Review - Geomag Classic 142 piece set

 I received this set in exchange for a review

My son loves magnets and construction sets, and he already owns several sets in the Geomag range. He really enjoys how these simple pieces can be easily put together to form all sorts of different shapes and constructions, and he was delighted to have the opportunity to try out a new set which could be added to the ones that he already owns.

The Geomag Classic 142 piece set contains magnetic balls and rods which can be fitted together in many different ways. The set comes with an instruction sheet for inspiration, or you can just play with the pieces and fit them together as you like. The set also contains some base boards which can be used for supporting and displaying your creations.

The generous number of pieces in this large set means that he was able to build all sorts of interesting things! He was particularly proud of this bridge which uses two of the base plates for support. The pieces are made from 100% recycled plastic and they are sturdy enough that they will last for a long time, they are definitely a toy which can be passed down through the generations.

He was particularly pleased when he discovered that he was able to build his favourite shape - a dodecahedron - when he combined this set with some of the pieces from his other set! Although these sets are suitable from age 3+ there is definitely plenty of play appeal in them for older children and even adults too.

You can find my reviews of two other sets in the same series here:

Geomag Glow 60 piece set

Geomag Supercolour 42-Piece Magnetic Building Set

Review - Geomag Glow 60 Piece Set

I received this set in exchange for a review 

My son loves magnets and construction sets, and so he was delighted to have the chance to try out a GeoMag Glow set. This 60 piece set is aimed at all ages from 3+.

There are four sets in the GeoMag Glow range with a choice of 25, 42, 60 pieces and a new 93 piece set. The magnetic rods, panels and spheres click and snap together to form three dimensional creations that glow in the dark. I recently reviewed the Geomag Supercolour 42-Piece Magnetic Building Set which contains compatible balls and sticks. These two sets can be combined to make larger structures, and the pieces work with other sets in the range to make even bigger models.

The set also comes with some small bespoke plastic storage containers, which are great for keeping the pieces together and organised. 

My son loves playing with these sets even though he is a teenager now. He finds it really relaxing and satisfying to slot the pieces together, and enjoys coming up with his own creations. It's a great toy for him to fiddle with while he's working on something at his desk! For younger children the GeoMag toys are perfect for developing fine motor skills and spatial thinking. The pieces fit together easily and the finished models are sturdy and can be easily carried around for approval and admiration.

The plastic pieces are made with 100% recycled plastic and are particularly fun to play with while glowing in the dark, or left to make a soft glow in the corner of a darkened room at bedtime. The set comes with a detailed instruction sheet, it's worth noting that it does include pictures of designs which require more than one set to build. However most children won't mind this as as they will be more interested in making up their own creations.

My son really enjoyed playing with this set and I've loved seeing all the different creations that he has come up with!

Review - Geomag Supercolour 42-Piece Magnetic Building Set

I received this set in exchange for a review.

My son has always been fascinated by magnets and construction sets, but he's never had a magnetic construction kit of his own to play with. So when I was offered the chance to review the Geomag Supercolour 42-Piece Magnetic Building Set I couldn't resist seeing what he would make of it! This 42 piece set is aimed at all ages from 3+.

The set comes with two bases, a hexagon and a square, and a selection of magnetic balls and sticks. The pieces can be fitted into the bases to build the shapes or they can be put together separately. The solid plastic pieces are made of 100% recycled plastic and I really like the fact that the set comes with a couple of small bespoke storage boxes to help keep things neat and tidy.

The magnets are very powerful and it's easy to understand how they can be fitted together to make different shapes. When a model is complete it's sturdy, and for an older child it makes a great desk toy for them to fidget and play around with.

The set comes with detailed instructions to help children learn about the different shapes that they can make, along with several different designs that can be copied. It is worth noting that the instruction leaflet features a few more detailed constructions that it isn't possible to build with the pieces from just one set. I don't think that this would be a problem for a younger children, but if you are looking for a construction set for an older child then that's something to bear in mind.

My son had a lot of fun with this set and I think that it's a great toy for any curious child that is interested in how things fit together and learning about how magnets work.

