The earth's magnetic field may make the world go round, but the attraction of
Magtastik building toys is what makes a child's imagination turn. Whether they're
coming up with a great new design or they're playing out a scene with what they've
built, kids can be creative in a whole new way.
Magtastik toys harness the power of magnets so kids can create shapes and
characters, including animals, for hours of fun with a purpose. The mix-and-match
pieces allow for endless possibilities while encouraging basic science, math and
even fine motor skills.
For more perspective on why these toys have such appeal, we asked some seasoned
parents to observe their children playing with Magtastik toys.
The bright, cheerful colors strike parents and kids immediately. "When I opened
the package to see the Magtastik toys, I was very impressed with the bright
colors, unique shapes and quality of the individual pieces," says Candy Stephens,
mom to Bethany, 6, Jacob, 4, and Heather, 3.
Melissa Nixon, a mother of three boys from Houston, Texas, loved the bright colors,
but it's the science that won her over. "The use of magnets is unique," says Nixon.
"The magnets enable a child to focus on creating without being limited by how
difficult it is to fit things together."
Mark Stackpole, a father of two from Manteca, Calif., had never seen magnetic
toys appropriate for younger children. "I was surprised at first by how big and
colorful they are," Stackpole says. "The tubes and balls do not necessarily lend
themselves to building a traditional house, building, tower, etc.," he says. "Then,
of course, I realized just how good this actually is – a child does not have to
be limited to creating those 'traditional' constructions. There are plenty of
toys that do that. In this way, Magtastik struck me as unique."
Not limiting herself to "traditional" construction is just what Stackpole's preschool
daughter, Corinne, did. "Several times during the course of play, Corinne clearly
had a plan for what she was building," he says. "I have no idea what it was, and
the resulting creation bore no resemblance to anything familiar, but who cares?
She had a plan, and she made it happen."
Aside from the Magtastik starter set, Corinne also enjoyed the Magnimals Monkey.
"She derived much pleasure from having the monkey wave and say 'hello' to her
as she fed it a magnetic banana," says Stackpole. The monkey has received a lot
of attention at the Stackpole house, with Corinne taking him for rides in her
stroller and "several tours of the downstairs."
Corinne wasn't the only one who played with the monkey. "I took the monkey parts
and attached them to the silver ball from the basic set," says Stackpole. "I used
other pieces from the basic set to give him some antennae and a funky tail," he
says. "'Robo-Monkey' is now a fixture in our living room."
Misty Albert delighted in watching her preschool daughter, Audrey, use her imagination
and discover how all the mix-and-match pieces worked together. "Audrey played
with the toys by putting them together over and over," Albert says. "She would
build something that I guess she thought was a house and then try and put the
monkey in it. She had to learn that you put magnets together a certain way in
order for them to connect."
While Nixon's son, Jeffery, 4, started out building the structures he saw on
the outside of the box, he quickly began to change those structures and found
ways to create shapes and objects familiar to him. "A house, a car, a superhero,
a tower," says Nixon. "He then began to develop his own designs: a car for dogs,
a candy machine, a new design for a school and playground equipment." And Jeffery's
imagination did not stop there. He actually created a bowling game to play with
the pieces. "He built a structure then would roll one of the balls toward the
structure trying to knock it down," Nixon says.
Nixon was excited to see that not only was Jeffery discovering new ways to use
the toys, but also had to figure out how to keep the structure standing while
growing taller. "It required him to move around his structure and adjust pieces
to keep it standing or change out pieces," she says. "He also discovered that
the slight difference in height between the straight pieces could make a huge
difference in whether or not he could successfully keep the structure together.
It took planning so that he would have enough short/long pieces to accomplish
his goal."
Trying to reach the sky was not unique to the Nixon house. "Audrey loves to build
things," Albert says. "So you could tell she would try and figure out how to stack
everything to make it as high as possible. She would also try and connect every
piece together."
Stephens' children loved creating strange and interesting animals and structures.
"It was fun to watch Jacob and Heather's imaginations at work as I encouraged
them to build as many creatures as they could," she says. They also challenged
each other to design creations. "Our favorite name was 'Stinky the Giraffe' in
remembrance of our recent trip to the zoo!" Stephens says.
Another aspect of play Stephens notes was role-playing and creating dialogue.
"Jacob was all action and role-playing," she says. "He particularly enjoyed a
robot creation." The girls spent hours creating conversations between their creatures.
"Who knew a robot and a monkey would have so much to say to each other?" Stephens
laughs.
The pride on Audrey's face was a ray of sunshine for her mom. "She didn't look
at the insert to see what to make with the toys," says Albert. "She would just
put the pieces together however she wanted to. Some of the time the finished product
didn't even make sense to me, but she thought it was wonderful." When Audrey would
finish building her creation, she would get excited and call for her Mommy and
Daddy over and over to "Look, look!" "She would smile and show off her project,"
Albert says.
For Stackpole, there was a larger issue that had the greatest impact on him as
a parent: watching his daughter grow. "We had put the monkey together, and while
she was playing with it, she dropped it," Stackpole says. "All of the pieces (now
affectionately known in our household as 'monkey parts') fell off upon impact
with the floor. 'Uh oh. Daddy fix it?' she said. I told her that she should try
to do it herself. Of course, she was easily able to reattach the magnetized monkey
parts. After she had given the monkey an arm back, she looked at me and said,
'Corinne fix it.' And she did. She has not asked for my help since."
After completing his projects, Nixon's son would examine his finished masterpiece
and then proudly share it with everyone in the family. "Then, he would quickly
tear it down so that he could start again!" Nixon says.
Nixon feels good about letting her three boys play with Magtastik toys. "It
encourages children to use their own imaginations, not just something that is
developed using someone else's," she says. "The children were not limited by what
the toy company envisioned their purpose to be. It wasn't a car or doll that could
only be used in that capacity. It could be a car or doll; it could also be a space
ship, boat or a creature created by the child."
The educational aspect tops Stackpole's list. "It encourages such unique play
and introduces so many fascinating concepts," he says. "It is a genuine combination
of play and learning. I really liked the way that a number of sophisticated concepts
are made accessible to the young 'player.' Magnetism is the most obvious, and
always a cool thing. Corinne might not yet know the terms 'attract' and 'repel,'
but she knows that some ends stick and others do not. When the ends do not 'attract,'
she now says, 'Turn it around,' until it works. She's got it. Additionally, the
toys foster basic understanding of geometry, gravity and the basic physics of
building something that will stand on its own. Even though she is too young to
understand all of the science behind it, the concepts are being planted and she
is beginning to explore them, even at her preschool developmental level."
Albert feels good about Magtastik because she considers them a safe and easy
toy for Audrey to play with. "They are lightweight, which makes it easy for a
small child to handle them," she says. "I like that the pieces are well put together.
The magnets are enclosed to prevent falling out so they don't pose a choking hazard.
They are a strong plastic so they will stand up to a lot of play."
Stephens loves the concept of Magtastik "My children often get frustrated
with traditional stacking sets because they tumble so easily," she says. "The
Magtastik pieces encourage longer play because their creations actually stay
intact!"
For Stephens, there is only one problem: "We just have to get the pieces that
make the [Magnimals] Dino!"
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