National Geographic Magnetic Marble Run with Metal Board

I am always looking for STEM style toys for my kids. This is well-made, but I do believe it is intended for ages eight and up. My six and seven-year-old had some trouble with some of the pieces and lost interest because it requires patience with the smaller pieces

This set has so much potential, and we did have fun with it, but it definitely took some parent help. We also couldn't attach it to our walls because they have a slight texture. We set part of it up on a bedroom door, and it was fun for my 7yo. I just wished there was a bit more to the set. Otherwise, all was good.

This is a very fun toy! It definitely took some playing with to figure it out, as the instructions aren’t the best, but it’s a stem toy after all. The magnet board that it comes with is flimsy and would only work on a sliding glass door. If you don’t have one like me, the fridge is perfect, as long as you have an open side. It kept my 8 year old busy for a long time, my 6 year old not so much. The excitement wore off after about a week or so but they keep going back to it.

The board is pretty useless. It's small, not sturdy, and the included suction cups wouldnt stick to anything- besides my countertop when I gave up. My kid has been using it on the side of the fridge which is 100x better. As for the pieces, it's pretty cool however feels very cheap. I almost snapped one just trying to help my kids attach it. I dont feel that it is worth $60, maybe if you got it on sale for $35-40.

This is a really great set and has a ton of pieces! I did like that it even has a magnetic board with suction cups if you don’t have an area that’s convenient to have the magnets adhere to (our fridge is not a great option.) I am giving this 4 stars because even though it says it is for ages 8+, it really is very complex. There was one “starter” suggestion of a run to build but I would have loved a few options just to get familiar with the pieces. I’m in my 30’s and felt overwhelmed, not to mention trying to help my kiddo who didn’t fully understand how it all works! We did have fun though and I think she will continue to enjoy it as she grows because there’s so many ways to use it!

My girlies love this! They started out by using the book to create runs, then the older one (8 yo) made up her own. She was excited that the book had blank pages to sketch out runs that were fun and successful so she could build them again. Definitely would recommend for the budding engineer or builder.

Purchased for 6 year old son on recommendation from friend. We enjoyed putting together different runs, tough for 6 year old on own but easy for him and I together to set up and take down. Placed magnetic board on glass deck door with included suction cups—has stayed in place for weeks. Easily moveable pieces to make new runs, nice starter directions included to begin—would be nice for a little more in depth directions on the included starter runs.

I’ve always wanted a marble run and now I have one that I get to work on with my son! In my initial trials, I didn’t quite get how to get the tracks in place. After trying to run a marble through, I finally got that the tracks had to kind of snap onto the connectors. My son is excited to see what other tracks we can design and make! I love that the connector pieces are magnetic, which makes it forgiving if the track isn’t quite right. My only gripe is about the spinning pieces don’t quite spin like they should. Maybe I haven’t found the tweak or they just have to loosen up, but I still think that overall the marble run is really cool.

This was a real hit with both my 8 year old granddaughter and her 2 year old little brother! Lots of fun and hours of play. It can be a bit unstable, but that all depends on the build....which is teaching them about constructing in a way that its sturdy.We set it up and play with it on the coffee table. He loves trying new combinations. I wish I would’ve bought the bigger version. I will say, that the marbles are easily lost if a younger child is around. Be sure to purchase extra marbles.

I thought this would be a fun thing to do with my kids (9&6). The suggested age is 8+. I think this is accurate, because my six year old (who generally has good fine motor control) found the parts difficult to handle. He was interested, but unable to attach any of the pieces. These are rather flimsy, when trying to set up; even I got frustrated with how easily pieces disconnected. The directions are kind of vague, which is fine for a toy set that encourages problem solving and exploration, but it would be nice to have step-by-step directions for a full set-up. There are line drawings for a couple of runs, but you have to figure out how to attach pieces yourself. The suction cups seem to be holding just fine on our window.

The concept is great and my kids enjoyed trying different concepts. The materials appear cheap, don’t always work smoothly. If the price point were lower I’d feel more comfortable with a higher review.

