Manipulatives

12 months and up. The Jumbo Hexagon Manipulative Set is the ideal early STEM toy! This set of 48 jumbo hexagon pieces feature knobs that can easily snap into place to form imaginative structures. Little ones will explore color and shape recognition, spatial relations and early engineering concepts. Sized perfectly for little hands, set comes inside of a stackable storage bin with locking lid. Pieces come in 6 bright colors; red, yellow, blue, green, orange, and purple. Hexagon pieces each measure 4" x 4".

4 years & up. Build towers of quirky robots, spinning gears, and wobbling cranes with this Robot Factory set by Learning Resources. Stack robots on top of each other and place them on spinning gears or hang them from wobbling cranes and springs. Each unique robot and building piece can be attached to another in several different ways and from several different angles so that the only limit on engineering is your imagination. Promotes STEM learning. Size: Robots measure 2.25"H. Includes: 79 Mix-and-match pieces: Robots, gears, springs, cranes and stickers, Instructions.

4 years & up. In this jungle-themed set, monkeys fly through the palm trees by their tails, then spin, twist and turn. Colorful set features plastic gears, crank, connectors and base plates for endless building possibilities. Kids develop their own "gears jungle" or use the easy-to-follow instructions. Includes 136 pieces.

2 years & up. Encourage children to explore their creativity as they build and discover basic engineering skills. My First Polydron Gears Set is ideal for introducing younger children to the concept of STEM, using gears. Assemble structures using squares and add gears by simply pushing them into place. Once connected, turn one gear and see the rest of them rotate! Not only do the gears mesh together on a flat surface, but also at an angle of 90 degrees. Features 36 durable, lightweight plastic pieces suitable for indoor and outdoor use. Includes: 5 squares with large hole, 13 squares with 4 small holes, 18 gears and 5 work cards with building ideas for inspiration.

3 years & up. Prepare for some marble speed racing with this Do-It-Yourself block set! This Marble Run Race Track is made of wood and includes everything you need to create a one-of-a-kind marble track! Track includes a jump, bell-bucket, spiral funnel and a sliding track for your 20 marbles to get through. Build the towers and tracks, then send your marbles rolling down through all the trick, twists and surprises! Includes 81 pcs.

3 years & up. These counters turn sorting and counting activities into exciting adventures. Soft rubber counters in 6 colors packed into a reusable plastic tub. Suggested activities also included. Fish measure approximately 2.5". Set of 60.

3 years & up. Never has building been so wild than with these colorful and different bricks. Designed to snap together right side up and upside down to create a unique pivoting action. The set contains large and small Flexiblocks®, Flexiwivels, Flexiwheels, axle blocks, Flexilinks, and Flexibears. 373 piece set. Made in the USA.

3 years & up. How many animals can you stack? This delightful set includes 10 popular farmyard animals, a wheelbarrow, and a hay bale for endless stacking and imaginative play. Each piece can be used for stacking challenges or enjoyed individually for open-ended fun. Perfect for developing fine motor skills, balance, and creativity. The set comes neatly stored in a charming barn-style drawstring bag for easy cleanup and on-the-go play.

8 years & up. Experience the power of gravity with the Gravitrax Starter Set! Build your own action-packed track system to send your marbles racing while learning about gravity, magnetism, and kinetics. With over 100 pieces and 18 different construction elements, discover how the laws of physics affect the track your marble takes with curves, crosses, freefalls, and even a cannon. Experiment using different heights and angles to control the speed of the ball. Build your track using the construction plans and tasks or let your creativity take control and design a one-of-a kind track. Use the free Gravitrax App to design tracks with the building editor and race using different balls and camera perspectives. Test your system and use the blueprints to build the actual system. The app is available for Apple and Android.

5 years & up. Create your own unique marble run with zany-patterned, magnetic foam pieces! This Tumble Trax™ Magnetic Marble Run by Learning Resources will help hone your critical thinking skills and stretch your imagination as you figure out how to line up the pieces in a way that keeps your marbles moving smoothly down to the bottom of your run. Can you make the marble speed up, slow down, stop, or change direction by rearranging the pieces? Follow the activity cards to guide you as you create or make up your own designs and see what happens! Longest foam piece measures 10"L x 2"H. Includes: 14 Magnetic foam pieces, 4 Marbles, and 10 Activity Cards.

