches. The toy building set includes instruction cards, guide book, and comes packed in a plastic tray with a clear top. It makes a very nice present for any occasion!

Ages 3+

Find the Rainbow Crystal Pattern Cubes (12pcs) or the Rainbow Crystal Pattern Cubes (16pcs) at Amazon.com

The Magnetix I-Coaster is a combination between a magnetic building set, marble run and a contraption, the I-Coaster is a high-tech creative toy excellent in every aspect.

This sophisticated marble toy features lights, sounds and even the possibility to include soundtracks to the marble roller coaster in action, that’s right, there is a . . . → Read More: I-Coaster]]> Magnetix I-Coaster

The Magnetix I-Coaster is a combination between a magnetic building set, marble run and a contraption, the I-Coaster is a high-tech creative toy excellent in every aspect.

This sophisticated marble toy features lights, sounds and even the possibility to include soundtracks to the marble roller coaster in action, that’s right, there is a connector for MP3 player devices.

The magnetic power not only connects the pieces to configure up to 10 possible guided circuits, it also allows the marbles to perform acrobatic maneuvers such as levitation, jumps, corkscrews and amazing loops.

On top of the 10 possible ways to construct a toy roller coaster featured in the instructions manual, there are endless alternatives for inventive children to build their own designs using an unlimited resource: their imagination. This is an outstanding creative toy for motivated kids and even adults who enjoy contraptions! Who doesn’t?

This magnetic building set – marble run hybrid has a total of 64 pieces and they include:

• 10 towers with tower bases
• 11 tracks
• 7 stunt pieces
• 17 connectors
• 2 light sensors
• plug and play box with speaker
• 5 15 millimeter magnetic marbles

The instructions are well illustrated so the pieces can easily be identified to allow a fun, frustration free building experience every time. Putting it away or reconstructing it is pretty straightforward as well.

Other tools and accessories not included with the Magnetix I-Coaster package are: four “C” batteries and a Phillips screw driver to install them.

Magnetix I-Coaster Selection

Age 6+

Find great choices of the I-Coaster at Amazon.com

The Solar Rover uses a recycled soda can and solar power to create a fully operational clean energy vehicle, it requires no batteries!

This innovative science toy presents excellent opportunities for entertaining science projects . . . → Read More: Solar Rover]]> Solar Rover by Toysmith/4M is the winner of the ASTRA Best Toys for Kids 2010¹ award in the Scientific Play category.

The Solar Rover uses a recycled soda can and solar power to create a fully operational clean energy vehicle, it requires no batteries!

This innovative science toy presents excellent opportunities for entertaining science projects for kids that emphasize valuable lessons about recycling and green energy.

Similarly to the Tin Can Robot, the qualities and attributes of the selected recycled can, make each individual Solar Rover unique, so creativity is also encouraged!

The Solar Rover kit includes everything kids need to engage in a fantastic adventure of environmental-friendly science exploration: easy to understand instructions, and all the necessary parts and pieces, including a solar panel, wiring and a motor.

Kids certainly will be intrigued and fascinated by the fact that sunlight turns into energy, therefore this educational toy is a perfect choice for curious children who enjoy challenges and are looking for mind expanding experiences.

Age 8+

Find the 4M Solar Rover at Amazon.com

1. The award winning toys selected by The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA), are chosen because they are considered to be engaging, unique, open-ended, fun and safe. For more information visit Astra’s official website at www.astratoy.org.

The HEXBUG Nano Habitat Set is a modern toy that combines robots for kids and creative connections of platforms and tracks.

With the HEXBUG Nano Habitat Set, children set up . . . → Read More: HEXBUG Nano Habitat Set]]> HEXBUG Nano Habitat Set by Innovation First is the winner of the ASTRA Best Toys for Kids 2010¹ award in the Just for Fun category.

The HEXBUG Nano Habitat Set is a modern toy that combines robots for kids and creative connections of platforms and tracks.

With the HEXBUG Nano Habitat Set, children set up hexagonal stations interconnected with routes for realistic robotic bugs to complete aleatory random circuits, doors open and close for added excitement.

This science toy resembles a contraption toy or a marble run, except in this case micro-robotic creatures acting like real bugs do all the motion and displacement using the physics of vibration to propel themselves along the way, just like Bristlebots, but much more stable!

The habitat toy construction set includes three hex cells, four curves and three straight tracks.

