Engenius Contraptions Motorised Bounce Marble Run Review (age 10+) Sent by Cheatwell Games for review

I love a clever toy, and even better if it has minimal plastic, smart and unusual design, and it makes your children think. Cheatwell Games have a range of truly 'Engenius Contraptions' - marble run sets with working motors, which you build yourself before you get down to the serious business of playing with them. We have been sent the Bounce Marble Run, which is just what it says - marble track with trampolines! 

Geomag Super Color Panels Magnetic Construction Set Review (age 5-99+)

Geomag is excellent stuff. It's one of my favourite construction STEM toys, it's been around for ages and now it's even better - in 100% recycled plastic. Construction toys have always been popular in my house, as as science, and Geomag fits into both of those categories. Their magnetic construction system is strictly suitable for children aged 5 and over, and there's still plenty of fun to be had if you are a little older than that...

We've been sent the 52 piece Geomag Super Color Panels Magnetic Construction Set for review. 

I was incredibly impressed as soon as I saw the box. It does clip shut for future use, there's no tape, no single use plastic. Best of, and pure genius - 2 small storage boxes are included to keep your magnets safe. There is also a resealable plastic bag for the other pieces. 

The packaging is 61% recycled, and the plastic is 100% recycled. It's awesome. I'm so impressed. This is the future - the sustainable future for our children. 

Build Your Own Telescope Kit Review age 8+ (Sent for review)

The Build Your Own Telescope is a really fantastic set with a very beautiful telescope, but much more than that, you learn how a telescope works as you build, and along with that learn about light, reflection, construction and engineering! It's an all round STEM toy, and we were sent one to review. 

We love our STEM toys and all things space, so the Build Your Own Telescope really caught the attention of my 11 year old son. He was so excited he built it within 48 hours of it arriving. Everything is paper, the only plastic parts are the lenses, so it's an incredibly eco-conscious toy. 

Even the packaging is a cleverly designed cardboard box, which is folded to protect the lenses during transit. 

Inside the very small box is everything you'll need. 29 slot together cardboard parts, magnification lens, eyepiece lens, mirror and easy-to-follow instruction leaflet. 

Discovery Mindblown Hydraulic Robot Arm (age 10+) Review (sent by The Essential One).

A lot of online vendors have had to close shop for a while, and obviously we don't have instore shopping right now, but The Essential One are still open for business online. They sell all kinds of products for babies and children, and have sent us two of the toys for bigger kids from the Discovery Mindblown STEM range.

I've already covered the Toy Anatomy 4D Shark. Age 6+ and here is the Discovery Mindblown Toy DIY Robotic Arm with Hydraulics. Age 10+.

We've never created anything using hydraulics before, so this was an entirely new concept for my 11 and 10 year old boys. We also have our 22 year old engineering student here, so he helped. This is a 176 piece kit, and it's a challenge to a young engineer.

The parts are mainly on sprue, and you'll do a better job if you use scissors or snips. You'll need your own basic tools, but they are things you'd tend to have at home - scissors, tape, ruler, screwdriver etc.

Discovery Mindblown 4D Shark Review and Giveaway Age 6+ (sent by The Essential One).

While a lot of online vendors have had to close shop for a while, The Essential One are still open for business and have a lot to offer, even if your children are a bit older. They have sent us two of the toys for bigger kids from the Discovery Mindblown STEM range. This is The Discovery Toy Anatomy 4D Shark. Age 6+

My son was ecstatic to see this. He loves sharks and anatomy, and so it is perfect for him. There is a big plastic insert in the box, and we aren't going to keep ours - this is a shelf model my son wants to display.

Inside the box are all the parts of your shark, and be careful not to miss any because a couple are very small. There are 20 parts in all, and they are really well decorated and nicely shaped from rubbery plastic. It is really nicely made.

Giving STEM Toys For Christmas with Brainstorm Toys (sent for review).

Anyone who has ever read my blog knows that I'm a huge fan of STEM toys. I love toys which inspire children to learn more about their world. How does it work? Why does it do that? How can I change it? Can I make it better?

These are questions our Scientists, Technology Experts, Engineers and Mathematicians of the future need to be allowed to ask, and as they find out their answers, your children will be learning skills which will last them a lifetime.

Brainstorm Toys are a household favourite and we've been buying them for our children since they were small. We've also reviewed loads over the past few years, and the links are all at the bottom of this post. They've sent us a selection of toys which I'll be putting away to give to my boys for Christmas.

On Friday 6th December at 6pm, Brainstorm are hosting a Twitter Party where they'll be giving away lots of fun educational toys. I'll be there, and if you have any questions then this is your chance to ask the professionals - and the bloggers and other parents.

