cubebot
March 3rd, 2011
I’ll admit I totally bought this toy for myself. I fell for this wooden robot the first time I saw him and saved up my pennies (this is no 2 dollar plastic pig) so I could take him home. This gentle giant is designed by David Weeks, who has made many super fantastic things like the beautiful and clever flashlight/candlestick combo the castlight. Well designed toys are much easier to find these days, but they are sometimes more design than toy, know what I mean? But this simple robot is just right. Be warned, once he moves out of cube form you will have to work pretty hard to get him to go back to that convenient shape again unless you are some sort of rubiks master.
We are at a toy crossroads these days, I think. My girl is five and my boy is four (the baby is happy playing with a spoon). They still play with little people ,we call them guys, but they are in pretty rough shape–most have a limb or an ear chewed off by the dog. Is there a toy like little people for the next age up–playmobile maybe? Blocks and big legos are still going strong. We are slowly venturing into little legos as the baby stops putting everything in his mouth. Do you guys have any recommendations for good building toys? We got Citiblocs for christmas and they are super awesome! I would have never picked them up–they just look like sticks, expensive sticks–but they teach you how to build in a different way than regular blocks do. Anyway, long winded way to say, “hey, do you know of any good quality toys that my kids will play with for years to come, rather than the next three minutes?”
My kids are 10, 8, and 5, and by far the things they’ve played with the most is lego (including duplo and regular), wooden train, and playmobil. i didn’t have playmobil growing up, but my husband did. i have only glowing things to say about those toys. Except for setting up some of the itty bitty pieces… but the ‘guys’ for them are awesome and such a great size. my daughter asked for playmobil last year for christmas, so it should last you a while.
R & S spend hours playing with these colored blocks http://www.novanatural.com/toys/building/rainbow-blocks We also have the element blocks that are on that site as well. We have a large basket of blocks and a large basket of Schleich http://www.schleich-s.com/ animals in our living room where they set up elaborate houses, schools, parades, etc. on the floor. We also have playmobil sets in our basement/playroom, mostly the vet clinic, african safari, and other animal related sets. One note should be that these contain many small pieces.
oh I am in love with Schleich animals! I remember the tiny parts turning me off to playmobile, but I was thinking I could just put the little bits away until later?
You can try putting away the tiny parts but that will be exactly what L & S want to play with–it seems the tinier the better. ;) Or set up a storage solution so that the tiny parts can be put away when the baby is around.
That robot looks so cool. I think I have a few kiddos here who may like it. We have a toy kitchen that gets tons of play and a dollhouse. Musical instruments are also hits. My 6yr old loves her playmobil people, while my 7.75 yr old loves his LEGOS. The almost 3 yr old likes trucks of all sorts. We bought a huge one from community playthings last year that he loves ( it was very pricey, but so worth it http://www.communityplaythings.com/products/trucks/T15.html )
Definitely Playmobil. They seem to have a set for just about anything you can imagine.
http://store.playmobilusa.com/
I just gave Cube Bot to my nephew for his birthday, and YES, it is SO HARD to get him back to cube form!! I had to find a picture online of what he looked like as a cube, and then go from there.
busted! you took it out and played with it before you even gave it to him!
My daughter is 4 and totally ignores her Lego for anything and everything Playmobil. I had some sets growing up too that I’ve passed along — indestructible, timeless, iconic little things! — so I’d definitely recommend some more Playmobil…
My almost 5 year old daughter loves Keva blocks (it is a deceptively simple toy) – she and my husband play with them for hours, and we gave them as a gift to a 4.5 year old boy and apparently they were a hit with him too.
My 7 year old son STILL plays with little people (although we call them Eddies). Don’t get rid of them! We had some playmobil but they aren’t my favorite. They are pricey and have such small pieces. That being said, you might want to look into some type of doll house. My daughter (2) and son each have one. He has mine from when I was little and my daughter got one for Christmas. They are imaginative in such a different way than little people. And of course lincoln logs are a staple around here.
I love to read all the responses! I have two boys–2 and 4–who are obsessed with automoblox–both the big and small versions. We have been slowly collecting them(the good toys ain’t cheap) and they love to take them apart, make new configurations, change the tires, etc……I rotate toys in and out all the time, but these NEVER leave the playroom area. they are literally played with everyday.
