Kids First Engineering Design

I bought it as a gift for my daughter’s 9 years birthday. She absolutely loves it! She can spends hours with the kit having fun and learning at the same time.

Overwhelmed the recipient at first with all of the parts. Granted, he was 1 year younger than recommended age. After a couple of hours, he got the hang of it and was able to build the car.

My grandson love this.

Very good educational material covered in this kit. The only con is that the pieces don’t always stay together.

A gift for a grandchild at Christmas. Not Christmas yet!

This is an awesome set. What sets this one apart is the color manual that explains how to build the projects, but also tells a little background about them before you build. It really makes it an immersive learning process. Don't just build a catapult, learn about machines from the Middle Ages and the history behind it for example. But there is a broad range of topics and projects to keep any child interested.Another bonus of this set is that each project is labeled easy, medium or hard so you will know at a glance what you are "getting into". The easy projects will probably be suitable for SOME 8 year old children which is the lowest recommended age. It depends on how good they are at reading directions and building models. If they are proficient at LEGOS then they should have no problem with the builds, I think that would be the best indicator on if your child can handle these projects. Some of the easy projects (like the sundial) are super easy, but there are many that are very difficult and maybe some adults would find them a bit challenging to put together. It really does boil down to your skill level at following directions and building. The manual is full color and is very detailed, much like LEGO directions.I think everyone can get something out of the manual. It's very informational and it's just so great at bringing these projects alive and making them that much more exciting to build.

My boys are ages 8 and 10 which is the beginning age for these type of toys. I think that is very age appropriate. My boys are getting where they don’t like kid toys but want to construct, experiment, and build things. At age 8, a child is ready to be able to read directions and follow them well enough so they can do more complex toys like these. My 8 year still needed guidance and direction. My 10 year fared better but still needed additional help from Dad. This is a great family project, it is interesting enough to keep adults entertained.This is Kids First Physics Lab, Beginner Physics Set. That is exactly the type of toys that my boys love. Physics teaches all about cause and effect specifically related to movement.There is so much science to this and actual learning, way more than just block building type toys. This would make an excellent homeschool project.Each project teaches a different aspect to physics. There is a full color manual included.

I've been using Thames and Kosmos kits for years, and this kit is better than the last physics kit that I bought from them.Normally I spend a lot of time talking about the actual kit in question, but before I do that, I want to point something out: The "beam and axle" method of building is essentially identical to what you would find in a Lego Mindstorms kit, or the technics lego line. If you've ever bought anything in the lego "technics" line, like  LEGO Technic 42020 Twin-Rotor Helicopter Model Kit , then you can put together this kit without any problems.The lego technic kits certainly don't include a nice instruction book like the Thames and Kosmos kit does. Although, you can buy some books on the subject. here is one that is a little dated:  Hands On Physics with LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT: 10 Lessons for the Classroom .The point here is that while the T&K kit is "very nice", when your kids are done the parts will likely not have much residual value - either play value or monetary value. But if you were to buy the Lego equivalent, you would probably get a lot more milage out of them.But I'm not going to rate the kit based on that, I'm going to rate the kit as a standalone kit. And on that level it excels, because it is "all in one" with the parts, and the book, and all the explanations. And from a simplicity angle, they really hit a home run with that.I hope you found this review helpful. Thanks for reading.