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Magformers TileBlox Magnetic Tiles: The Perfect Toy for STEAM/STEM Education

Posted on July 05, 2020 by Lubica Misevski

Magformers, one of the world's leading manufacturers of magnetic children's toys, produces the TileBlox Magnetic Tile line: the ideal STEM toy for children ages three and up. These fantastic magnetic tiles, which come with magnets in each piece for the creation of sturdy buildings, are available in a variety of sizes and colours. You can get them in 42-piece, 60-piece, or 104-piece, and they come in bright primary rainbow colours from the Rainbow line or an array of pastels in the Inspire line--or mix and match sets for extra building fun. 

The STEM Advantage of Magformers TileBlox

Magformers TileBlox line offers a number of STEAM and STEM advantages, making them an ideal toy for little learners. In fact, magnetic tiles are a staple in every child's toy box. Consider these key advantages:

Magnetic tiles help build fine motor skills. While these tiles are large enough for little hands to wrap around them easily, as little builders work with and manipulate them, they will continue to improve their fine motor skills. Magnetic tiles offer a great deal of development at every stage along the way, with little learners putting together stacks or pulling apart the magnets and putting them back together again and older learners building increasingly complex designs that require steadily more skill.

Magnetic tiles can help kids learn about magnets and their effects. Little ones fascinated with the way things work will enjoy manipulating magnetic tiles to get a better idea of how they work together: how polarity influences the way magnets connect as well as how those interactions help them stick together or pull apart. 

Magnetic tile play helps children build problem-solving skills. Many learners quickly discover that magnetic tiles can provoke a variety of challenges. What happens when a magnetic building does not have enough support? Why does this wall fall apart? Why is a particular shape not strong enough to hold together during play and manipulation? As they interact with their magnetic tiles, children will also learn to solve problems in the building process, sharpening their overall problem-solving skills. 

Magnetic tiles help children build creativity. If they can imagine it, they can build it! Magnet tiles are perfect for building a host of projects: castles, rocket ships, playgrounds, animals, and more. Thanks to the variety of shapes available in the Magformers TileBlox sets, children can put together a variety of shapes and creations. As they continue to interact with their blocks, they will enhance their creativity and learn new ways to interact with these toys. Over time, their creations will grow larger and more complex, and they will be able to embark on many creative adventures--all with simple shapes and magnets. 

Magnetic tiles help improve hand-eye coordination. As they work to manipulate their magnetic tiles, children will improve hand-eye coordination as they work through the associations between each piece and develop a better understanding of how to manipulate them. These continued actions can help build overall coordination, including a better overall sense of spatial awareness that will help children with a variety of activities in their future.

Including STEM and STEAM toys in your child's toy box can help build their understanding of the world around them and help encourage their overall interest in science and technology-based fields.

By including magnetic tiles, like the Magformers TileBlox line, as part of your child's regular play, you will assist them in building the vital skills they need to be successful in those fields even from a young age--all without children ever realizing that they are learning.

Check out our extensive line of STEM and STEAM toys to learn more about the options available for your child as they learn and grow or explore the Magformers TileBlox Magnetic Tile collection today.

Posted in Magformers Australia, Magformers TileBlox Australia, magnetic tiles australia, STEM toys

Green Toys to Delight and Entertain: The Geomag Green 100% Recycled Plastic Range

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Lubica Misevski

 The Green Collection, newly released from Geomag, offers toys made from 100% recycled plastics. Not only will these toys delight and entertain little ones in a wide age range (and maybe a few adults, as well) they're made from sustainable practices.

Each year, plastic toys contribute immensely to the buildup of plastic in oceans and landfills. By choosing toys made of recycled plastic, parents can practice environmental sustainability and provide that important basis for their children. These toys are built strong, to help survive the test of time. Since they're made of all recycled materials, they have immense potential to reduce the environmental impact caused by plastic toys. Equally importantly, the Green Collection from Geomag provides immense benefit for little learners. 

