Tegu blocks are pretty cool, in theory. They are: -magnetic wooden toy blocks for imaginative building -responsibly made in Honduras with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. -made by a fully independent company that says it pays its employees a living wage, and prioritizes long-term career growth -non-gendered. Which I really can't say about most of the other building-type toys on the market. Sometimes I thank goodness I grew up in the 80s before the full-blown pinkification of toys came into play. (Read my colleague Jennifer Gruden's post on the "
Boy toy ghetto" here.) Gorgeous and sleek to hold and look at, Tegu are costly, but they definitely are built to last. I bought a starter set for my son's 5th birthday a few months back, and they've been dropped on the floor from a decent height a number of times and they're not even dinged. One thing I have noticed though is that my son does not like these Tegu blocks as much as his other building toys, like Make-Its (a modern Tinker Toys set of wheels, squares and sticks), bristle blocks and the many other plastic blocks that he has--those old standbys still seem to offer more flexibility and intuitive use than these wooden blocks. The issue it seems is the placement of the magnets. The magnets in many blocks, especially the very long ones, are not quite where he expects them to be, so he's not able to build the structures and shapes he imagines because they don't "stick" at the points he wants them to; a shortcoming for any engineering-minded kid. Though I do feel a small amount of frustration is good for kids, that's what sparks ingenuity. Yet at a price tag of over $100 for the set I bought (I plan on keeping this set and passing it down/around the family), I think I'm right to expect a really excellent product that's intuitive and doesn't need tape or elastic bands to hold it together to create a shape a child has visualized in his or her mind. My guess is that Tegu will refine this product, and the second or third generation will be excellent. It's pretty good right now, but it could be better. -Helen
Tegu blocks are pretty cool, in theory. They are: -magnetic wooden toy blocks for imaginative building -responsibly made in Honduras with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. -made by a fully independent company that says it pays its employees a living wage, and prioritizes long-term career growth -non-gendered. Which I really can't say about most of the other building-type toys on the market. Sometimes I thank goodness I grew up in the 80s before the full-blown pinkification of toys came into play. (Read my colleague Jennifer Gruden's post on the "
Boy toy ghetto" here.) Gorgeous and sleek to hold and look at, Tegu are costly, but they definitely are built to last. I bought a starter set for my son's 5th birthday a few months back, and they've been dropped on the floor from a decent height a number of times and they're not even dinged. One thing I have noticed though is that my son does not like these Tegu blocks as much as his other building toys, like Make-Its (a modern Tinker Toys set of wheels, squares and sticks), bristle blocks and the many other plastic blocks that he has--those old standbys still seem to offer more flexibility and intuitive use than these wooden blocks. The issue it seems is the placement of the magnets. The magnets in many blocks, especially the very long ones, are not quite where he expects them to be, so he's not able to build the structures and shapes he imagines because they don't "stick" at the points he wants them to; a shortcoming for any engineering-minded kid. Though I do feel a small amount of frustration is good for kids, that's what sparks ingenuity. Yet at a price tag of over $100 for the set I bought (I plan on keeping this set and passing it down/around the family), I think I'm right to expect a really excellent product that's intuitive and doesn't need tape or elastic bands to hold it together to create a shape a child has visualized in his or her mind. My guess is that Tegu will refine this product, and the second or third generation will be excellent. It's pretty good right now, but it could be better. -Helen
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