With the Holiday season fast approaching, parents looking for a fun toy that has an educational element should take a look at Geomag Classic. This building toy falls within the same niche as LEGO, allowing children to build some preset designs, or just explore creatively.
Contents: Instead of bricks, GEOMAG relies on magnets. The set is made up of silver metal balls and colorful magnetic rods that can be used to build some impressive geometric shapes. The set also comes with some bases to help with some designs. The coolest part of the set is the storage boxes to hold the pieces. In a thoughtful piece of engineering, the case includes indentations to keep the metal balls secure. The pieces feel very sturdy and have a nice heft to them. The set also comes with a manual with a huge amount of models to build. These models aren’t like a LEGO set where you are building a house. They are different abstract geometric designs and you certainly don’t need the manual to play around with these.
Building: Building with these things is a breeze. The magnetic force strikes a great balance between keeping the pieces together while allowing you to pull them apart to change your design. The pieces were a perfect size even for my adult sized hands. I was able to build some cool creations with ease.
Who is going to like this toy: According to the box, this product is for ages 3-99…they might actually be right about that. By way of comparison, this set is much more abstract than a LEGO set, so perhaps the best comparison is the boxes LEGO sells with just pieces and no instructions. In that way, this set can really spark a child’s creativity. In addition, I think there’s just something cool about magnets, and this set really uses them in the best way possible. Due to the relatively small size of the metal balls, I recommend supervising the you play with your child to make sure the balls don’t get swallowed or lost (luckily, they tend to stick to the metal rods, reducing the risk of them rolling off).
But honestly, I think this set can be just as fun for adults. There was something calming about playing with this toy. Unlike a model where you can get frustrated when the parts don’t fit right or a puzzle where you can’t find the right piece, I experienced a zen feeling in building with Geomag. Freed from the need to follow instructions or build anything in particular, I just went where my creativity took me. I could see myself keeping one of the compact storage cases in my desk and using it for a de-stressing break. If you have ever stopped at someone’s desk and played with their magnetic desk thingy, you might really like this product.
Final Thoughts: If you’ve ever tried building something with a youngster and been frustrated when they put things in the wrong place (wait, is that just me?), the freedom of Geomag provides an easy way to play with your child. As a bonus, the plastic (100%) and packaging (61%) are recycled. If you are looking for a guilt free gift this holiday season, I recommend considering Geomag Classic.
Thank you to Geomag for providing a review copy.
Geomag Classic is now available in stores.
