Gears, gears, gears.....

Gear, gears, gears, lights and action

Even though we've owned our huge bucket of Learning resources, gears, gears, gears, lights and action for four years, I felt that a review was in order, as we have enjoyed this 'bucket of fun' for so long and continue to do so. 

So the basics, the set is a huge 121 piece set, it comes with interlocking Gears, lights, connectors, springs, glow in the dark stickers and a easy to use motor. This superb toy is easy to handle and assemble by all (including 3 year old). 

I love the storage bucket, for me the bucket has been a huge hit (lego has done a lot of damage to ones feet!), its also meant the kids have quickly and easily tidied up.

The children design their structures on the flat 'plates', use the motor (or not), plus the lights. They have come up with endless designs and structures and continue to do so! 

What's so good about it?

I came across gears, gears, gears when scrolling through a list of S.T.E.M toys. At that time my son was 3 and half years old and I wanted him to spend time using and playing with things that offered more. S.T.E.M (science, technology, engineering and math) toys are a huge hit, they offer so much more than just creativity. 

I could see how something as simple as this toy was going to help in so many ways. A list of a few things I have noticed my children pick up with these 

• When my son was younger, the lights were fascinating, and even now he enjoys using those in a darker room, my daughter has also joined in. They've helped introduce the simple concept of light and dark, moving on to light sources, shadows and the light spectrum.
• Designing endless shapes has enabled both kids to show off their creativity, making something more fascinating the next time. 
• Engineering! Understanding how some structures are stable and others aren't. Appreciating how motion occurs, and how the electronic motor can move certain gears and not others (closer/further/restrictive and so on).
• Math! From simple counting, such as how many gears in a row, to adding and subtracting. 
• We've even had great discussion about forces, when talking about the motion of the gears.

And that is a list of a few ways this toy has enabled so much to be taught and learnt. 

Is it worth it?

If theres one toy that can deliver on so many fronts, I think it is this one. As my son gets older, I know I'll be able to use this for so many more lessons (fun lessons). 3 year old enjoys everything about it...and to be honest, I think I've had so much fun with this, I would definitely recommend. 

If you want to take a look, here's a quick link :

Gears, Gears, Gears