Clixo Wheel Creator Pack Magnetic Building Tiles for Kids, 72 Pcs, Ages 4+

I rarely write reviews, but for this, I am going to take a moment to share, since I don't think most people would understand what these are with out actually seeing and touching them. This is like Legos, but in 3d. Ok, I get it. Legos are 3d..... but not like this. This is a product that's similar to Legos that forces you to think in 3d in a different way because unlike legos, these bend, and as a science teacher, I really like it. I bought these after seeing a small set of Clixos with a travelling family. I was impressed at how few pieces it took to create relatively large creations. For example, 20 pieces of Clixos would create something the size that maybe 200+ Legos would take to create. That part was cool, but what I like most about it was how it is similar to how atoms are. Atoms are mostly empty space that occupy a 3d area. That's what Clixo does. It is a framework for you to create 3d structures, but with a Lego like simplicity. At first, I looked at a Clixo piece and thought it to be very simple. A piece of plastic with magnets. After manipulating them though, what I found was that the pieces fit together tightly with angular rigidity. This is hard to explain, but imagine a clock that ticks second by second. There are 60 distinct "clicks" on a second hand of a clock, and that's how Clixo is, except that there are like 24 clicks instead of 60. You set it at a certain angle, and it wants to stay there. As a science teacher, that has some cool implications. If I want to create a 3d model of a certain molecule, there are certain angles that the atoms set at. I haven't seen another toy or molecule kit that can recreate and hold precise angles like this product can. The other thing is that the magnets act like positive and negative charges (like in ions), and can show that in certain configurations, there is attraction, and in other configurations repulsion. Clixo made that easy by color coding the connections so that blue and red connect, but a red and red wont. So on a technical and chemistry geek perspective, I like this product, but that's probably not why most people would buy these. How do the kids like them? I have a middle and high school aged kids. They both grew up playing with Legos, so I got this and just set it out for them. Both of them liked building structures, just like they did with the blocks, but they then realized that if they thought more in 3 dimensions, they could create large objects with relative ease, using far fewer pieces. It's too early to tell what they are going to build, but I have already challenged them to a family contest to see who could build the best structure using 1/4 of the pieces provided. There are enough pieces in this kit that even 1/4 of the pieces (spread out between two kids and mom and dad) that some impressive creations can be made. Why should you consider buying this? A couple reasons. If you want to be able to build 3d objects that are big, but pack up small, I don't know of anything better. If you want to stretch your mind to think more 3d (like bending the pieces to make them work), this is a step up from what building blocks demand.... however I am certain a 3-4 year old child could put these pieces together constructively. (actually not sure what ages these are recommended for) Compared to traditional building blocks like Legos, these seem a little expensive. Legos are plastic, and these are made with articulated magnets that click together. You'll get more Lego pieces for the price, but you'll probably not be able to build something that is as large as what this kit could create. One wish that I have is that Clixo would come out with an atom molecule kit. I think this IS the right platform to show how atoms can bond to one another, by bending and forming 3d structures, but I suspect that's probably something that is more of a niche market than what they are going for with this all ages 3d building kit.

We love this building tool. Easy, fun, versatile.

My 8 year old grandson is still playing with these a year later. He creates all sorts of fun items. My favorite was a helmet and wings for a stuffed animal. The pieces look brand new and he is pretty hard on toys.

We bought this last year for our daughter and she and all her friends and cousins love it too...young and old. I love that it's so versatile and easy to clean and the magnet works so well unlike the other brands out there.

Buen juego con muchas posibilidades