K'NEX Education Large Maker's Kit

My 8 year old spends hours building with k'nex. We were able to fit extra k'nex from other sets in this bin. Only down side is that the dividers tend to pop up a little and the small spacers escape their compartment.

My son love them. Always building something new

4.5 stars, not enough wheels and no parts list. Rounded up. Pick the wheel/motor version of these kits if you have kids using it.“Maker” is the new buzzword for creating stuff. This is marketed as an education makers set. This set is a good value if you want a lot of the connection pieces. What I find is that wheels are in the most demand and this set has only ONE set of the narrow wheels. It does have enough pieces for 2 or 3 kids to build at once without too much fighting (as long as only one wants wheels).The wheel version of this kit has a page at the back of the manual listing what is included. This version does not. It drives me crazy that K’nex does not provide parts lists on their site. They have a “compare” function, but it is useless as it does not list what parts are included.The best way to get K’nex is to watch for sales and buy whatever kit has the most pieces you can get for a given amount of money. I weight wheels a little higher, as those are always in demand.I have used both Lego educational products and K’nex in my science and math classrooms. My general preference is for K’nex for middle school and up and Lego for elementary school (with the exception of the MindStorms Lego sets which are excellent for computer programing at the high school level). This is actually based on the physical difficulty of assembling K’nex vs Lego, which is probably why K’nex is marketed as age 10 and up. K’nex takes more physical force and dexterity to assemble, but the type, size and physical integrity of the of structures are much better with K’nex. One can build very large structures with K’nex (such as meter long bridges, meter high roller coasters and so on) that are precluded by the weight of the bricks for Lego.K’nex lends itself far better to engineering and physics problems as it is much sturdier (although not a sturdy as Erector sets!) and one can build cars and structures that will hold together throughout testing. For physics and engineering projects (motion, machines, conservation of energy, structure building) K’nex is clearly better than Lego. I also use K’nex in my math classes when I need to show 3D structure. As a teacher you can register on the K’nex education site and receive access to lesson plans which are useful.

Storage bin works great to help find the part you need. The photo direction are at time hard to understand.

This is a large kit containing over 800 pieces. With this many pieces it's easy for my 6year old son to make multiple creations with out having to tear one down to build another. The pieces are brightly colored, sturdy and well made. They are easy to put together and he can play with these independent. My three year old tries to play with them but does not quite have the dexterity to put them together and needs lots of help as well as supervision due to some of the pieces being very small and a choking hazard. I like that they give my son an outlet for his creative side and spark his imagination. The possibilities of what he can create are endless. There are also instructions on how to make things but we haven't really used that part yet he's just been using his imagination and creating what he wants. It is very convenient that they come with a sturdy bin to keep them in when not in use. I also liked how the bin still has plenty of room and will hold other kits as we add to our collection. Overall I am very pleased with this kit. My kids love creating and playing with it and it will entertain my son for quite some time so it's a win in my book!

Are grandparents allowed to give themselves Christmas presents? Well, I'm putting this K'NEX set under the tree for myself. Now, I probably won't be making very many things from the kit on my own, but this well-designed storage box with its hundreds of pieces will be a great addition to the basic toys that I keep here at my house for my grandchildren and the many other children who often visit.My taste runs to toys that maximize imagination and creativity (think plain old wooden blocks, lots of paper and art supplies), and this set is proving to be one that fascinates kids from around 3 or 4 (depending on their interest in constructing things) on into the pre-teen years (or more? haven't tested beyond age 12). The parts do require a little bit of dexterity and effort, but that has added to the interest and challenge for those ready to build.The price is reasonable when considering similar products, especially because of the great flexibility the set provides. And, for both parents and grandparents, having a dedicated storage box with ample room to hold some partially done projects is a real plus. So I'm keeping this set at my house, but I won't be surprised if similar kits turn up at some other homes too.

I just finished combining 1751+ pieces from three separate K'NEX Education Kits into the K'NEX Education Maker's Large Kit and there is still room to add additional pieces. Space is a priority for the area in which our three granddaughters (age 6 to 10 years) have to play when visiting us in our condo so having this one sturdy container for all three kits is great. They absolutely love the K'NEX products and can spent hours following the instruction books (which comes with each set) or designing something creative on their own. The pieces are made of a strong plastic and seem to last forever. I would caution anyone with a small child or pet that will put stuff in their mouths to find a safe place for the builders to use and one where pieces, that accidentally fall on the floor, can be easily seen. Adding this new set to the other two will help avoid someone fighting over a particular piece to finish their project. There are numerous pieces of each type of K'nex piece in different sizes and/or colors. It should be easy for each of the three to find the pieces to make a perfectly finished product.