STEM Toys make excellent gifts because you are giving the child much more than 'a toy'. You will be helping them to grow, and you may be introducing them to a passion they'll have forever.

Ad | The 2019 Christmas Good Toy Guide

The Good Toy Guide is brought to us by Fundamentally Children, who I'm working with again this year to promote the 2019 Christmas Good Toy Guide. They promote toys that teach your child the skills they'll need as they grow. Toys which make your child think, explore, problem-solve and develop motor skills like hand-strength or dexterity. The sort of toys I really like.

The special edition Christmas Good Toy Guide 2019 is out now and is free for anyone to read online,  plus 65000 paper copies are also being distributed around the UK.

Fundamentally Children and the Good Toy Guide don't sell toys, so included in the guide are over 50 toys which have been tested and specially chosen to be included based entirely on merit. Each toy is clearly rated for Fun, Skills Development and Ease of Use.

Christmas Giveaway: Science Mad Chemistry Lab (age 10+) Sent for Review

The Science Mad Chemistry Lab is a proper Chemistry set designed for children who are ready to move on from volcanoes and start looking deeper into why their world works as it does. Trends UK have sent us this set to review with my 11 year old, and my 9 1/2 year old joined in with some extra close supervision...

We are a household who love science and my boys have grown up experimenting. I'll start by saying this is an awesome Chemistry set. The price is brilliant for the kit included and the experiments are genuinely age 10+ and incredibly exciting for my boys. Here's why we think that...

Inside the cardboard box is a plastic insert holding all of your equipment. There are over 20 pieces of equipment, including several made from real glass - the spirit burner, stirring rod, a glass tube, 2 test tubes, beaker and conical flask - so we've opted to keep ours in the box between use for safety.

Christmas Giveaway: Learning Resources Beaker Creatures Alien Experiment Lab (age 5+)

I love Learning Resources toys. They introduce younger children to all kinds of skills that they'll use for their lifetime, while playing with some of the best toys around. I'm delighted that they are giving one of my readers a Beaker Creatures Alien Experiment Lab as a Christmas present.

Recommended for children aged around 5-9, the Alien Experiment Lab includes over 20 different experiments for your young scientists to try...

There are 18 pieces in your set, including a Slime Station and Slime Extruder, Creature Mold and Pod Maker. There are also 2 collectible little Beaker Creatures Aliens hidden inside Reactor Pods. There is loads to excite any youngster.

National Geographic STEM Dig Kits And Ultimate Play Sand Review Age 8+ (Sent by Bandai)

We've really enjoyed being Bandai STEM Ambassadors over the last 6 months, and the final tasks they've sent have been perfect for the Summer holidays. We've been sent National Geographic Gemstone and Shark Tooth Dig Kits and Ultimate Play Sand - a miniature sand pit with 2kg of colourful sand that never dries out and comes complete with 4 mini sand moulds...

The Bandai National Geographic STEM Kits are complete kits for children aged around 8+, and they contain everything you need, including tools. Each kit contains a Learning Guide, which is a short booklet full of images and information about the items you'll discover in the kit. They're brilliant, concise and always teach me something new.

The Dig Kits come complete with a double ended excavation tool, small brush, magnifying glass, instructions and a learning guide.

Dig Kits are packaged in a cardboard box, with a cardboard tray insert which can be used as a work surface. They keep all of the mess fairly well contained and can be recycled after use. Your fossils and gems are hidden in a decorative plaster block.

The Gemstone Dig Kit contains 3 real gemstones - Tiger's Eye, Quartz and Amethyst - and they're very pretty. They're also nicely varied, so children can tell instantly which is which. Once excavated you can clean them off by rinsing under water (put the plug in first), and then they catch the light really well. Or, as in our case, you can proudly show off just how carefully you exposed them!

The Shark Tooth Dig Kit contains 3 real fossilised shark teeth - Crow Shark, Otodus Shark and Sand Tiger. There's a fascination in our house with exceedingly long-lived animal species, so it's particularly interesting to us that although our Sand Tiger Shark tooth might be 100,000,000,000 years old (one hundred million), Sand Tiger Sharks still exist today.

My boys are 9 1/2 and almost 11, so I've been really pleasantly surprised at the amount of use the Ultimate Play Sand has received. This is a really neat little sandbox kit which works very well to keep everything tidy and safe.

The tray in the Ultimate Play Sand kit is plastic, but it is also your miniature sandbox, so it's definitely not single-use. Also included are 2lbs of play sand which never dries out, never makes dust and leaves your hands clean, plus 6 clever little sand 'castle' moulds.