These 100% recycled plastic toys come in a variety of sizes and kits for the Classic Colour and Classic Panels Range, including:

The Geomag 100% Recycled Classic Colour 42 Piece Set:

 Classic Colour 42 Piece Collection

The Geomag 100% Recycled Classic 93 Piece Collection:

Classic Colour 93 Piece Collection,

The Geomag 100% Recycled Panel 52 Piece Collection:

52 Piece Green Panel Collection 

The Geomag 100% Recycled Panel 78 Piece Collection:

78 Piece Green Panels Collection 

The Geomag 100% Recycled Panel 114 Piece Collection:

114 Piece Green Panel Collection

 All of these collections can work together to create larger, more intricate structures. 

Building STEM Skills

The Geomag Green 100% recycled plastic magnetic toys help build vital STEM skills at many stages of development. Magnetic building tiles and rods are ideal for children over the age of three. Even adults, however, will enjoy building with these magnetic pieces. 

Coordination skills. Magnets are perfect for developing coordination in little learners. They can explore their world as they experiment with the way magnets pull together or push apart. Little ones will learn how to manipulate magnets, including flipping the magnet around to get the response they're looking for. 

Fine motor skills. Both the magnetic panels and the magnetic rods are small pieces that little ones must manipulate carefully in order to get them in the perfect position for their building. While the panels are easier to grasp than the smaller rods, they still require fine manipulation to position them perfectly for each construction the child chooses to create. Through continued efforts with their building toys, many little ones will notice an improvement in their overall fine motor skills. 

Problem-solving skills. Through their interactions with their magnetic building blocks, children will have the chance to develop their problem-solving skills. Sometimes, the magnets will not form the shape they want. Other times, the limitations of specific pieces or a specific set will influence the way the child can interact with the pieces. Through their continued building efforts, they will be able to create stunning constructions and work to solve problems that stand in their way. 

A better understanding of magnets. Magnets see a lot of uses in the scientific community. Through their play with the Geomag Green 100% recycled plastic magnetic toys, children of all ages can develop a better understanding of the way magnets work. These toys can also be used in a variety of other experiments and STEM activities. 

Instruction-following or pattern duplication skills. In addition to free play with their Geomag magnetic building blocks, children can work to follow directions or recreate increasingly complicated patterns. The more they interact with the toys, the better children will be able to follow those instructions and learn more about pattern duplication. 

With so many STEM activities and skills to choose from, the Geomag Green 100% Recycled Plastic Range has the potential to offer children hours of play and brain-building activities. Not only are they an excellent way to introduce STEM concepts through fun play, but they also offer an eco-friendly alternative to many of the plastic toys currently filling the market. These toys are an ideal addition to any child's toy collection. 

For the entire range of Swiss Made Geomag Green 100% Recycled Plastic Range click here. 

Posted in geomag, geomag australia, geomag recycled plastic, STEM toys

The Benefits of Tobbie II Coding Robot for Growing Brains

Posted on August 06, 2019 by Lubica Misevski

Introducing Tobbie ii: Although computer programming has been a critical part of our world for over half a century, it can still be difficult to introduce the concepts of programming to a new user. Children, especially, can have trouble grasping the somewhat-abstract concepts of programming until everything "clicks".

Tobbie II, the new coding robot from micro:bit, does an excellent job at building the bridge from programming ideas to action. And a Robot Kit that is unparalleled in using micro bit technology. 

Benefits for Growing Children

As everyone knows, programming skills are becoming critical for more and more careers. And coding is bringing about an exciting future for us all.  However, even if a child doesn't end up in the science or engineering fields, programming carries plenty of benefits that extend to any career path.

Building The Robot

While it's the last time Tobbie II will resemble a traditional toy, the building process itself is the first fun step. Just like putting any other toy together, you'll need to carefully follow the instructions and get everything in place. Once Tobbie II is constructed with its motor, moving parts, and IR sensor, it's ready to move on to testing out some programs and teaching you and your children to code!

No Installation Necessary

The Tobbie II robot allows you to program its instructions directly through the web app. With the choice between a simple Javascript Blocks Editor and more advanced Python, you can access the programming functions from your desktop, laptop, smartphone, or tablet. Being able to work completely in-browser removes one of the biggest hurdles to programming.

