Discovery™ #Mindblown Space Race Marble Run, Interstellar Construction Set, 3 Competitive Racing Events for 6 Marbles, Education STEM Toy, Learn Physics & Engineering, 340-piece, Kids Gift Age 6+

It's always such a beautiful thing when a child is learning something and they don't even realize that they are learning! My sister is a teacher of Middle School Language Arts, and she asked me if she could use this for her ELD class, and I was happy to let her take it. She called me tonight to let me know how much her students are LOVING this! The students are learning English by working together as they build this project. They are using real world skills, reading directions and speaking in English as they work together to build their project. What sets this Discovery set apart from other brands is, I believe, the instructions. The instructions that come with this set are extremely detailed with words AND pictures. So many things that need to be put together these days come with a piece of paper that only has pictures, but no written instructions, often leaving the person putting it together scratching their heads. Not this! This project has such detailed directions - down to listing every single part that is supposed to be (and was) in the box. The ELD kids were able to open the box, inventory all of the parts, then begin to build the project, working together and speaking English as they work. According to my sister the kids loved it so much on the first day that they couldn't wait to come back and work on it again the next day! It's so nice to see these kids getting so excited about this, mainly because they are learning English without even knowing it! As they work together they are communicating with each other, and they are problem solving together. This set is so much fun for them, and they are loving it so much! What an amazing learning tool!!! I really give kudos to the Discovery Kids people because this is such a cool, fun, and educational toy...in fact, it's almost too cool to say that it's a toy lol! I would definitely recommend this for older children and teens; or kids could even build it with a parent for some quality one on one time! The end goal for my sister's class is going to be that once they complete building their project they are going to make a movie of it, including photos that they have been taking along the way, and they are going to be able to share that video with their families, and they can also keep it forever. I just can't say enough about this set - it's the best, and I will definitely be looking for more like it!

I bought this thinking it would be fun to put it together with my 6 year old grandson. The box clearly indicates it is for ages 6 and up. He loves putting together complicated lego projects by himself. This is WAY too difficult for his age. The instructions are very poorly done. The plastic pieces are very flimsy and do not fit well together. Assembly took several hours and the end product is not very stable. Major disappointment!!!

I love these STEP learning toys for kids. Especially boys who are typically more interested in the building part. Due to the small pieces, I would not recommend younger than what the manufacture recommends. It is critical to help kids develop as early as possible and peak their interest. We as a society need to stop treat kids as kids, even when they are in their teens. Not sure who came up with these rules. But it was not until the last 50 years. Kids will adapt and accept anything and view it as normal. There are far too many kids who are physically growing up, but they are not mentally staying with the growth of their body. It is critical that we are "involved" parents. Not just live under the same roof and claim we parent. This type of toy not only peaks a child's interest, teaches them about building, patience, but the bond between parents. Because there are a lot of pieces, it will teach kids to be patient and focused. Help kids understand how to read directions and apply. Helps with critical thinking. This will help kids also understand physics and gravity. Some of the parents complain about the number of parts and the time it takes to put together. THAT IS THE POINT. It is not just to put it together and that is it. The point is the learning behind it. Far too many people just want to click their fingers and be done. A few parents mentioned how parents need to supervise. THAT IS THE POINT. Again, bond with your child. So, for those parents who are involved, want to teach their children, this is for you. Made in China.

This kit creates a fairly large and tall structure which is definitely visually impressive. However, it doesn't work particularly well, it's not very robust and it's quite finicky to put together. I don't think it's suitable for a 6 year old, some adult supervision is going to be required.The main issues we found are:- while the instructions are complete and color coded, the color coding doesn't extend to the pieces, especially the support legs. You need to be fairly careful to avoid picking the wrong piece and having to disassemble things later.- the slope of the run is inadequate, which makes small assembly errors hard to tolerate. The structure is not particularly rigid and playing with this marble run on a soft surface is a surefire way to guarantee that the marbles will stall at some point, resulting in frustration.- there is very little cross-bracing and the supports tend to buckle fairly easily. This makes it tricky to press down the various components and exacerbates the low slope.All in all it's not bad and it's quite interesting to put it together and see the marbles run, but it's not as high quality as it seems from the picture, and a bit frustrating to play with.