More K’NEX? Of Course, We Need Them!
Ever since my children received their first K’NEX set many years ago, our family has had a love affair with the brand. Our first set was one of the Ferris wheels. Since then we’ve also had the KNEXosaurus Rex Building Set (with motor to make the T-Rex move), the Sawblade Thrill Ride, and the Extreme View Video Coaster just to name a few.
As always when a box of K’NEX enters our house, one (or more) of the children runs off to the kitchen table to open it and start assembling. The first child to get to the 70 Model Building Set was Alex, my son (who is 11 years old). He bypassed the simpler items (fish, ice cream cone, snowflake, and other 2D projects) and headed straight for the Ferris wheel. Luckily, this one was included in the enclosed instruction manual. (Others have to be looked up online and printed in order to be built.) In the days following, he tackled the Dragster, the Attack Helicopter, and the Excavator. Even though he could have built them himself, he enlisted the aid of his father so he could get it done faster.
Emily, my 16 y/o daughter, also sat down with the set because she has always loved building. Her first project to tackle was the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Abigail, her 14 y/o sister, also got involved and helped out with assembling the head. Emily doesn’t necessarily like to do things the way they are shown in the manual so she adapted her T-rex to have wheels instead of legs. Her next project was the UFO while her sister undertook the simple Coconut Tree.
One drawback would be the container the K’NEX comes in. It looks like a treasure chest but doesn’t open like one. And, being as it is cardboard, it probably won’t last with all the opening and closing it will go through. Also, they didn’t need to make the box so large, unless the point is to hold additional sets that are bought separately. The amount of pieces received fills about 1/5 of the box. Because we have other sets of K’NEX, all the pieces are sorted into their own containers according to size so that the kids (and my husband) can build from any of the plans we have or that can be downloaded from the K’NEX website.
With that said, it’s important to note that the biggest disappointment for my son (as well as myself) was that the package is labeled as the “35 model ultimate building set” yet the booklet only contains instructions for 10 models. The remaining ones have to be downloaded from the website – either printed out onto about 100 pages with colored ink (Yikes!) or download onto a tablet of some kind (which is what we did).
The best part about K’NEX is that my kids can PLAY with the things they build. After my daughter added wheels to the T-Rex, we could roll him across the table to try to eat coconuts off the tree. The excavator bucket can swing around. Alex put a golf ball in the bucket to swing so it rolled across the table to knock other things down. And the Ferris wheel spins. Those drawbacks are small compared to the joy the K’NEX themselves bring. Whether building from a set of plans or using your own imagination, these toys can keep many children occupied for hours!
Who in your family likes to play with K’NEX?
I would have loved to have gotten more K’Nex when my kids were younger, but Lego’s were their favorite.
I’ve always loved K’nex for the kids because they inspire their creativity. I have to admit that even I love to build things with them.
My grandson would love to have a set of K’nex. That would be disappointing expecting to get 35 models and only getting 10 …. not good
My grandson would love to have a set of these K’nex. That would be disappointing to expect to be able to make 35 models and only get ten.
I just love these. Such creativity by kids of all ages,.
We love Knex, they are such a cool building toy. My son is 8 yrs old and he is just now discovering the older kids blocks like these. He did have Kids Knex building blocks when he was younger.
Dads are like big kids when it comes to building sets like these. I learned this how? When I worked at a science museum. At one point we has an exhibit where there were lots of pieces and the kids could get hands on–Well before you knew it–Dads were right down there on the floor with the kids having a blast! (The Mother’s LOVED this exhibit!)
Now those take so much patience! I had to put them together for my daughter.
My boys love Knex. No, you can never have enough building toys to create!
We have tons of Knex too. We love the big ones like the ferris wheel and the roller coasters.
I completely agree! You are never too old for toys! Play and creativity is important at all ages.
My son isnt quite into KNex but I know he will be. AND my hubby too! 😉
I hear so many good things about K’Nex. They are definitely on our list for next year!
My nephews absolutely love to play with K’Nex! They would play all day long if we let them 🙂
It always amazes me how many things that you can do with Knex! My brothers loved them.
I think K’Nex is such a great toy line. It really promotes critical thinking.
I have bought sets of knex for my nephew and it provides hours of entertainment. i love how it gets the creative juices flowing and really makes you focus.
My son absolutely loved these when he was younger. Kept him entertained for hours on end!
Hi Scott!
You have a nice family! My kids like Knex when they first came out. Good for hand-eye coordination, creativity, etc.
My son asked for a “roller coaster” for Christmas, so Santa got him a K’Nex roller coaster. He loves it and it is pretty cool!
My younger grandsons love K’NEX