Review - The Gravity Mechanics Vertical Motor from Geomag

I was sent this product in exchange for a review.

The Geomag Mechanics line is a construction system that is based around gravity, using the weight of the Geomag spheres to kickstart the mechanisms and movements of the system without the need for electricity or batteries. I was sent the Mechanics Gravity Vertical Motor set to try, a set which is designed for older children aged 8+ and is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) toy that can stimulate scientific learning.

This set forms part of the Gravity Mechanics line, which currently contains four different sets. Each set is a complete kit and the kits can be combined to create larger designs or to try out your own constructions. The Gravity Elevator Vertical Motor set contains 183 pieces which are made from 90% recycled plastic.

There is a detailed instruction booklet to follow and the pieces fit together quite easily. Harry had no trouble with the assembly but when I had a go I did find it a little tricky, perhaps I don't think I have the right sort of mind for these construction sets! The pieces slot together firmly in place but can be easily dismantled or repositioned. 

There are quite a few pieces left over which are needed if you are connecting several sets together or can be used to build your own constructions.

When assembled, you load the spheres into the carrier and spin the rotating part at the top. The balls travel down the never ending spiral and onto a small track at the bottom where they are collected in a pen ready to reload at the top. 

When you have finished playing the set is easy to take apart and store in the box. 

This is a fun set which will appeal to any child that enjoys construction sets and finding out how things work. 

My old toys that the children played with (and those they didn't)

I was very lucky that my parents had both the loft space and the inclination to keep lots of my old toys for me. They didn't keep nearly everything of course, but plenty of my childhood favourites made it back to me once I had loft space of my own. 

I've loved watching the children play with my old toys, and some of them have been played with as much as I did. In particular the Duplo - I have a lovely vintage Duplo supermarket set and some Lego Fabuland sets which I remember being bought for me when I was little. We've topped up the Duplo box with their own sets, and it was their most played with toy when they were younger. In fact I wrote all about our love affair with Duplo a few years back. It's still at the front of the toy cupboard as I can't bear to pack it all away just yet, I think they'd still play with it now if I got it out!

I had lots of Lego too, in particular an old Lego train set which still chugs its way around the tracks alongside Harry's newer versions. I've found that the older sets had many more generic pieces, simple blocks and the like, which makes them great for open ended building. When friends come round I often just tip out the big box of Lego in the living room for them to rummage through.

We also have a few of my old board games which they've enjoyed playing, in particular Game of Life and Cluedo. Sadly one of my favourite trivia board games, The Game of Knowledge, seems to have been lost at some point, but most of the questions are probably completely out of date now anyway!

However not all of my old toys were a hit with mine. I remember spending hours playing with my My Little Ponies when I was young, but mine weren't really interested at all. Mia had some of the newer style My Little Ponies but she never really got into them. I used to play with them as though they were horses, making them go over jumps and grooming them, but the new ones are more like dolls. Harry did have fun playing with my beloved My Little Pony Dream Castle though!

Another of my favourite old toys that never sparked much interest was the Barbies. Mia had a few when she was little but she never really played with them. As she got older I realised that she came to replace playing with dolls with playing Roblox. She has characters in Roblox that she dresses up, she decorates their houses, and she plays complicated role playing games with friends online in the same way that I used to play with Barbies. In fact her games are even more involved than mine were, she has whole family trees going on and she makes detailed notes and drawings about her characters. 

Of course we can't possibly keep all of their old toys, but there are some that will definitely be going up into the loft for hypothetical grandchildren. We have lots of wooden train set pieces which were second hand to begin with, and have been well played with, but are still in great condition. The Duplo, Lego and Playmobil sets definitely aren't going anywhere. I'll probably encourage the children to keep plenty of their favourite childhood books, as I've found myself rebuying lots that I got rid of over the years. I'll also keep the marble run, because my parents kept our old one and my children still enjoy playing with it when they go to visit!

Did you keep any of your old toys for your own children? What did they enjoy playing with?

Photo credit Xavi Cabrera via Unsplash