About a month ago my son turned 5. For his birthday he asked for and got Star Wars action figures, LEGOS, and costumes. But I found one exceptional, non-Skywalker Ranch branded gift just before the party which really stood out.
After having looked and unpacked all the Darth Vader and Yoda characters, he ended up only playing with this last minute find: a pack of Straws and Connectors.
He made a boat for he and his sister to ride in, complete with steering parts, then a fort, a race car, a castle, and is now focused on building the highest tower in the world. This has been going on for the last month and doesn't seem to be letting up.
I watch this in awe as we obviously much prefer for him to play with these imaginative toys. Had we known he would be so taken with this, we would have skipped right past the over-priced Hollywood paraphernalia.
A few other construction kits:
• Fortamajig
• Crazy fort
• Toobeez
(Image 1: Straws & Connectors)
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I luuuuuurved building toys when I was a girl, and I know they somehow influenced my career choice in construction and architecture.
Straws and Connectors are our favorite! An instant hit with the 3- and 1 year-old. We also build things that they can sit or stand in. It's like having a playhouse that you can break down and stow away. Definitely get the 400- or 705-piece sets to have enough pieces to make the larger structures. And beware that the little connectors are rather painful to step on with bare feet!
We simply LOVE the straws and connectors in our family! They're priced nicely, entertain for hours, and they pack up compactly. I highly recommend them.
We have Crazy Forts, the straws don't stick in the balls as well as I would like.