K’nex Mighty Makers Encourage Girls to Build Big Ideas through STEM

Disclosure: My daughter and I were invited to K’nex Headquarters and Factory for a tour and we received three K’nex Mighty Makers sets to test out for ourselves. All opinions are my own.

If you have a little girl (or boy) age 7 and older, who love building toys but also appreciate bright, vivid, girl-approved colors, you must check out K’nex’s newest line of construction toys, Mighty Makers.  Designed by an all female marketing and design team to empower girls through creativity and mind stimulating activity, these sets embrace the concepts of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) making them as educational as they are fun.  Can you say girl power??!!

Each set is made up of a series of colorful rods, connectors, panels and easy to follow color instructions complete with pictures. Currently there are six creative sets to choose from including sets that touch on aviation, ocean exploration, home design, going green and mechanical engineering.  How cool is that?

The K’nex Mighty Makers sets are sold exclusively at Toys R Us stores and range in price from $19.99 to $49.99, making them affordable and perfect for gift giving.  Beginning August 1, 2015, the toys are scheduled to be available at toy stores nationwide.

Last week, my daughter and I were invited to the K’nex Factory and Headquarters in Hatfield PA where we were not only treated to a VIP tour guided by President and CEO of K’nex, Michael Araten, but we had the opportunity to see up close and live exactly how K’nex are made.  In addition, we had the chance to meet the makers of the new Mighty Makers line and test out the new sets for ourselves.

K’nex are made here in the USA, right here in our home state of PA.  The factory and headquarters are awesome.  Rooms and halls are lined with dozens upon dozens of vintage and newer models of K’nex toys and massive K’nex structures such as flags, Ferris Wheels, Roller Coasters and Buildings.  The impressive builds are awesome to look at and the perfect photo op for visitors.

It was so exciting to learn all about how the new Mighty Makers line came to be.  I was impressed to learn that from start to finish the idea for this new line started just about 1 year ago.  The all female marketing and design team took their collective ideas for the STEM based toys, while also taking into consideration the results of various focus groups.  In these focus groups, they found that most girls wanted to build cars and houses and airplanes but quickly gravitated to pinks, purples and other popular girl colors while doing so.  I love that the final colors that were chosen include vivid and bold pinks, turquoise and magenta but also incorporate greens, blacks, whites and other gender neutral colors, making them appealing to boys as well.  In just about one year this awesome idea went from idea to complete manufactured sets – and now our kids have the opportunity to enjoy and experience all of the hard work that went into making this idea a reality.

Lucky for us, we were given hands on opportunity to experience the sets for ourselves.  My 8-year-old daughter immediately gravitated toward the Inventor’s Clubhouse as her first choice to build.  One of the larger sets, I knew that building this would take some time and patience, which I quickly explained before digging in.  The sturdy manual is colorful and full of pictures, making it easy for adults and older children to follow.   My daughter required help from start to finish but the more we worked at it, the easier it became for her to build independently.  Snapping the pieces together can sometime pose a challenge for little fingers so I was on hand to help as needed with tiny parts and accessories.  I suggest building on a table or floor where it is easy to spread out and find and pieces that may bounce or fall when working with them.

K’nex generously sent us home with 3 sets to work on at home.  My 12-year-old son was as eager and determined as my daughter to get building.  In less than 2 days, the kids built all 3 sets.  My daughter has been having as much fun playing with them as she did building them.  I loved how they worked together as a team to build them.  I was in awe at the moving parts and details each set provides.  I’m thinking about installing a shelf in our playroom to display them when not in use.

Here’s hoping that K’nex will be coming out with even more sets in the near future.  The only thing better than a fun toy is knowing that your child is learning and channeling their creativity through play.  Kid tested – Mother approved – That’s my kind of toy!