3 years & up. Children can experience Eastern-inspired architecture, indoors and outdoors, building with the Notch Blocks Eastern set. Solid plastic, neutral-colored blocks feature notched parts that easily connect for strong, detailed builds. Using included ladders and bridge pieces, children can build different structures with varying elevated platforms and span natural elements. Set includes 10 double-sided build cards. Available in 87 pieces or 132 pieces.

4 years & up. Develop social emotional and STEM skills in a collaborative, play-based environment with the IO Blocks® Center. This all-in-one table brings movement, simple machines and dramatic play to the original IO Blocks® friction-fit, construction toy platform. Combine gears, slides, IO people and standard IO Blocks® pieces to create limitless builds using problem solving, introductory architecture and budding STEM skills. Constructions are stabilized on the raised grid tabletop while the sturdy birch plywood table features handy storage below to hold IO Blocks® and additional parts. Includes: 1 birch plywood play table, 4 storage bins and 458 building pieces. Easy assembly - simply affix the enclosed table legs to the IO Blocks® tabletop. Measures 31"W x 23"H x 22"D.

4 years & up. Straws and Connectors are ideal in helping children develop Science, Technology, Engineering®, and Math (STEM) skills. It allows children to enhance hand-eye coordination, motor skills, logic, and problem-solving skills all while playing. Build a fort, rocket, boat, tower, tunnel, or bridge! Design your own scientific model, or create something unique. The opportunities are endless! The straws fit snugly on the connectors and are flexible so you can build arches and tubes. Two sets are available: 400 piece set includes 232 straws and 168 connectors, and the 230 piece set includes 130 straws and 100 connectors.

3 years & up. These colorful counters turn sorting and counting activities into exciting adventures. With these textured Backyard Bug Counters, children develop fine motor skills, sensory learning, color recognition, and important early math skills. Use these counters in a lesson about addition and subtraction to give children a visual of the concepts they are learning. The counters are made of soft rubber and come in 6 colors packed into a reusable plastic tub. Suggested activities also included. Set of 72.

3 years & up. This kit is full of fun and STEM learning! Build your own domino stack, chain reaction or run. The dominoes are built to pro-scale so they are balanced for perfect building and toppling. The rapid tracks, spinners and templates help you design anything you can imagine such as stunts, tricks or cool designs. The possibilities are endless! Kit includes 180 kinetic dominoes, 5 rapid tracks, 1 staircase bridge, 1 speed template, 2 straight tracks, 12 domino arcs and 3 spinners. Non-toxic materials.

3 years & up. With over 100 manipulatives, take AR sand play to the next level! Let children's imaginations run wild as they dig for dinosaur bones, roam the Serengeti, or manipulate the North American landscape. Explore underwater worlds while sifting through sand for seashells and other treasures! Each set includes 5 aluminum sand sifters, 11 dinosaur skulls, 12 dinosaur bones, 11 vinyl dinosaurs, 48 real seashells, 11 vinyl sea animals, 6 vinyl African animals, 13 vinyl North American animals, and 3 aluminum scoops. The Exploration Kit comes in a 32-quart container to allow for easy pick up.

3 years & up. This 90-piece set includes a variety of items to create working waterways. Children can experiment with the effects that construction, gravity, and distance have on water pressure and flow as they create endless waterway configurations. Materials are transparent to allow for easy viewing of water flow. The Build a Waterway STEM Kit builds on children's natural curiosity by providing the materials and freedom to explore. The funnels, measuring pitchers, connector tubes, blockers, and water wheel provide endless opportunities for child-guided learning. Children should be encouraged to build, create, and invent on their own. Experimentation and use of the included materials can be encouraged at the water table, in small groups, and for independent learning. Activity card(s) included.

18 months & up. Introduce young builders to organic construction and social emotional expression with the curved shapes of toddler STEM toy Grippies® Curves. Inspired by shapes found in nature, the colorful curved rods with secure magnetic ends encourage magnetic and tactile exploration through patterning and 3D construction. With cute faces on the over-molded metal ball connectors, toddlers can create expressive characters or expand their builds. The tactile, soft touch pieces make Grippies® Curves easy to hold as young children practice their dramatic narrative and building skills. Compatible with other Grippies® sets.