These aren't just any old sandcastle, the moulds are actually 6 historical buildings, something my older boys really latched on to. All week ancient civilisations have been battling it out in my living room...

The sand is kinetic sand. Brightly coloured and fascinating to watch trickle out of your hand, it only sticks to the other sand. Very easy to scoop or sweep up and shouldn't ruin your carpet. It's actually quite mesmerising and incredibly relaxing to play with - whatever your age...

Bandai's National Geographic kits are varied and interesting. They excite children and teach lifelong skills, supporting what your child learns in school. Kits start at around £9.99 each and they are available in toy shops, museums, gift shops and more nationwide. They are brilliant gifts for children aged around 8+.

You can find out more about the National Geographic STEM kits on the Bandai website, or check out our other reviews: 

Real Bug and Dino Fossil Dig Kits (contains real insects and dinosaur poo!)

Glowing Crystals and Sea Monkeys

Mini Dig Kits - DinoPoop, Treasure And Shark Tooth

Build Your Own Volcano

Break Open Geodes

The Gemstone Dig Kit £6.99rrp, Shark Tooth Dig Kit £12.99rrp and Ultimate Play Sand is available is several different colours, each £11.99rrp. Affiliate links below with latest prices on Amazon Prime...

This month Bandai have offered one of my readers the Gemstone Dig Kit as a prize in a giveaway. Entry is by the Gleam form below and is open to UK entrants only. 

No entries are mandatory, but each action performed earns you extra entries into the random draw. The giveaway will end at midnight Sunday 29th September, full terms and conditions are at the bottom of the Gleam form. For a link to help if Gleam is new to you, or to see my other UK giveaways, see my Giveaways Page...

National Geographic Gemstone Dig Kit Giveaway (age 8+)

We've been sent all of our National Geographic STEM kits for review by BANDAI, as part of our role as BANDAI STEM Ambassadors. 

Q-Scout Programmable Metal Robot Review (age 6+) Sent by Robobloq

Robots are amazing tools that can teach your children a range of skills. The Q-Scout from Robobloq is a metal 65 piece remote control robot which you build yourself and programme using your phone or tablet. It can line follow, obstacle avoid and play music, and with 2 levels of coding built on open source Arduino, it should have the longevity to keep your child's interest for several years.

Robobloq have sent us the basic Q-Scout set to review...

The packaging is a nice sturdy box and easy to open with a lovely magnetic closure. Everything is neatly packaged in 3 layers and it's a gorgeous set to unveil.

National Geographic Mini Dig Kits STEM Toy Review Age 8+ (Sent by Bandai)

This month Bandai have sent us three of the Mini Dig Kits from National Geographic for review. Smaller than the standard Dig Kits, each contains one genuine specimen which your child can dig out using the tool included.

The Mini Dig Kits are hard plastic-wrapped, so not very eco-friendly. With scissors they're much more easily opened, but can have sharp edges, so watch your fingers. Inside is your specimen and a digging tool, as well as a leaflet with information.

I may not be so keen on the packaging, but I love the contents and so do children. Dig Kits offer a surprise reward - you don't know what you'll end up with exactly, and no two end results are the same.

National Geographic STEM Build Your Own Volcano Kit Review (Age 8+) Sent by Bandai

We've all made volcanoes before and they're a real crowd-pleasing, reliable experiment which is easy, safe and dramatic and teaches children a lot. This month Bandai have sent us the Build Your Own Volcano Kit to review and it's hands down my favourite home volcano science kit.

Inside the box is everything you'll need in generous quantities, and it's all in a cardboard tray which pulls out and can be used as a work surface to keep everything neat. I love the National Geographic STEM Kits for this.

You are given plaster of Paris and a 3-part mould to create your own volcano. There is masses of plaster and we propped the plastic mould up in the shaping of the box to hold it still while we filled it and it set hard.

Hubelino Marble Run Elements Set Review Age 3+ (Sent by Hubelino)

Hubelino is a brand new product in the UK which combines with your own blocks and bricks to create a marble run track. The design and size is all up to your own imagination and it's a fantastic STEM supporting toy to bring out the designer and engineer in all of us.

We've been sent the Marble Run Elements Set, which contains 55 pieces, including 4 balls. Packaging is awesome. It's all in a big cardboard box, with 2 resealable plastic bags to keep everything tidy. No extra or unnecessary packaging and perfect for storage when you aren't playing.

The Hubelino is Elements Set is an 'add-on' and although it's possible to create a marble run with these elements alone, it is designed to work with what you already have and is compatible with standard blocks.

