Two more toy questions

I was looking into these two toys for their bday:
GEARS
MAGNA-TILES

There are many options (sets) for both of these toys. Do you have any of these and do you like the set you have?

 

Well, since I'm a math teacher...I'm 100% for the magna-tiles. You could use them not only to teach them shapes (imagine them telling their teacher what an equilateral triangle is ) but you can also teach them vertices, angles, sides, and the properties of each just with those shapes. And the fact that they can use these shapes to build things will just reinforce that geometry is everywhere! What an excellent product, I think I will be getting my girls some...heck I might even buy some for my classroom

As far as the gears, I don't have this particular product, but I have seen products like these, and I wonder how hard they are to turn. In my experience, gear type toys can sometimes not work if you don't get them together just right, and it just looks like, to me, that the magna-tiles will be something that would be easier to play with without a lot of adult intervention.

 

We don't have either one, but I like the looks of those magnatiles! I'm going to keep those in mind, L&L have a birthday coming up before long...

 

(See my other post about Wedgits too!)

We have the "Gears Beginning Building Set," or something very like it (it came in a big bucket with "Gears Gears Gears" on it). They both enjoy it -- Sarah especially -- but as with the Wedgits, they don't really build anything complicated. They're not hard to turn, but some of the "beams" can be hard to snap together and unsnap. At first they couldn't do it at all, and they got frustrated. Now they can sort of do it, but it's still challenging.

If the magnatiles weren't so expensive (more than a dollar per piece?!?), I'd get those. I covet the translucent ones. They have them at preschool and all the kids seem to really love them. (Of course, I've bought toys on that basis before -- including the gears -- only to find that they aren't so appealing when there aren't 24 kids angling for a turn.) They can definitely build with them without much help.

 

We have the magnatiles, and my girls will play with them for hours!! They are on the expensive side, but definitely worth it. :good:

 

Do you have the reg set or the deluxe set?

 

Thanks! I am getting them the magnatiles and will hold off on the gears. Maybe I will look into those at Christmas.