Immediate Feedback

As soon as a user finishes a set of commands and pushes them to Tobbie II, you'll see it immediately attempt to follow the instructions. If something doesn't work, Tobbie will provide feedback on what needs to be changed in the code to get everything running. Tobbie II arrives with 12 programs immediately available for testing (light tracker, rock paper scissors, bowling, and a notice board application). After a short amount of time, you'll be able to edit these programs into your own versions and immediately see results as Tobbie executes the commands.

It's Fun!

Perhaps most importantly, it's an absolute blast to play with Tobbie II. Whether you're just getting started and running the onboard programs or putting something together from scratch, working with the robot is fun at any age. Of course, there are dozens of benefits for growing children (even those outside the STEM field) but the foremost is that it's just fun!

To purchase the Tobbie II coding robot with micro:bit, please click here. 

Posted in CIC STEM Robotic Kits, coding toys for kids, STEM toys, Tobbie II Australia

How can Mindware's award-winning STEM based toys sparks your child's inner genius?

Posted on June 25, 2019 by Lubica Misevski

As a parent, you want only the best for your kids, and this includes the toys that buy for them. You want to give them a great start for them to grow a strong interest in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Your kids should grow up with a love for STEM that propels them into a STEM career that earns them 12 to 30% more than other occupations at all levels of education. But which toy is the right toy? Here's a look at the next generation in marble runs and how they encourage your child's love of STEM topics. 

According to Beth Holloway, the director of the Women in Engineering Program at Purdue University, toys that utilize basic concepts of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) can do just that for all children, and, for girls, it can be even more important.

"Parents need to provide girls with toys that indulge their feminine side but also those that allow them to feel the sense of accomplishment that comes from designing and building something," Ms. Holloway said. "Those accomplishments will encourage them to continue to stretch their imaginations."

With the seemingly endless cuts to public funding in the US for science, art, and music education, many parents are finding themselves searching for ways to stimulate their child's mind in addition to encouraging play. Experts agree that open-ended play with educational toys is an excellent choice to accomplish that goal. Still, as recently as 2017, Fast Company reported that STEM-based toys were only accounting for two percent of the direct-to-consumer toy market.  

What are the benefits of STEM toys?

In addition to promoting an interest in STEM fields, there are many immediate benefits of encouraging play with STEM educational toys, including:

 What STEM toy is best for my child?

While there are a number of different choices that are all beneficial in their own way, marble run games are gaining popularity among children and educators alike. In addition to sparking creativity, encouraging spatial thinking, and teaching problem-solving skills, they bridge the age gap to allow interactive play between siblings while still allowing for even young children to create and discover on their own.

Modern-day marble run building sets, such as Mindware's award-winning Q-Ba-Maze 2.0 Starter Box available in both Warm Colours and Cool Colours, allow for creative building options that would leave your child staring in amazement.

Consisting of open-sided cubes instead of the traditional tubes and connectors, engineers as young as six can learn the basic laws of gravity and movement while building everything from robots to more traditional mazes.

Q-BA-Maze 2.0 Starter Box Cool Colours Set

With gorgeous blue and green colors, this starter box of marble runs encourages your child to learn more about engineering and design and also helps them explore angles and enhances small motor skills. The kit includes 36 cubes that lock together in a variety of patterns from cubes to fun animal shapes. 

The set includes 14 nickel plated marbles that your child uses to run the maze as they learn more about gravity and importance of velocity to keep the marbles running from one cube to the next. The toy teaches logic and reasoning, problem-solving skills, and basic engineering. 

Q-Ba-Maze 2.0 Starter Box of Warm Colours Set

The starter box of marble runs is almost identical to the one with cool colours with the exception of the colours. This kit includes autumn colours, including yellow, orange, and white. Your kids can use their imagination to create a marble run that resembles a lion or funky geometric shape with the 36 BPA-free cubes. 

As your kids build and rebuild marble runs, they learn the basics of engineering, logic, physics, and other STEM-related skills. When your child plays with a sibling or friend, they can expand their STEM skills with the teamwork and collaboration necessary. 

When your child masters the basics and is ready to expand their creativity, Mindware has expansion options available in every price range to allow the play set to grow with your child and continue encouraging cognitive growth.

