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Tiko Power Station

A huge Tiko power station. The buildings and the fence are from Tiko, the power lines a from K’Nex.

Tiko is a vintage building set, just like Tako. But, unlike Tako, Tiko pieces are solid panels of different shapes. They also connect by the edges – each edge has some sockets and some balls at regular intervals. Together, the balls and sockets form joints, so you can connect the pieces at different angles. The pieces themselves have different sizes – some are palm-sized, and others are smaller. But it’s possible to connect the pieces of different sizes, as long as the sockets match. Some big pieces have open centers – and these openings also have sockets, so you can add something there.

Since some Tiko pieces are so big, you can easily make crafts that are as tall as a 10-year-old child, and parts will actually hold together. Or you can make flat mosaics if you want to, and then roll them to make a 3D figure. There are no people figurines or decorations, but the building possibilities are endless. With Tiko, can create abstract shapes, buildings, toy furniture, and even something they can wear themselves. It’s a pity this set isn’t available to buy anymore, but there are some similar toys with the same basic concepts.

Tiko Power Station
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Details Of Goobi Juniors

Since the rods of these sets are very big, they have thinner middle section to make them easier for children to grab. The magnets are visible at the ends of the rods, and not covered completely in plastic like in some other sets. But they still hold to they place very reliable.

Details Of Goobi Juniors
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Peek-A-Blocks – Cubes With A Secret

Peek-A-Blocks are cubes for kids by Fisher Price brand. A side of the cube is 2 inches. Our middle daughter got these cubes first at a respectable age of 2 years old. We bought her cubes with different sounds – rattles, bells and other noisemakers. And then we got other options. There are cubes of different themes – animals, vehicles, the alphabet. Cubes are usually transparent, for example, you can see insides of cube with an animal from 5 sides.

There are also little attractions – a dog wags its tail when you shake a cube, beads jump around a pig, ducklings spin around with their mother. In general, for kids this is not only the very first building material, but also an entertaining toy.

Usually there are 6 cubes in a set. To further fascinate your child with these set, there are also various tables, sorters and other devices for playing with cubes. For this purpose, we have a musical giraffe. But kids no longer put the cubes in it, they use small cars.

The photo shows our very favorite cubes. For example, a chicken squeaks when you press a button on top and at the same time hides behind a descending shell. The kids really like touching the strings and ribbons on the cubes. Our absolute favourite cubes are those with a bell and a metal ball. And the youngest loves a cube with 3 carrots spinning in it.

Then manufacturers made the cubes with an additional “brush” on 2 sides of the part; now you can connect them to each other and attached to the same bristly surface. I really liked the idea of looking at an object through a transparent wall, and for my growing younger daughters I made noisy jars that they can use to make noise. You can use the cubes to build simple towers and marvel at the contents.

Peek-A-Blocks - Cubes With A Secret
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K’NEX 35 Model Building Set – Skier

Just as any K’Nex set, this set has flake-like pieces of different shapes which can connect to the rods and other flakes. This K’Nex 35 models kit contains 480 pieces, including both large and small flake-like parts. It also comes with thick and thin rods that match these pieces, along with some rods meant to connect the larger and smaller flakes. These special pieces aren’t found in all K’Nex sets.

One great feature of this kit is that it includes a spacious storage box. You can use this box to store partially built toys and continue working on them later.

Just like with other K’Nex sets, the pieces in this one fit together securely. You can easily take apart your creations and use the pieces to build something new. The regular K’Nex pieces are sturdy and can withstand active play, while the mini K’Nex pieces are a bit more delicate. This K’Nex 35 models kit includes pieces of both sizes.

It’s important to note that although the crafts you can make with K’Nex can be quite large, some of the pieces, especially the mini ones, are very small. This can be risky for very young children who might accidentally swallow them. Also, these pieces may be a bit tricky for smaller kids to assemble correctly. That’s why K’Nex sets are recommended for kids aged 7 and older.

K’NEX 35 Model Building Set - Skier
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MAGNA-TILES Dino World XL Set

This set is bigger than other animal sets by Magna-Tiles – it has 50 pieces and 6 figures. The tiles alone can be a valuable part of any Magna-Tiles colletion because of theyre unique patterns and unusual shapes. Some squares and triangles are bigger than normal ones (however, they have magnets only in their edges). Also, there are trees and, of course, dinosaurs. All figurines have magnets in them, so you can attach them to your crafts.

MAGNA-TILES Dino World XL Set
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Spaghetteez Building Set – Duck

Another craft Spaghetteez brand proposes for its building sets. This duck utilizes a black connector as an eye piece.

Spaghetteez is a unique brand of building sets with flexible tubes. Basic Spaghetteez pieces are plastic straws of different lengths, and they not only bend very well but also keep whatever shape you twist them into. They can bend again and again to form a flat surface, they can wrap around each other, form knots, and so on.

All the straws have special connectors on their ends, so you can connect any straws together, or loop a straw by connecting its own ends. The sets also have special connectors that will hold the straws together at certain angles or side by side. Or, if you need to connect two straws by their middles, you can just tie them together.

Just like any other straw, the Spagheettez set allows you to create lightweight and hollow shapes. However, these straws can hold together upright if your craft’s shape allows it. For example, you can create an animal, and it will actually stand on its legs. The Spaghetteez sets also include wheels, so you can create a vehicle and actually roll it around.

Unlike with many other sets with straws, you can’t cut Spaghetteez straws and continue to connect them. Spaghetteez straws have special connecting pieces on their ends, so they won’t be able to connect if you cut the end off. Because of this, the sets have many straws of different lengths.

Spaghetteez Building Set - Duck
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