Before attempting to create a big castle, we built a small fortress. The owls, of course, settled first. The yellow rods and panels are not included in the My Castle sets, but the kids think they are great for the cardboard inserts that imitate thatched roofs and walls.
I liked the detailed list of Gakken parts that you will need for construction. You can get your bearings and select details of a certain color. There are few samples.
Unlike Plus Plus waffle blocks, Gakken blocks have pieces of many different shapes. They have round and curved pieces, long beams and H-like pieces. The empty spaces inside the blocks also can have different sizes and shapes, so you can stack inside different pieces in different positions. All this allows even more building possibilities than the waffle blocks sets with similar pieces. However, some pieces have less connection opgtions, because they don’t have pegs on the sides, or have only one hole.
Gakken brand appeared in Tokyo back in 1946 when it became an important component of Japan’s post-war efforts to rebuild the nation. Back then, it became incredible important to properly raise a new generation that will be able to create a better future.
The founder and educator, Hideto Furuoka, created first Gakken parts. He later told that his inspiration was traditional Japanese wooden houses. There he saw an idea of flat blocks people can took apart and rebuild again when they need to. So he decided to create a toy which repeats this principle. Children can connect these Japanese waffle building blocks, stack them, lay them, plug, or tuck blocks in different orientations, for example, horizontally, vertically, and diagonally.
Another weird Kid k’Nex creature – with propellers.
Clics Bus from a Totoro movie. Its passengers are also cats.
ClicsToys is a Belgian company that was founded in 2001. They operate their own factory located in Kempen, where they manufacture the well-known Clics building blocks. These building sets consist of square pieces, all of which share the same form and shape. They easily connect at their edges, forming joints that can be moved.
Since the fundamental components of Clics are square, the basic forms you can build are typically cubic or brick-like. Nevertheless, thanks to the movable joints, you can connect them at various angles, resulting in diverse shapes. With careful assembly, it’s even possible to create triangular or sloping figures. However, the cubes remain the most robust and dependable structures this set can offer. Additionally, you can explore the option of crafting flat mosaics by combining pieces of different colors.
Using these plastic squares, you can construct flat surfaces and transform them into 3D shapes. Despite having relatively few extra pieces and accessories, Clics offer limitless creative possibilities. Some sets may include wheels and decorative panels, but these are the primary add-ons. On the plus side, Clics sets generally contain numerous pieces, enabling you to create complex structures with a single set.
The rocket turned out to be impressively big with a height of 28 in. Made from EDTOY Da Vinci series.
A Blockaroo Castle set with the actual castle on it. With many big pieces, things like this are easy to make – but, of course, you are no limited to buildings.
A plane made by Danny. It is relatively heavy, but the frames hold together well.
We used 2 Geomag My Castle sets and additional panels and colorful rods from the other Geomag sets. The construction of the castle took several hours. We tried to recreate all the elements of a medieval fortress – a donjon, a knight’s hall, stables, an inner courtyard, masonry, etc. This activity is fascinating, but difficult, and it is more suitable for the children 7-10 years old, if they understand the structure of the castle and want to recreate it. However, everyone (girls 5-6-9 years old) enjoyed playing with the castle once it was completed. I have no complaints about the Geomag set – the magnets are strong, the plastic of the panels is excellent, no obvious or hidden defects, the panels were held firmly by the magnetic rods, there are enough cardboard inserts that can be easily replaced.
You can make this carousel by placing the rotating base horizontally right on top of of the oval basement piece. It also requires less frames to make than the wheel. Rotating base is hexagonal, and there are three seats, but the set has only 2 figurines. So one seat will be empty, unless you use a passenger from another set.
Starship can easily transform into a cannon. Made from EDTOY Da Vinci series.