This intriguing robotic toy is also a creative toy,  the nano homes are reconfigurable and encourage  inventiveness. Custom made DIY habitats have no limits with additional  cells and tracks sold separately. Check out hexbug habitat accessories.

Age 3+

Find the Hexbug Nano Habitat Set at Amazon.com

1. The award winning toys selected by The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA), are chosen because they are considered to be engaging, unique, open-ended, fun and safe. For more information visit Astra’s official website at www.astratoy.org.

Perplexus is more than a compressed combination of marble run and marble maze, it is a mind expanding experience for adventurous children looking for a challenge.

This three dimensional marble toy contained in a compact translucent plastic bubble . . . → Read More: Perplexus]]> Perplexus by Plasmart is the ASTRA Best Toys for Kids 2010¹ winner in the Game Play-Dexterity Game category.

Perplexus is more than a compressed combination of marble run and marble maze, it is a mind expanding experience for adventurous children looking for a challenge.

This three dimensional marble toy contained in a compact translucent plastic bubble is a sculptural combination of complex maneuvering routes that defies children to complete a circuit with calculated turns.

Players need to move a small marble through channels and barriers form the start point to the end. Players can even compete against the clock and each other, bringing new dimensions of interest to the game.

Perplexus is a natural developmental toy in several aspects:

• refines motor skills
• develops dexterity
• exercises concentration
• improves eye-hand coordination
• teaches about cause and effect
• teaches about gravity effects

Here are a few other reasons why Perplexus is an outstanding marble game is:

• it is portable
• it operates with no batteries
• the enclosed marble is safely contained inside the sphere, so it can never be lost or even worse, swallowed!

Age 6+

Find your Perplexus Maze Game by PlaSmart, Inc. at Amazon.com

1. The award winning toys selected by The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA), are chosen because they are considered to be engaging, unique, open-ended, fun and safe. For more information visit Astra’s official website at www.astratoy.org.

Bubber is an ultra-lightweight modeling clay that encourages real creativeness in children. With this modeling compound kids get to play, learn and create effortlessly. Bubber is fantastic for easy projects for kids and easy kids crafts . . . → Read More: Bubber]]> Bubber by Waba Fun is the ASTRA Best Toys for Kids 2010¹ winner in the Creative Arts Play category.

Bubber is an ultra-lightweight modeling clay that encourages real creativeness in children. With this modeling compound kids get to play, learn and create effortlessly. Bubber is fantastic for easy projects for kids and easy kids crafts that develop fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination.

Bubber is a gluten-free non-toxic creative toy product with magnificent properties:

• It is very light (it actually floats on water) and it’s texture is smooth and fluffy
• It produces clean lines when used for carving
• It produces clean sharp imprints
• It leaves no stains or residues. That’s right, no mess!
• It does not dry out, kids can use it over and over again!

Bubber is an excellent developmental toy that provides unlimited opportunities to release kid’s imagination and promote their creativity.

Bubber is simply perfect for creative children, but is also highly recommended for sensory stimulation activities in the classroom, including sensory integration therapy.

Age 3+

Find the Bubber Play & Create Kit at Amazon.com

1. The award winning toys selected by The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA), are chosen because they are considered to be engaging, unique, open-ended, fun and safe. For more information visit Astra’s official website at www.astratoy.org.

These baby learning toys are the perfect introduction to blocks toys for very young kids, but the best part is the environmental friendly philosophy behind them.

The babies’ toy construction set includes 18 . . . → Read More: Green Toys Block Set]]> Block Set by Green Toys is the winner of the ASTRA Best Toys for Kids 2010¹ award in the Early Play category.

These baby learning toys are the perfect introduction to blocks toys for very young kids, but the best part is the environmental friendly philosophy behind them.

The babies’ toy construction set includes 18 light-weight, colorful and big blocks made out of 100% recycled plastic from milk containers. It contains no BPA, phthalates or PVC.

Babies can stack them and  take them apart easily, but this green creative toy set is also very entertaining for older kids, allowing their imagination and inventiveness to take form in different shapes and structures.

Set includes: 8 single blocks, 4 half blocks, 2 double blocks, 2 double bridges, and 2 triangle blocks.

Age 6 Months +

Find the Green Toys My First Blocks at Amazon.com

1. The award winning toys selected by The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA), are chosen because they are considered to be engaging, unique, open-ended, fun and safe. For more information visit Astra’s official website at www.astratoy.org.