Q-Ba-Maze 2.0 Big Box Set 

The Q-BA-MAZE 2.0: Big Box Marble Run playset adds an additional 72 cubes consisting of 3 different designs to be used as scaffolding, ramps, paths for the marbles to escape through, and much more. Your child will play and create for hours as their imagination soars. 

Without the need for glue, these colourful cubes snap into place, encouraging your child to use and grow their small-motor skills. Watch as your child claps in glee as gravity pulls the marble from one level of the run to the next and learn about basic physics and take their first steps toward learning about engineering. 

Q-BA-MAZE 2.0 Rails Builder Set

The Q-BA-MAZE 2.0 Rails Builder Set adds 40 single-exit cubes, 20 bottom-exit cubes, 20 double-exit cubes, 10 straight-away rails, 4 marble catchers and 20 marbles.

Your child will use a variety of STEM skills to work with the varied designed cubes and straight rails that can drop the marbles between levels or allow them to move from one set of cubes to the next. Using planning and strategy skills, your child can create a different maze in a variety of shapes from flowers to geometric shapes each time they play. 

Give your children, even more, to work with when you purchase this rails builder set. 

Q-Ba-Maze 2.0 Ultimate Stunt Set 

Just when your child thinks they can do it all, Q-BA-MAZE 2.0: Ultimate Stunt Set Marble Run adds another 156 cubes, 9 stunt pieces, 8 marble catchers and 30 steel marbles to add countless hours of learning fun.

Or you can start with this set if you are adventurous and want many hours of creative fun! 

Hours of fun and STEM learning await your child with this ultimate stunt set. Kids use this set to learn about cause and effect and basic physics as they build tall marble mazes that include loops, scaffolding, and inclines. Locking each piece of the maze into place help to build up your child's hand-to-eye coordination. 

Giving your children a head start on STEM learning is easy when you purchase one or a couple of these marble run sets. You can mix and match the sets to create a larger palette for your kids to explore science and engineering through, and you won't go wrong with these award-winning sets. 

The Future of STEM toys

As the benefits of STEM educational programs receive more public acclaim, parents concerned with ensuring that their child is receiving all of the educational benefits that play can offer are seeking new and innovative toys to foster those critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills which will encourage the invention of even more STEM toys in the future.

Click here to find more educational STEM toys that can help to start your child on the path to a lifelong love of learning.

Posted in Marble Runs, Marble Runs Australia, Mindware Q-Ba-Maze 2.0 Australia, STEM toys, STEM Toys Australia

Every Makerspace Needs Makey Makey:The Invention STEAM Kit for Everyone

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Lubica Misevski

Makerspaces have emerged as one of the best ways to engage young minds in creative, educational play. These freeform environments consist of tools and materials that children can manipulate to form their own innovative projects. Typically, they will incorporate electronics or computer components to encourage a healthy exploration of technology that can translate into lasting STEAM aptitudes and career interests.

The benefits of a makerspace, whether based at home or in the classroom, are many. Allowing kids to dream up, design, and develop their own open-ended projects inspires confidence in their own abilities and hones their creative capacities. Kids exposed to makerspaces also begin to develop concrete technological and problem-solving skills that they take with them into the classroom (and eventually the workplace). And the best part? Kids don't perceive working in a makerspace as tedious—they consider it to be a form of play, which inspires a natural love of learning and creating.

If you want to take advantage of these benefits for your child or students, there's no better place to start than with the Makey Makey Invention STEAM kit. 

Why the Makey Makey?

Makey Makey is extremely popular for use in makerspaces, and for good reason. The kit employs a simple plug-and-play alligator clip mechanism to connect everyday objects with a computer input. In this way, kids can create their very own keyboards, game controllers, instruments, and much more. They simply develop a concept, connect the physical components to the computer, and map each interaction to a button press or mouse click. It works with everything from ketchup to your pet cat, allowing for infinite creations. 

Creative Control

The Makey Makey enables any number of imaginative ideas. Young inventors can hook a donut button up to their favourite video game or program their stairs to work as a keyboard—the possibilities are limitless. This inspires experimentation and a sense of accomplishment with completed projects.