Bandai STEM Kits - Glowing Crystals and Sea Monkeys (Sent for review by Bandai)

This month Bandai have sent us two more of their STEM educational kits for review. The National Geographic Green Crystal Growing Lab (age 8+) and the Sea Monkeys Ocean Zoo (age 6+).

National Geographic Green Crystal Growing Lab (age 8+) allows you to grow a glow-in-the-dark pale green crystal. You are supplied with everything you need except water and a suitable container, and it's a really easy kit to get started.

In the pack are growing powder, a seed rock, stirring stick, real Fluorite crystal, magnifying glass and a learning guide with the instructions. Packaged entirely in cardboard and the pull out cardboard tray is super handy for containing any mess while you work.

MBE STEM Science Kits Review and Giveaway (age 8+) Sent by Thames And Kosmos

I like science toys best of all and I'm delighted that my boys love them too. Thames and Kosmos have a huge range of science, mind and exploration toys, games and puzzles. Their brand new MBE range of science kits includes 8 different sets designed to allow your child to explore their world and learn something new and exciting, and at only £8.99 each, they make a great birthday gift for friends.

The new kits are designed to introduce different scientific topics, with fun facts and interesting hands-on experiments, and Thames and Kosmos have sent us 2 to review - Amazing Minerals and Crystal Geode.

The Amazing Minerals Experiment Kit is a nicely presented digging kit with 2 tools, magnifying glass and the familiar chunk of plaster containing the hidden treasure.

National Geographic Break Open Geodes Set Review (Age 8+) Sent by Bandai

This month's review as Bandai STEM Ambassadors is a real favourite of mine. Of all of the science sets we've ever played with, Geodes are most magical to me. Geodes are naturally occurring volcanic rocks which each contain amazing crystal formations. They come in all sizes and with a variety of different crystals inside, and you never know what you are going to get until you crack them open.

Excitingly National Geographic sets now come with cardboard inserts and plastic is kept to a bare minimum. There's no set up time and you can crack open your Geode as soon as you have located a hammer, so Earth and Christmas morning-friendly.

The National Geographic Break Open 2 Geodes Set includes 2 geodes, plus essential safety goggles, learning guide and even a display stand for your favourite discovery. There's also every young explorer's essential - a magnifying glass.

Digital Kids Show 2018 ~ Review Visit

Last November we were invited back as guests to review the Digital Kids Show at Manchester Central. We adore it and I've used loads of information and photos from our visit in all kinds of posts since. Full of everything our family love, this really is a fantastic day out for children who are into all things digital.

We arrived 5 minutes after opening, so were able to get some photos of the hall before other people's children were everywhere. By 11.30am it was full, but never packed, and it felt very safe to let our almost 9 and 10 year old boys wander ahead or go and play while we sat nearby with a coffee.

Arriving early meant we got to play in the amazingly lit dinosaur kingdom without anyone else, and the boys could have been first to be superheroes, but said it was their day off. The ice rink was comfortably busy right from the start though.

National Geographic STEM Dig Kits Review (age 8+) Sent by Bandai.

National Geographic make a huge range of STEM sets which allow your child to explore, create and discover something amazing about the natural world. Crystal growing, archaeology digs, sharks teeth, bugs, stones and my favourite - geodes. There's so much out there for us to discover and learn about. I'm proud to announce we've been chosen as Bandai STEM Ambassadors for the next few months and for our first job they've sent us the National Geographic Real Bug Dig Kit and the Dino Fossil Dig Kit for review.

Any regular readers will probably be well aware that I'm no stranger to the National Geographic STEM activity sets. I love them and so do all of my family. I can't tell you how many of these sets we've bought and completed over the years with all of our children, but it's easily 50. They're a brilliant tool to get kids thinking about their world from a different angle, and they teach us all so much.

Matr Online 1 to 1 Maths Tuition Review With My 10 Year Old (Paid Partnership)

Matr offer enjoyable and affordable home-based online one-to-one tuition with your own tutor for children in Key Stage 2, aged 7-11. They asked if we'd like to review the service and as both of my younger boys are in Key Stage 2, we agreed. Our 2 lessons were free of charge and we have been paid for some of our time, but if you have your own 10 year old you'll know that won't affect what he says in the video! Children can be brutally honest - they make the best reviewers...

Before the review I was sceptical that maths tuition would offer my son very much, but I've completely changed my opinion. He really, really enjoyed his time with the tutor, he's so much more confident in what he is currently working on in school and he learnt so much more on top of that. He's had a massive boost and we only did two sessions!

I've a review video below and the last 2 minutes are entirely my son's opinion on his sessions, so skip ahead if you just want to hear directly from him.