Learning Resources STEM Explorers Marble Runners Elementary Level Educational Building Set Ages 5 and up

The mini marble runs an excellent toy for young minds. My 6-year-old initial comment upon seeing the box was, "I saw this is in the science center. Now it is in our home. She played it for several hours and almost every day. She liked it very much as she could design it as whatever she wanted and was able to work it out. It sticks to any walls and windows. This toy sparked a child's creativity as she created any design and subtle ways to work it out. It's a perfect toy to allow your child to think critically as they enjoy playing with it. The only drawback is that when used several times, it will fall off and doesn't stick to the wall due to multiple changes. It works when you just wet the item, and it sticks again, but it doesn't hold very long.

I'm always looking for fun activities that challenge the kids' minds. This is definitely one of them. The track pieces have a sticky backing that you peel off so that you can stick the pieces to a window (or smooth wall). Our sliding glass door is perfect for this! When the stickiness starts to wear off, we wipe it with a damp cloth and the pieces are good as new. My kids like to lay the pieces out on the table to first see what their track might look like, and then they try it on the door to see if it will work. I really like that this set comes with a booklet of challenge ideas to get the creativity started. Overall, this is a great set to have kids learn without them knowing they're learning. Parenting win.

We prefer getting games and toys that require thinking. This was an option that looked a lot of fun. My daughter is 6 years old and she was able to do it herself. The pieces are a little cheaply made but they're light enough to stick on walls and refrigerators. it comes with 15 track pieces and a few marbles. It also comes with idea cards on how to make different puzzles. I do like that it requires critical thinking and its easy to use anywhere. But I think it needs more to it. After a while we wanted to do something else. Good idea but I think it needs more.

This marble run activity is really a great concept. My five year old needed help to get started but he was able to do a little on his own. The window or wall you use should be clean first, but even then the stickiness wore off after a few times moving it around. The 10 challenges are fun to try, but you can put the pieces together any way you like. Be careful to have some way to catch the marbles that fly- it comes with 3 marbles but they get lost easily...

This STEM Explorers Mini Marble Run was not quite what I expected when I saw the box. I thought it was a marble run that could be set up on a table or on the floor, but it is not. It is a set of 15 colorful track pieces, backed with high density foam that has a sticky back and can be stuck to a vertical surface to create a marble run. The front side of each piece has a clear piece of plastic, designed to keep the little “marble” on the track. The instructions say that it can be attached to windows or walls. I didn't want to take a chance on using it on a painted wall, so I let the g-sons use it on the back patio glass doors. I think that it would also work on a flat door or on a mirror. The set is rated for ages 5+ and comes with a pamphlet that lists 10 marble run “Challenges” that have pictures and specific goals. My 5-year old g-son wasn't at all interested in trying them. He found it too frustrating that the lightweight plastic marble (set includes 3) often jumped out of its “track.” However, the 8-year old did enjoy setting up several of the challenge runs – with varying levels of success. Although smaller than typical glass marbles, the plastic marbles were too big to get through the slots in the floor register, fortunately. In my opinion, the set would be best with Junior High School aged children and would offer a couple of hours of fun. When the pieces become less sticky, the instructions say to wipe them with a damp cloth. I found that this did work, the pieces are reusable, but they don't look like they would last long enough to be stored away then be brought out for many playtimes.

Marble runners at first glance has 15 track pieces and 3 marbles The marbles are tiny and I think would've benefited being a different color. White doesn't stand out while doing the maze. Also included is an activity guide with 10 easy to follow marble courses/challenges. My 9 year old tackled the activities by herself and enjoyed it for the most part. It can be tricky to line up the pieces so that the ball doesn't just bounce off the window. Which leads to our wall of choice which is the sliding glass door. We have textured walls so I figured the window would be a better stick. Most the pieces stick really well even after rearranging them. And a few pieces refuse to stick even after clean both surfaces. I like that this activity requires a little more brain power and when the maze is completed properly my daughter feels accomplished. If you have hard flooring be prepared to lay a blanket or something soft to keep marbles from rolling away. I would recommend with the condition to expect some pieces not stick all the time.

So the idea of this toy is great. It's supposed to challenge the kids creativity. There are many configurations that they can use this(create). The toy is also very simple, nothing to assemble. I used a ziplock bag to keep all the parts and marbles together. The kids only played with it for about an hour. They said it was boring and have not played with it since.

It advertises that it sticks to walls and doors but that's not true. It sticks perfect on glass but not on the wall or wooden doors. When you remove the plastic film off the tracks do not loose them as you need to cover them back up when done. You can wipe them clean but it's a hassle if you leave them in the open. It does have an endless opportunities to build the tracks but I can't have my son stuck to a window while playing. I wish the tape will glue on most surfaces as advertised.

i was really looking forward to this as we have quite a few Learning Resources kits for our Toddler. This one was a total bust. It is made of cheap foam and the sticky back does not stay up for anything. we wasted 3 pieces trying to attch them to our wall before moving the rest to our back glass door. They are impossible to rearrange after you place ment making them worthless to try the different combinations as suggested.

The real challenge is removing the adhesive back so that you can actually use it. Each shape has an adhesive backing but you have to remove the plastic covering piece first which is impossible. The more you try the more it ruins the foam on the back. They need pull tabs. Super frustrating and a waste of time.