Happy Spring Equinox STEM Sparkers! To say that this Spring will be a little different is probably the understatement of the year. If you're the parental figure of a child, then like me you are finding ways to keep the child(ren) occupied and educated through school closures. I had found the Learning Resources Build and Bloom Build Set about a month ago browsing through Amazon, and I was planning to give it to Jack for our May review, but I broke down and gave it to him Tuesday. Anything to keep him occupied while I work. And speaking of work, this review is going to be quick, cause I got so much to do...
Will your kids like it and/or will you hate it?
Jack liked the Learning Resources Build and Bloom (Build Set) okay. I thought he'd like learning about gears/playing with gears, but he built one flower stem and one car and then moved on. He definitely liked the Learning Resources City Engineering and Design Build Set better. I think I did too.
How long will it keep them entertained?
It keep Jack entertained for 15 minutes. However, I do think other children may play with this set longer; I know I've seen Jack's school mates play for a while with gear sets. I guess gears just aren't Jack's thing (sorry Bobby, guess our kid won't be a Mechanical Engineer 😉).
Are they a good value?
I found a set on Amazon for $19.98 which I think is a fair price. I think the Learning Resources Build and Bloom set price is right in birthday gift price range.
Ninja-like STEM Skills
It's gears and learning mechanical properties of gears so yep, there's STEM skills involved in this toy. It is cool it comes with a handful of ideas on how to build different gear machines, but a child can come up with their own machine/design. Jack's own design was a car.
For us, this STEM product/toy is a 3 out of 5 stars. I again, I think with the right child, this product is going to be a great fit. I see the potential for the Learning Resources Build and Bloom to be a fun toy and used on many different days, and because of that, I'm raffling off one set to one lucky STEM Spark reader!
Use the Rafflecopter below (or link here) and please US residents only. I hope everyone stays healthy and safe during the COVID-19 outbreak and gets in a little STEM play too! Take care!