KEVA Contraptions Plank Set

I bought this for my 9yo son. We have only had it for 2 days, but he and his 14yo brother have been immensely enjoying it. Unlike the previous reviewer, I understood what we were getting -- a set of 200 identical wooden planks with instructions for *building* ramps, chutes, funnels and "crazy contraptions". Because no glue or connectors are used, it *is* challenging to build the contraptions but that is also what makes it an extremely open-ended toy. The first night my 9yo was a bit frustrated. We talked about how it wouldn't be much fun if I got him a toy where he "beat the boss" on the first night, and that with this toy he'd have a chance to improve and get better at using it over time, and that as evidenced by his older brother, he'd probably still be enjoying 5 years from now. He took that to heart and by the next morning was already starting to master some of the building forms and had created his own working contraption. This toy requires patience. It would be well-suited for the type of child who enjoys building domino runs -- it requires a similar level of patience, precision and resilience in the face of the inevitable mishaps. The planks are identical in size and shape to Kapla or other Keva planks, though these are pine and not hardwood as the other more expensive sets are. They can used interchangeably with those systems, and thus can be used to construct all the other types of structures one might build with Keva planks. The worksmanship seems excellent and precise. The balls appear to be colored ping pong balls and the only downside to this is that one of our balls already got crushed somehow. However the upside to this is that they are easily replaced/supplemented by readily available ping pong balls. We bought this set along with the 50-plank set, thinking it would give us some additional planks and a few extra contraption idea. I'm not sure that was worth it, and we might have been better off getting another 200 plank set, as with 2 boys using them, we clearly need more planks :) For those who already own a set of planks, there doesn't seem to be any way of getting the contraption instructions without buying the sets at this time. This is unfortunate. It would be nice to be able to buy the instructions only for my nephews who already own planks, and to buy instructions for more "generic" uses of the planks for my own sons.

Contraptions is amazing. Such a simple idea that has given us (already) hours of entertainment. I bought it for my 9 year old son for Christmas, but his older brother and sisters and myself have all enjoyed the building too! The wooden planks are smooth and uniform and sturdy. Very good quality. The booklet does a great job of breaking down the structures so he can see how it's done. It's wonderfully satisfying to my son to complete a structure and have it work (ie the ball does what you want it to do.) The first thing he built was the elaborate contraption on the front of the box and we were all dancing up and down when we got it done and the ball ran through! This was his favorite Christmas present. I highly recommend buying it. I am even considering getting a second set for his birthday so he can build even bigger contraptions. It's fun to play with while encouraging creativity and problem solving. All this happiness and no batteries!!!

I'll admit, I was worried this was a lot to pay for pieces of wood. However, this is one of the coolest toys ever. It uses good old fashioned building blocks, except that the weight and proportion of the blocks just happens to mean that these are particularly good for building and balancing. My kids and I have so much fun trying to build the ball runs in the manual. It's challenging, and our structures sometimes fall down prematurely, but what a satisfying toy. We all get a sense of accomplishment from working together to build something that looks impressive, took hard work and brain power, and culminates with a fun ball run. Plus, did you ever notice that siblings fight less when they're working toward a common goal? This is just the ticket. I'm looking forward to hours of family fun. Hint: There are manufacturers that sell these types of blocks cheaper. I'm usually one for a discount, but in this case you'll want to consider the importance of the included manual. That's where the magic lies.

Well constructed! Tons of fun!

BEST Christmas gift!!! So creative, easy to use, endless options, hours of fun, and quick clean up.

I purchased this for my 11 yr old and wondered if he would be too old for this but he’s been playing with it daily and mentioned that he could build something really big with two sets. We used the guidebook for our first build but he mostly just builds from the imagination afterwards. It’s been amazing seeing what he can create.

This was a very nice toy and the price on Amazon was WAAAAY less than I found it elsewhere, however, not a big hit with my 12 1/2 year-old stepson. I do not believe it is the fault of the toy, however, but the fault of parents and society in general for making everything easy and complete with lights and music to constantly entertain effort-free from birth. Don't buy your kids video games and electronic crap, buy them these! Update on my initial review: We hung on to this set even though the child I purchased it for had no interest. We had a visit from another kid, er, adult, really (age 19) and he LOVED this! I brought it out for him to mess around with because he is just a maestro at stacking and balancing everyday objects that you would never think *could be* balanced or stacked....he and my oldest son (15) played with this for around 3 hours and built lots of really interesting stuff. I really do believe that it will be a hit with any kid who has even a tiny bit of motivation. Any kid that needs their hand held of to be given direct instruction for anything will never bother with it. Essentially, not for the lazy.

Great gift

My 6 year old nephew loved it

This gift has not been given yet but I am expecting it to be well received.

just the right summer gift to my boy.. we r having fun building contraptions

While this is for the over sevens, my four year old grandson can construct channels, chutes and turns after a few minutes play. This is a toy that will get better and better over time.

Simple but effective - as long as you have a very flat surface to use it on. Both 7 year old and 11 year old are enjoying it.