My son is still young, so I don’t have any recomendations. But I just found the citiblocks this weekend and added them to my wish list. Glad to hear that they are really cool, becuase they did kinda look just like expensive blocks! the robot thing looks fun too. thanks for sharing!
I think playmobil are great, and we just started to add a few of the sets to our collection. They are quite durable, but they do have a few small peices that you can always tuck away until they are older. My 4 year old has a playmobil helicopter, and he does really great with the tiny rockets that is comes with though.. We also got a few transformer toys, and my oldest loves to play with them ,and switch them to robots but they are still a little advanced for his age..
I agree Citiblocs are unassumingly awesome. You’d never guess a simple “stick” could do so much.
The toys my girls play with a lot besides legos, playmobil, etc. are marble or ball runs, a doctor’s kit, Haba games (we find that brand far more fun than any other), tea set and toy kitchen, a record player, a trapeze hanging from the ceiling, and a dollhouse.
A beautiful toy my kids also like is the Deep Into the Forest Play Theater. It is so well designed, you can keep it out as a lovely work of art!
Have fun toy shopping, and tell us what you find!
My kids (3 and 6) recently discovered playmobil and are in love. We just have a little. They make up all kinds of scenarios with them. Actually we’re really lucky b/c we have a used toy store here that carries loads of Playmobil. They’re still not cheap but definitely cheaper. My son also loves small cars and trucks and airplanes of any kind—a playmat is fun for those. He also loves his Brio train set (again, used!). The other things my kids love are dress up clothes, pop-up houses/ tents, and SquashBlox, which are these large felt squares with velcro—you can build with them.
that cubebot is cool! here, it’s all about LEGO with the 8- and 4-year-old. girl and boy. very few toys hold their attention nearly as long.
we haven’t tried them, but i have heard magnatiles are another good building toy. $$$, though.
Definitely the interlocking blocks available on Nova Natural’s website. You can also buy the expansion pack from the manufacturer if they really enjoy them.
I love those interlocking blocks too! They are like little wooden legos
I’m totally smitten by that cubebot!!!!! I don’t know if I’ll be able to resist it. For my son, of course, not me. :P My daughter is only 3 so I won’t try for suggestions on the girl front, but my 6 yr old son’s 1st choice toy is legos – both duplo and regular. (He’d tell you transformers, but I know different.) After that I’d say, magformers or magnatiles, yoga pretzels cards, marble runs, and kumon mazes top the charts for time used. I want to say automoblox, but that one comes and goes in phases.
M is absolutely obsessed with a small set of kid k’nex that someone handed down to him. No theme ones, but have lots of rods and eyeballs and he constantly makes his toys out of them. I think I saw some last year at half-pint.
my girls are 9 and 11 and have been playing with playmobil for at least 5 years. they love it!
Kapla blocks are another oldie but goodie. They’re beautiful and simple wood building blocks that are always a favorite. Man, *I* still like to play with them…
And duh, I should have looked at the Citiblocks before suggesting the Kaplas (essentially the same). So…the wooden Maxim train sets go really well with the block constructions. The little wooden trees from these sets still just kill me – so sweet.
bristle blocks!
We like Zolos building sets–lots of different varieties here: http://zolo.com/index.php/toys/
These Pop beads have also been a long standing hit around here: http://www.klutz.com/Chicken-Socks/Pop-Bead-Critters?merch_location=Chicken%20Socks%20Listing
Other than that, it is a whole lot of art supplies and legos going on around here much of the time. I try to mix in new stamps and stickers and various supplies like feathers and wooden shapes from time to time to keep it interesting and inspire new creation.
How about magnatiles? My oldest is 4.5 and loves them (as does my 2.5-year-old) and I know an 8 year old who still plays with them regularly. The only drawback is that they’re pricey. Also, Schleich animals are by far the most popular toy around here. We just received our first playmobil set and the number of small pieces is astounding.
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We’re sort of at the same stage here. I have a 4 and 5 yo, and a baby. My older ones really love magneatos and wedgits. I’m not sure how to add links here, but they’re both on Amazon. Both are building toys, and both are just as much fun for me as for the kids- a big bonus!!