Recommended Ages:<\/h3>\n
The recommended ages for the Design & Drill Brightworks is 3-7 years old.<\/p>\n
Contents<\/h3>\n\n- light up activity board<\/li>\n
- 80 bolts<\/li>\n
- power drill (with 2 bits)<\/li>\n
- instruction manual (includes 12 patterns)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
You can get an idea of the drill’s and bolt’s size with this image (quarter for scale):<\/p>\n![\"Drill](\"https:\/\/www.learningtostem.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/IMG_1429-e1483334233393-541x381.jpg\")
Drill and Bolts – with quarter for scale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nMy Thoughts:<\/h3>\nLearning and Development<\/h4>\n
Educational Insights did a good job designing this set from an educational viewpoint. It offers several avenues for learning.<\/p>\n
\n- Identifying colors and counting<\/strong><\/br>
\nIn between drilling bolts in and out, my nephew (2 years old) has been learning colors this past week.<\/br>
\nAnd my daughter has spent time counting bolts and counting holes to match up with the design patterns in the instruction manual.<\/li>\n- STEM learning<\/strong><\/br>
\nThe STEM learning dimension is present, although not too much. The obvious connection is the drill which is a necessary part in any builder’s toolbox.<\/br>
\nThe design element, though, encourages children to pay attention to detail (if following the instructions) or identify and build their own patterns (if building independently).<\/li>\n- Fine Motor Skills<\/strong><\/br>
\nThe set is all about fine motor skills. In order to drill, kids must first place a bit into the drill. And then they must position each bolt into its appropriate place on the board.<\/br>
\nMy three year old had very few issues with this, but I could see my 2 year old nephew struggling a bit. But, ultimately, he was able to get each one in.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nImmediate Play Value<\/h4>\n
Design & Drill has some absolute immediate play value. This was one of the more popular toys opened on Christmas.<\/p>\n
And even after Christmas as I have spent the last week in a house with 3 children, aged 2 years old (almost 3), 3 years old (almost 4), and 6 years old. Each of them has played with this drilling toy multiple times.<\/p>\n
Even tonight, I had pulled my daughter’s set out to take some pictures and when she got home, she immediately gravitated to it.<\/p>\n
Sometimes it is to put the bolts in and sometimes it is just to walk around with the drill. One reviewer on another site referred to this as\u00a0two toys in one!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nLong-Term Play Value<\/h4>\n
As much as I\u00a0and the three children like the kit right now, I am not confident in the long-term playability of the set.<\/p>\n
To an adult, it seems the drilling would eventually get monotonous. That said, there is the fallback option of it behaving as a miniature Lite Brite set.<\/p>\n
And, I can see my daughter pulling the drill out anytime my wife or I are assembling furniture or making modifications around the house.<\/p>\n
A number of parents who have had the set longer have indicated their kids did lose interest after a relatively short period of time.<\/p>\n
Other Observations<\/h4>\n\n- The drill is slow. This works well for small children, but as a parent working with them, it can be painstaking to wait for them to drill in every single bolt. We quickly learned it is quicker to unscrew them by hand.<\/li>\n
- It\u00a0never ceases to amaze me at just how much children love flashing lights.<\/li>\n
- This set is overpriced at it’s MSRP of $39.99. Luckily, it rarely sells for that much at Amazon<\/a> or other online retailers.<\/li>\n
- We have only had the set for one week, but I am hoping that other parent’s comments regarding the batteries lasting for awhile is true; because 6 total\u00a0batteries (3 AA for drill and 3 AAA for board) is a lot for one toy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Additional Images<\/h4>\n
You can get an idea of the drill’s and bolt’s size with this image (quarter for scale):<\/p>\n Educational Insights did a good job designing this set from an educational viewpoint. It offers several avenues for learning.<\/p>\n Design & Drill has some absolute immediate play value. This was one of the more popular toys opened on Christmas.<\/p>\n And even after Christmas as I have spent the last week in a house with 3 children, aged 2 years old (almost 3), 3 years old (almost 4), and 6 years old. Each of them has played with this drilling toy multiple times.<\/p>\n Even tonight, I had pulled my daughter’s set out to take some pictures and when she got home, she immediately gravitated to it.<\/p>\n Sometimes it is to put the bolts in and sometimes it is just to walk around with the drill. One reviewer on another site referred to this as\u00a0two toys in one!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n As much as I\u00a0and the three children like the kit right now, I am not confident in the long-term playability of the set.<\/p>\n To an adult, it seems the drilling would eventually get monotonous. That said, there is the fallback option of it behaving as a miniature Lite Brite set.<\/p>\n And, I can see my daughter pulling the drill out anytime my wife or I are assembling furniture or making modifications around the house.<\/p>\n A number of parents who have had the set longer have indicated their kids did lose interest after a relatively short period of time.<\/p>\nMy Thoughts:<\/h3>\n
Learning and Development<\/h4>\n
\n
\nIn between drilling bolts in and out, my nephew (2 years old) has been learning colors this past week.<\/br>
\nAnd my daughter has spent time counting bolts and counting holes to match up with the design patterns in the instruction manual.<\/li>\n
\nThe STEM learning dimension is present, although not too much. The obvious connection is the drill which is a necessary part in any builder’s toolbox.<\/br>
\nThe design element, though, encourages children to pay attention to detail (if following the instructions) or identify and build their own patterns (if building independently).<\/li>\n
\nThe set is all about fine motor skills. In order to drill, kids must first place a bit into the drill. And then they must position each bolt into its appropriate place on the board.<\/br>
\nMy three year old had very few issues with this, but I could see my 2 year old nephew struggling a bit. But, ultimately, he was able to get each one in.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nImmediate Play Value<\/h4>\n
Long-Term Play Value<\/h4>\n
Other Observations<\/h4>\n
\n
Additional Images<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.learningtostem.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/IMG_1419-e1483334209781-298x300.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.learningtostem.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/IMG_1425-e1483333890354-274x300.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.learningtostem.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/IMG_1427-e1483334268889-300x211.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t