STEM Building Fun with K’NEX Wild Whiplash Roller Coaster

Looking for that WOW gift for your STEM loving kid this holiday season? Check out the STEM Building Fun with K’NEX Wild Whiplash Roller Coaster + in-action video! This post is sponsored by K’NEX. All wildly fun opinions are my own

STEM Building Fun with K’NEX Wild Whiplash Roller Coaster

In such a digital age, it’s getting harder and harder to pull my 8-year old son away from anything with a screen. For this super smart 2nd grader, I find that this kid always needs a challenge when it comes to play time. Insert STEM Building Fun – the joys of completing a project that involves skills, critical thinking and hours of fun.

I’m all in. That’s why I was super excited to see that K’NEX is here this holiday season with the newest you-build-it roller coaster – toy and STEM building fun in one! Check out why the new K’NEX Wild Whiplash Roller Coaster makes the perfect STEM Building Fun gift for your little builder plus check out our bonus video of the roller coaster in-action!

3-Dimensional Building

When I think of K’NEX toys, I always remembered the really cool roller coaster sets from my youth. Never owning one before, I honestly had no idea what we were in for when the new K’NEX Wild Whiplash Roller Coaster landed at our front door. Over 14 feet of track, standing over 2 1/2 feet high and 580 pieces. It was a lot of “WOAH” in a box. Your child builds everything from the gears to the motorized chain lift, the climbing towers to the tracks.

And it’s not like brick building at all. We’re talking 360 degrees of moving, twisting, turning, connecting, stacking, climbing kind of building in a whole new 3-Dimensional world.

Problem Solving & Critical Thinking

That’s not to say that building a roller coaster is a walk in the park. This project took a few hours just to build – which I think was half of the fun for this kid. He loves getting his hands on a set of instructions, following the plans and completing a goal. Analyzing, thinking, shifting, twisting, rebuilding, asking questions, stopping, rethinking – I saw his own wheels turning as he built this roller coaster piece by piece.

I can see why this toy is for children ages 9 years+. But for this little boy, the challenge gave him more motivation to complete the project. “Mom, this says it’s for kids 9 years and up. I’m only 8, but I think I can do it.”

Engineering, Physics, Math – In Real Life

It’s always rewarding to be able to use those school skills in a real setting. Building a roller coaster is much more than just a toy that you play with. There’s real application of those STEM foundations as your child builds, plays and watches the roller coaster zoom around the track. And I love how all of that learning is hidden under the excitement of playing with a toy.

Gravity, pulleys, angles, torque, G-forces – there’s just so much learning goodness packed into this toy – but your kids are having way too much fun to notice. And bonus – there’s not a technology screen in sight! We can’t wait to build the 2nd coaster next!

Video

So building is fun, but what about seeing this K’NEX Wild Whiplash Roller Coaster in-action? Check out the fun video we made above to see this roller coaster move. It makes me so glad that this is a toy and NOT a real roller coaster. I don’t think that I could handle this many loops in real life!

Hours of FUN

Hours of building fun, ours of PLAYING without-a-screen fun, hours of interacting with our son through conversation, excitement and laughter – give me that all day long. The K’NEX Wild Whiplash Roller Coaster is more than a toy and more than a really cool STEM building fun project. It’s priceless memories that we will have with our 8-year old son as we watch him learn and grow. You can’t put a price tag on that.

STEM building fun is taken to the next level with the all-new K’NEX Wild Whiplash Roller Coaster Set. How cool would this toy be for your child this holiday season? Grab one exclusively at Walmart for the low MSRP of only $32.97 – such a steal for the hours of fun that our family continues to have! Be sure to follow K’NEX via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for the latest STEM Building Fun toys, deals and more.

Do you have a STEM Building FUN child in your home? Why would they love the new K’NEX Wild Whiplash Roller Coaster Set?

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