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Posted August 25, 2015 by Amy in Family Fiends
 
 

Brackitz (Construction Toy) Review

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Connecting Imaginations

STEM – it’s the hottest topic in education right now, and building it into daily curriculum in a way that engages students is the main goal of a lot of school systems. The ability to work the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics into daily work in such a way that kids are engaged rather than intimidated can be a tough prospect, but bringing those concepts into their world in an enjoyable can be as simple as bringing it down to the basic building block of childhood – play. To that end, many educational toy companies are creating toys that bring imagination and creativity to the forefront, hoping to blend engineering concepts with creative play.

Brackitz is just such a toy. It’s a construction playset, allowing kids to experiment with many different varieties of construction. Kids learn the basics of sturdy construction through trial and error while creating all sorts of different structures with the simple construction pieces. Brackitz are very simple to play with, as there aren’t any complicated instructions to follow. The set consists of only two types of pieces. There are flat wooden blocks, which form the basis of any structure the kids create. And there are plastic brackets, in both three and four prong varieties.

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Kids simply insert the wooden block pieces into the prongs on the brackets to form the basis for their structures. You can use the four prong brackets to create box like structures, and the three pronged brackets to create angled structures. Of course, most kids will combine them all together to make fantastical structures that may or may not actually be able to stand. But that’s okay, because the idea of this type of toy is for the kids to learn about what types of building can create the most sturdy structures.

The pieces themselves are very sturdy. The blocks are made of real wood, and are left in natural wood grain color. The brackets are of colorful clear plastic in red, blue, yellow, and orange, and they add some kid friendly color to the finished product, and they are of a nice sturdy plastic that holds up well. And that sturdiness is needed. Because the brackets have to hold the structures together, the wooden blocks fit into them very snugly. This allows them to hold shapes very well, even when two blocks are inserted into a single bracket. Rest assured, your creations will hold their shape, even the ones that aren’t able to stand on their own.

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This snug fit is necessary for building larger structures, but it’s also the main stumbling block to the set. Inserting the blocks into the brackets requires a lot of force. Though the package states that brackitz are appropriate for ages 3-103, my six year old tester couldn’t insert the blocks all the way into the brackets on her own, and even my nine year old tester had to work at it a bit. The brackets will hold the blocks together even if the blocks aren’t completely inserted, but it does affect the integrity of the structure, so having the strength to do so is important.  That  being said, the six year old was happy to show me where to put the pieces, so it did provide for some fun interaction together, and the nine year old felt the struggle was worth it create her own pieces. Just keep those limitations in mind if your purchasing for kids without a lot of hand strength.

Brackitz takes the idea of wooden building blocks to new heights. With the ability to snugly fit the pieces together, kids can build up towers, bridges, and more to their hearts’ content. Though younger kids may require help to fasten the pieces securely, this is a toy that lets their imaginations guide them as they create all sorts of structures, learning as they play.


Amy

 
U.S. Senior Editor & Deputy EIC, @averyzoe on Twitter, mother of 5, gamer, reader, wife to @macanthony, and all-around bad-ass (no, not really)