Some of our favorite toys are ones that require building. Not only do they encourage spatial awareness, which helps with many jobs in the future, but often the results are a lot of fun. We’ve been big fans of K’NEX for years, and how they blend both not only building and following instructions but also engineering and mechanics. K’NEX sets take a while to put together, but they are a great learning tool filled with fun.
This year K’NEX sent us their Clock Work Roller Coaster Building Set, a much smaller coaster than we’ve assembled in the past. It took a few hours to assemble, and we did find a couple places the pieces were a bit hard to put together. Towards the end of the assembly, our fingers were a little sore from snapping pieces together – but it was worth it once we saw the finished results!
The Clock Work Coaster is filled with loops and flips that your roller coaster can go through, and at the center of it is a gear that moves your coaster with a long arm like a clock. You can set it to go clockwise or counter clockwise, and the long arm scoops up your coaster and sends it on it’s way. Once it reaches the top of the top of the tower, the coaster works with gravity and whips through the tracks quickly.
The engine of the Clock Work Coaster runs on a couple of batteries and is easy to integrate in the system. It helps give kids a basic understanding of engines, drive shafts and engineering. The resulting roller coaster is fun to watch go through the loops and tracks. The fun doesn’t stop when you’re done building, but you can always re-arrange and rebuild it for more fun and reset your motor. The Clock Work Coaster is for ages 8 and older, but a lot of fun to work on with your family and kids.