Hands-On Learning

The Makey Makey links the physical with the digital, giving children an engaging way to understand very conceptual concepts about science and engineering.

Concrete Skill Building

Playing with the Makey Makey is a clever way to teach useful technology skills in an approachable way. Even the most basic Makey Makey project develops skills in circuitry and computing, and advanced students can delve even further into computer engineering projects. 

Options For Every Learner

The Makey Makey is extremely versatile, meaning it's suitable for tinkerers of all ages and skill levels. It is also available in three configurations to suit different use cases.

Makey Makey Original Classic Invention Kit

The classic kit that started it all, the Makey Makey Original Invention Kit comes with everything you need to start rewiring the world. This set includes the standard circuit board that accommodates remapping of up to 18 keys, enabling even complex creations to come to life.

Makey Makey GO

The Makey Makey GO offers all of the benefits of the standard Makey Makey but with the added flexibility of being completely portable. This kit comes with a single USB invention stick and one alligator clip, making it simple to create on the go.

Makey Makey STEM Classroom Pack

Designed with teachers in mind, the Makey Makey STEM Pack Classroom Invention Literacy Kit is tailored specifically to the needs of educators. Including 12 classic circuit boards, 75 alligator clips, 144 connective wires, and fun extras like conducive pencils, your class will never run out of ways to use your new toys.

Start Creating Today

Kidzinc is committed to fostering a love of STEM/STEAM from an early age. We carry a wide selection of educational toys and developmental products, including the full range of Makey Makey invention kits. Don't sleep on your child's potential—cultivate their mind early with playthings from Kidzinc.

For the whole range of Makey Makey, please select here. 

Posted in Makerspaces For Kids Australia, Makey Makey Invention Kit for Kids, STEAM Toys, STEM Toys, STEM Toys Australia

Engaging Early: Importance of STEM Education Through Play

Posted on April 10, 2019 by Lubica Misevski

With the world constantly changing and becoming more complex, it's crucial now more than ever for young kids to grasp STEM concepts. STEM learning focuses kid's attention on science, technology, engineering, and math to build critical thinking skills and gain a greater sense of curiosity. It's never too early to start implementing STEM, starting as early as infants! 

Specially engineered educational STEM toys allow babies and children to think outside of the box, evaluate information, and figure out the solution on their own using a fun hands-on approach. This knowledge will not only help children excel in school but will also help better prepare them for their adult lives.

Benefits of Encouraging STEM Early

Sparks Creativity

STEM learning leads to innovation and new ideas. Think of all the exciting technology we've created throughout the years, the powerful human mind created it. Without this type of creativity, this new technology would not exist! Future generations will thrive by starting STEM early and coming up with new, great ideas all on their own.

Encourages Experimentation

Taking risks can lead to great outcomes. Without these risks, we wouldn't have most of the technology and products we use today. These types of innovations were created by people who live by the motto, "let's try it and see what happens!". Encouraging this type of attitude right from the womb will allow kids to be more confident in experimenting and taking positive risks during many events throughout their lives.

Teaches Problems-Solving Skills

STEM learning helps kids see the problem and then create a solid plan to solve that problem using critical thinking skills. For example, if a toddler is placing a block on his tower and it keeps falling, they will continue trying other locations to place it until it stays put. Solving the problem all on their own will build self-confidence too.

Teaches Adaptation Importance

As adults, we know that life includes a lot of trial and error. Young kids have to learn this on their own. STEM education helps teach kids how to adapt to different scenarios as they try to find a solution.

Creates Resilient Humans

Failure is an important lesson that humans have to learn. By providing kids with a safe play environment, they can fail comfortably and simply try again. No shame or judgment is involved. The value of failing is a great learning experience to embrace early on in kids' lives. It will create incredible resilience which will encourage your child to keep going when the going gets rough! Failure ultimately leads to success later on.

Lifelong Love of Learning

STEM is all about motivation, engagement, and real-world inspiration. There is a purpose behind every play session or activity, and it simply makes sense for kids! Deeper learning and engagement leads to a better understanding of concepts which results in an eagerness to learn more. Having a love for school can make all the difference in your child's life.

