Manipulatives

5 years & up. Create your own unique marble run with zany-patterned, magnetic foam pieces! This Tumble Trax™ Magnetic Marble Run by Learning Resources will help hone your critical thinking skills and stretch your imagination as you figure out how to line up the pieces in a way that keeps your marbles moving smoothly down to the bottom of your run. Can you make the marble speed up, slow down, stop, or change direction by rearranging the pieces? Follow the activity cards to guide you as… More »

18 months & up. Toddler STEM toy Grippies® Links features easy-to-stack and connect magnetic construction blocks and two sizes of magnetic characters to encourage both building and dramatic play. Encourage pattern recognition and simple to complex construction concepts alongside dramatic play with the secured magnetic building pieces. With soft, over-molded plastic textures and tactile grips in four bright colors, Grippies® Links are perfect for small hands to grasp. The blocks pivot… More »

3 years & up. Children can experience Eastern-inspired architecture, indoors and outdoors, building with the Notch Blocks Eastern set. Solid plastic, neutral-colored blocks feature notched parts that easily connect for strong, detailed builds. Using included ladders and bridge pieces, children can build different structures with varying elevated platforms and span natural elements. Set includes 10 double-sided build cards. Available in 87 pieces or 132 pieces.

8 years & up. Experience the power of gravity with the Gravitrax Starter Set! Build your own action-packed track system to send your marbles racing while learning about gravity, magnetism, and kinetics. With over 100 pieces and 18 different construction elements, discover how the laws of physics affect the track your marble takes with curves, crosses, freefalls, and even a cannon. Experiment using different heights and angles to control the speed of the ball. Build your track using the construction… More »

18 months & up. Introduce young builders to organic construction and social emotional expression with the curved shapes of toddler STEM toy Grippies® Curves. Inspired by shapes found in nature, the colorful curved rods with secure magnetic ends encourage magnetic and tactile exploration through patterning and 3D construction. With cute faces on the over-molded metal ball connectors, toddlers can create expressive characters or expand their builds. The tactile, soft touch pieces make Grippies®… More »

3 years & up. These colorful counters turn sorting and counting activities into exciting adventures. With these textured Backyard Bug Counters, children develop fine motor skills, sensory learning, color recognition, and important early math skills. Use these counters in a lesson about addition and subtraction to give children a visual of the concepts they are learning. The counters are made of soft rubber and come in 6 colors packed into a reusable plastic tub. Suggested activities also included. Set of 72.

3 years & up. Children can experience Western-inspired architecture, indoors and outdoors, using the Notch Blocks Western set. Plastic, neutral-colored blocks feature notched parts that easily connect for strong, detailed builds. Using included ladders and bridge pieces, children can build different structures with varying elevated platforms and span natural elements. Set includes 85 pieces and 10 double-sided build cards.

3 years & up. This kit is full of fun and STEM learning! Build your own domino stack, chain reaction or run. The dominoes are built to pro-scale so they are balanced for perfect building and toppling. The rapid tracks, spinners and templates help you design anything you can imagine such as stunts, tricks or cool designs. The possibilities are endless! Kit includes 180 kinetic dominoes, 5 rapid tracks, 1 staircase bridge, 1 speed template, 2 straight tracks, 12 domino arcs and 3 spinners. Non-toxic materials.

3 years & up. Never has building been so wild than with these colorful and different bricks. Designed to snap together right side up and upside down to create a unique pivoting action. The set contains large and small Flexiblocks®, Flexiwivels, Flexiwheels, axle blocks, Flexilinks, and Flexibears. 373 piece set. Made in the USA.

4 years & up. Straws and Connectors are ideal in helping children develop Science, Technology, Engineering®, and Math (STEM) skills. It allows children to enhance hand-eye coordination, motor skills, logic, and problem-solving skills all while playing. Build a fort, rocket, boat, tower, tunnel, or bridge! Design your own scientific model, or create something unique. The opportunities are endless! The straws fit snugly on the connectors and are flexible so you can build arches and tubes.… More »

18 months & up. Introduce light and color exploration, along with early STEM skills, through the organic and layered builds of Grippies® Windows. Over-molded metal ball connectors join colorful, secured magnetic panels to create 2D and 3D builds. Tactile grips and over-molded plastic are soft and easy for little hands to hold. Watch your young builder discover magnetic principles, properties of light, and color recognition through multiple building and patterning activities. Compatible with other Grippies® sets.

8 years & up. Explore the basics of mechanical physics by building a series of simple machines designed to perform complex tasks that make our everyday lives easier. Build 26 working models focusing on six simple machines: wheels and axles, levers, pulleys, inclined planes, screws, and wedges. Learn the science behind your builds in the full-color, 32-page manual and follow the easy to understand step-by-step instructions to assemble each machine. As your understanding of mechanical physics… More »

4 years & up. Develop social emotional and STEM skills in a collaborative, play-based environment with the IO Blocks® Center. This all-in-one table brings movement, simple machines and dramatic play to the original IO Blocks® friction-fit, construction toy platform. Combine gears, slides, IO people and standard IO Blocks® pieces to create limitless builds using problem solving, introductory architecture and budding STEM skills. Constructions are stabilized on the raised grid tabletop… More »

3 years & up. With 68 plastic components, the number of run designs is limitless. Includes 12 marbles to run through flippers, funnels, across ramps, and into catch all hoppers.

2 years & up. Toddlers will be fascinated as they build with the blocks and watch them move. The building is limitless with these colorful bricks. Designed to snap together right side up and upside down to create a unique pivoting action. This novel brick set will provide hours of fun to your little. Includes 120 large Flexiblocks®.

3 years & up. Children can begin early exploration of physics, STEM lessons, and architectural design using the Unit Block Marble Run 40 piece set. Rubberwood blocks feature drops, bumps and routed paths that allow for multiple building opportunities. Ten double-sided concept cards provide building inspiration for different block arrangements as well as corresponding lessons related to physics theories. Set includes 4 starter acrylic marbles and 36 block pieces scaled to unit block proportions… More »

3 years & up. Prepare for some marble speed racing with this Do-It-Yourself block set! This Marble Run Race Track is made of wood and includes everything you need to create a one-of-a-kind marble track! Track includes a jump, bell-bucket, spiral funnel and a sliding track for your 20 marbles to get through. Build the towers and tracks, then send your marbles rolling down through all the trick, twists and surprises! Includes 81 pcs.

3 years & up. This unique building set adds a new dimension to tube construction -- wheels! Children can build endless tube designs and add wheels to make them move. Easy-fit construction, this set includes 26 straight tubes, 26 shaped tubes, 6 tubes, 6 cross tubes, 8 wheels in assorted vibrant colors for a total of 72 pieces. This set also comes in a durable stackable plastic container.

4 years & up. Build towers of quirky robots, spinning gears, and wobbling cranes with this Robot Factory set by Learning Resources. Stack robots on top of each other and place them on spinning gears or hang them from wobbling cranes and springs. Each unique robot and building piece can be attached to another in several different ways and from several different angles so that the only limit on engineering is your imagination. Promotes STEM learning. Size: Robots measure 2.25"H. Includes:… More »