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Japanese Building Blocks – Gakken

The largest set of Japanese waffle blocks – Gakken – has 183 parts of 38 varieties. The large lid of the spacious box also serves as a building plate. A successful decision by the Japanese.

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 Japanese waffle blocks – Gakken. 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.

Japanese Building Blocks - Gakken
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Chicco Magic Blocks

Chicco Magic Blocks cube set. “Well, well, new cubes…” – Alesya is experimenting with the magnetic side of the cubes. We ignored our “respectable” 3-year-old age (cubes are recommended from 9 months) and purchased this. And we are happy. The side of the cube is 2 inches. You can connect the cubes in 3 ways:

1. Tongue and groove, each cube has a round yellow protrusion (about an inch in diameter) and a recess for this.

2. Magnetic – again, each cube have slightly convex and slightly concave red circles, and there are magnets under ach of these circles.

3. Regular, when you simply place the cube on the flat side. Flat sides also have nice pictures on them – a door, a window, bricks, a gate, a flower, a tomato. You can play out some situation with these pictures.

Chicco is a well-known and popular brand of all things for infants and toddlers. Chicco mostly makes strollers and other similar items, but there are also Chicco toys, like these building cubes. Obviously, the cubes are way too big to swallow accidentally, so they are safe and easy enough for kids who are older than 9 months. The cubes have magnets in them, but they are under the plastic surface. The cubes themselves are sturdy enough to prevent the magnets from falling out, so it’s not a safety concern.

It’s a good way to enhance a toddler’s imagination and a safe way to occupy the child for a long. It’s a shame that these sets are not that common, even while the idea is pretty obvious.

Chicco Magic Blocks
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Tegu Bulldozer With Trailer

I like to take magnetic construction sets somewhere outdoors – to the park, on a car trip, on a summer vacation. So the magnetic Tegu often lives in a car or stroller. We unexpectedly found a metal garden bench in the park, and Afonya (1.9) immediately began to sculpt the details of his favorite set on it. Well, the sisters and mother corrected the structures, turning them into more familiar objects, like a bulldozer, for example. Afonya added the wheels himself.

Tegu Bulldozer With Trailer