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The K’NEX Mighty Makers line is designed for kids ages 7 and up to get a fun intro to STEM concepts. Designed by an all-female team, the line focuses on young girls, based on tons of research the company did on how girls (specifically) learn. Mighty Makers integrates these STEM concepts–which may be daunting for younger kids—into playtime, making learning fun, and giving kids a foundation on which they can build important skills.

I built up the Fun on the Ferris Wheel set from the Mighty Makers line. Right off the bat, this set is appealing because it is SO brightly colored. It makes it fun to look at, even if it is just a bunch of K’NEX pieces jumbled up in a bag. The instructions are led by the character Emily, who takes her bear Cocoa to the amusement park for the day. The goal behind these story-focused instructions is to discover how the Ferris wheel works through building one of your own.

Another cool aspect of this set is the flexi-rods. The green pieces that make the Ferris wheel circular are actually flexible K’NEX rods. Kids just loosen up the rod a bit by bending it, and then voila! You can build curves.

I built the entire set in under an hour—although I put the Ferris wheel on backward at first, so I had to take it apart and redo it, so that took a bit of time. I would say that you are looking at about 40 to 45 minutes of build time, but that’s only the introduction to the play value.

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Once built, kids will love the satisfaction they get from seeing the Ferris wheel actually work. Plus, they can engage in tons of imaginative play with the included Emily and Cocoa figures. Kids can also use the Mighty Makers card to learn how to make their Ferris wheel go faster!

Once they’re bored or tired of the Ferris wheel, kids can build two other carnival staples with this set—a pirate ship ride and a boardwalk game. And to answer your question, yes, I’m going to probably spend lots of my free time building up those other sets, because they look really cool.

While the Mighty Makers line is designed to cater toward the way girls prefer to build and learn, I don’t think there is anything about this toy that a boy wouldn’t enjoy playing with as well. I would say that the set is far more “brightly colored” than pink-washed, so it’s a set that all of your kids can play with together. Kids can also share their Mighty Makers fun on social platforms using #IAmAMightyMaker.

About the author

Ali Mierzejewski

Ali Mierzejewski

Ali Mierzejewski is the editor-in-chief at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider. With more than a decade of industry experience, Ali is a trusted source for parents, gift-givers, manufacturers, retailers, and more on the latest trends and hottest products. Whether you’re shopping for the best toys for kids — or looking for the latest in geek culture and entertainment for yourself — Ali’s expertise has you covered. When she’s not building LEGO sets or unwinding with a puzzle, Ali is obsessing over the latest season of The Bachelor, scrolling through Gritty’s Twitter, or rewatching The West Wing (for the 100th time). She is also a self-proclaimed expert on the history and lore of the entire Bachelor franchise. Ali has been featured on TODAY, The Wendy Williams Show, Yahoo Finance, Fox & Friends, HLN, The Weather Channel, ABC World News Now, and more. You can follow her on Instagram @hashtagtrendy.

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