The Learning Journey Techno Kids: Stack & Spin Gears Mega Set is an educational toy that helps children develop an understanding of how gears interlock and move. If you are interested in STEM-based gifts, this one counts. The set comes with base plates and two different size gears that are made of plastic and thick enough to be easy to grab for younger children. The Stack & Spin Gears are recommended for ages two and up.
Pre-school kids can use this gear set to develop general concepts of how gears work, but as children get older, it becomes a fun way to learn about simple machines. For older children, playing with the Techno Kids: Stack & Spin Gears Mega Set provides you with an opportunity to talk with them about potential job opportunities in engineering. Let’s face it, the job market as we know it is changing, and anything that will help our kids develop problem-solving skills is very beneficial.
Although I really like this as an educational toy for younger children since it helps them solve problems by figuring out which gears fit together and how they make each other move in different directions, the creativity level is not as high. There’s only so much you can do with just gears. One way to increase the creativity level is to use this set in combination with other Learning Journey gear sets as the bases are interchangeable. Overall, I think this set is designed more for kids under eight, and probably best for kids under six.
The Techno Kids: Stack & Spin Gears Mega Set comes with 24 base plates and 36 gears for a total of 60 pieces. As I mentioned, they are made out of sturdy plastic pieces large enough for little hands to grasp. You can find them on Amazon for around $30, but for a limited time, you can get them in-store at Costco for only $16.99. Costco is the only place selling them for that price, but like a lot of their holiday sale items, they are only available while supplies last.