So fun! We love the size because it is easy to put a board up anywhere to build a marble run. It doesn't take up much space, but is still so fun to use! The instructions have some ideas which was nice to get the ideas flowing. It includes a large bag which is great for holding all the small pieces.

This was definitely complex, but once my husband and son figured it out, they had a lot of fun! My 7 year old wasn't interested, but my 5 year old really had a good time making different patterns and setups to make the marbles fall. We ended up putting it on our dishwasher to have a decent sized metallic space.

Kids have really enjoyed this product and like that they can stick the magnet tiles to the window! We did have one plastic piece already break so not the highest quality but all other pieces have worked well.

My kids and I were super excited to try this National Geographic Makeway Magnetic Marble Run Set because we've tried other marble run sets before and really enjoyed them. I liked the idea that this set can be used on any metal surface that can attract a magnet, however, if you don't have many surfaces like this in your home, this set won't work too well. Strangely, the face of our fridge does not attract magnets even though it's a stainless steel finish and unfortunately, the large dry erase board we had wasn't magnetic either. This set does includes 4 magnetic boards that can be connected, but this doesn't give you a very large play area. I do love that they come apart and everything stores neatly in a bag. While this set is recommended for ages 8+, I felt it was a little hard to get started. My oldest daughter is 2 months from being 8 years old and it was a little frustrating for her. There's so many different shaped pieces that all have different functions and it's a little hard to remember what they all do. Many of the pieces are also very thin and seem like they could be easily broken. One thing I do love about this set though, is it really allows you to be creative and use your imagination. You can come up with so many different possible layouts. This is also a great way to help children visualize cause and effect. Overall, we liked this set, but it's definitely better for older children and if you have a large magnetic surface to use.

I think this is a bit too challenging for my 6 year old and possibly myself as well. Maybe just need to try it again when she is older. I was a little frustrated when helping her to build a somewhat cool track for the marble but wasn’t successful. And she isn’t at the age where she is willing to sit there for hours to try to figure out without help. They whole set itself is well made and seem that they should last. It would also be more fun if you have a large magnatic board because the boards they provided isn’t big enough. Totally great concept of a STEM toy for the right age child.

National Geographic makes a really fun marble run! There are so many different ways to make a unique run and the best part is that it is magnetic. You can make a run on the 4 piece magnetic board that it came with or even make one of the fridge. I like how it comes with a carrying bag and an interesting information book.

Great activity product for kids. Great gift or just for a fun, creative time.The possibilities are endless. This 100-piece set comes with everything you need to get started: 33 magnetic connectors, 34 different track pieces, 11 breathtaking trick pieces, 20 marbles, a magnetic board with suction cups, and a storage/carry bag. Also includes a detailed marble run guide with instructions for every piece along with track-building puzzles and challenges to help get creative.

My kids (12, 9 and 5) were so excited to play with this. The boards are a little tricky for them to put together so I helped. It comes with suction cups which adhere to many surfaces. They loved putting together their own tracks. Some of the pieces are a little futzy to get on so definitely need some patience. It comes with so many pieces so the options are endless! Bonus - comes with a storage bag so no need to worry about losing small parts. Overall this provides hours of entertainment. Love that it isn’t an electronic and stem related!

I got this for my 7 year old and he loves it! This magnetic marble run by National Geographic is a great educational toy! Not only do they have fun but they also learn to be creative! This set comes with everything you need! Included in the box is the magnetic board, the magnetic connectors, various track pieces, trick pieces, marbles and even a storage bag to keep everything together. The included guide book was very detailed and informative. It was such a big help to have this guide, the tips were very helpful as well as the different ways in which we could use the marble run. We set the boards up our refrigerator, the magnets are super strong as the boards stayed nice and secure. We have had so much family fun using this board. We love to set up different tracks and being able to watch it all come together. My little one has spent hours setting up different courses. He especially loves showing off the trick pieces that he creates! It is so nice to watch him use his creativity to find ways to make his courses work. The boards and the accessories are all very well made and have held up great. This set is amazing and will keep your child entertained all while learning and having fun! I highly recommend this Marble Run by National Geographic. This would also make a fabulous gift!