Young builders
Although many of the basic construction sets are aimed at younger children, they also appeal to a broad age range and, as long as older children aren't excluding the younger ones from the activity, they should not be discouraged from enjoying themselves with these building sets. Molto Blocks City is part of a wide range of construction sets from M&S Mercantile.
Molto Blocks click easily together to form roadways, towers and whatever else children want them to be. The City pack has 80 pieces, including road signs and houses. Suitable for one-year-olds upwards, priced 24.50.
* Telephone 0161 236 4616
Early Learning Centre stocks the kind of traditional wooden bricks, coated in primary colours, that probably inhabit most toy cupboards in childcare facilities all over the country. If you need to replenish your supply you might want to look at ELC's bucket, containing 100 bricks in various shapes and sizes, priced 15.
* Telephone 08705 352352
Another old favourite, Duplo, is being superseded by a new range, called Lego Explore. Lego Explore includes all the Duplo bricks, along with lots of innovative extras. 'Theatre Stories', for example, includes a theatre set that can be builtwith four different backdrops, six characters and sound effects. It is aimed at four-year-olds upwards, priced 34.99.
* Telephone 01753 495000
MegaBloks covers a wide age range: the new Micro Bucket Primary is suitable for three-to eight-year-olds and contains 250 pieces in assorted sizes, priced 6.99; while the older end of the range features a Dragons War Chest, Warriors pack and Race Car.
* Telephone 01865 893240
Sticklebricks are also suitable for very young children. The Junior Super Builder Bucket contains wheels and axles, as well as all the usual shapes, to enable children to broaden their creations. It contains 75 pieces.
Priced 14.99, from Flair Leisure.
* Telephone 020 8643 0320
Mature builders
The IQ Science range is designed around a series of interlocking capsules, each with a mechanical or electronic function. Children can construct, take apart and redesign a variety of models within each pack. Instructions are provided with suggestions for various models. The Robot Racer pack contains a glow in the dark driver figure, moveable arms, grabbing hands and interchangeable parts, priced 9.99. The Bug Builder pack includes moving pincers, flapping wings, a pivoting head and opening jaws. While children construct the bug monster of their imaginations, they will also learn how to make its body parts move 'using the science of electric circuits, gears, energy transformation and motors', priced 17.99.
New to the range is the All Vehicle Multi Set, which can be built into more than 15 models, including cars, motorbikes and tricycles, and encourages children to learn about motors, energy changes, electric circuits, gear speed and torque, friction and traction, chain drives and switch boxes, priced Pounds 24.99. All the sets are suitable for five-to six-year-olds and upwards.
* Telephone 01235 559494
Constructor Corners from Philip & Tacey combines a system of pre-formed corners and Structa Sticks or Artstraws to encourage children to create anything from 3-D shapes to mathematical models or imaginative designs. No glue or sticky tape is required to make and test temporary models, but a little glue can be added to the corners once the permanent structure has been chosen and completed. A starter set containing 363 corners, 200 x 290mm sticks, 100 x 140mm sticks, 100 x 90mm sticks and an instruction manual is priced Pounds 19.45.
* Telephone 01264 332171
Lego has plenty of kits designed to appeal to slightly older children.
The Football Match Sets come with pitch, nets and scoreboard. They are available as three-a-side and six-a-side and can be combined to form a pitch large enough for an eleven-a-side game. A special 'mechanism device'
also allows the Lego players to make sliding tackles and move from side to side and up and down. Suitable for six-year-olds and upward, priced from Pounds 4.99.
* Telephone 01753 495000
Children who find computer games all consuming may still be enticed away by Lego's latest range - Spybiotics. There are four different 'intelligent robotic gadgets', or Spybots, to collect and construct - Gigamesh G60, Snaptrax S45, Shadowstrike S70 and Technojaw T55 all with different strengths and unique tools to help them to complete their 'missions'. Each Spybot comes with ten pre-set training missions - five single players and five multiplayers. No mission is ever the same as players can increase the level of difficulty at will. Players can also create 'bespoke' missions and can download new missions from the Lego website. Each pack includes a Spybot, a CD-Rom, a mission download cable and a three-channel remote controller, priced from Pounds 59.99.
LARGE SCALE CONSTRUCTION
Asco's Edra range has been designed specifically for use in schools and nurseries and it allows children to build structures and vehicles that they can fit into and ride around on. A Construction Class pieces, including cubes, cylinders, axles, plaques, bricks, planks and rods in varying sizes is priced 525. Edra components can also be bought separately - a set of 24 rods in four colours, measuring 38.5cm each, is priced 41.74.
* Telephone 0113 2707070.