STEM Ideas for Infants-Preschoolers

Children are born naturally curious about the world around them, so it's crucial that we give them lots of different opportunities to learn through play. By providing innovative play at home, your child's STEM education can begin as early as you'd like! Real life objects such as a water bottle, textured paper, or even an apple can be great objects for your young child to explore (with close supervision).

Educational STEM toys are specifically engineered for your child to figure them out. Building blocks, gravity mazes, marble runs, magnets, suspension games, and wooden blocks are all terrific open-ended learning games just to name a few. For toddlers and preschoolers, baking can be a great STEM activity including them in the process of measuring, pouring, mixing, and baking to create a delicious end product. Another great real-world STEM application is a trip to a science museum or zoo! STEM learning doesn't have to be accomplished solely through textbooks later on in life, get your young kids excited about STEM toys and other hands-on opportunities today!

Kidzinc is dedicated to developing young minds through the power of play. We provide an impressive amount of STEM toys specifically for babies, preschoolers and older kids. Don't wait another day to help encourage your child to learn through the power of STEM!

Posted in STEM Education, STEM toys

Why your child needs the Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit

Posted on September 26, 2018 by Lubica Misevski

Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit - Kano the successful learn-to-code company that created numerous kits for teaching children and adults how to build their own computers and laptops, has created a new coding kit featuring the beloved magical world of Harry Potter.

We're going to examine the ways this amazing kit encourages your child to develop valuable learning skills, as well as a brief description of how it all works.

Why should I encourage my child to learn to code?

Great question! According to Edutopia, there are many benefits children get from learning how to code at a young age. In particular, researchers have found that the tasks involved in coding can improve children's ability to solve problems, as they have to figure out what works and doesn't work based on results they get. It also teaches children how to follow logical reasoning, which often involves understanding and paying attention to details. It can also increase children's natural appreciation for the learning process, as they have to experiment with different strategies and evaluate their results. The Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit makes this a fun experience for children because the results of their coding skills generate magic on-screen!

But beyond just the cognitive abilities that learning to code can improve in children, learning to code can provide healthy development of creative skills as well. Children can design their own projects and challenges with the Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit, which allows children to exercise their creativity and apply the skills they've learned in new and innovative ways. Because of that, it encourages children to be active creators rather than passive consumers. Children can use the problem solving and analytical skills they learn in a variety of contexts beyond coding, as those are skills are used in a variety of STEM disciplines.

Of course, there is also the practical benefit of encouraging children to consider pursuing a career in coding. For example, the Australian Department of Jobs and Small Business currently predicts an additional 126,000 jobs in professional, scientific, and technical services to be added by 2022 (there are over one million people employed already), and lists "Software and Applications Programmers" as one of the top 3 hiring occupations in this field. Introducing children to coding in a fun and engaging way could prepare them for a promising career in the future!

What's in the kit?

In this kit, players first put their wand together, and then complete fun puzzles and challenges to learn the basics of coding. As they progress, players solve the coding challenges and wave their wand to cause magical effects to take place on a screen, right before your children's eyes. The kit comes with the components for the coding wand, a "Guide to Wand Motions" poster, fun decorative stickers, and a book explaining how to construct the wand and run the program. You connect the wand to a computer, iOS, or Android device to begin playing through challenges and mastering new coding skills. The Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit also keeps children motivated by incorporating rewards such as medals and experience points, and you can collect costumes, accessories, and pets as well. The program features eye-catching brightly-coloured illustrations of iconic locations and characters, to really bring the magic of Harry Potter to life.

We hope that if you have children around six or older, you'll consider ordering the Harry Potter Coding Kit soon. With its unique approach to teaching coding skills, your children will feel a sense of wonder as they perform magic right before their eyes, all while improving valuable cognitive skills such as problem-solving, logical reasoning, and analytical thinking. Not only that, but it promotes creativity, as users can create their own spells and projects to enjoy.

You can order the Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit here, or browse all of our other educational toys for something to spark your child's interest in learning!

Posted in coding toys for kids, Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit, STEM toys, STEM Toys Australia