Learning ResourcesTumble Trax Magnetic Marble Run

My six year old loved this set. He is able to play and set it up with minimal help. There lots of different combinations to make on the cards which encourages your child to problem solve. Great product for the price with many hours of fun had.

Love this set. We put it on the fridge and can play for a while. It comes with cards that advise you how to put them so you can get a good track or you can build it however you want. I don’t know how it will last in Time but it’s great fun for now.

Grandson loves it fun to play value for money

The simplicity of this marble run gives it staying power. You are drawn in to experiment with creating different shapes, paths and drops, or even jumps. Rather than watch a ready-to-go course a few times over, before the novelty wears off, here you build the course yourself from simple straights, curves and waves, including a ridged and wavy ramp too. The pieces are made of foam, completely covered with a magnetic surface on one side and on the outer side, the pieces have a plastic covering. The plastic is brightly coloured but also incorporates a see-through lip, on the top edge, that helps the marbles to stay within the track pieces. This means the track pieces do have a 'right' way up (although, who's to say you can't experiment with physics!)The pieces are large and chunky (a web search for images gives useful pictures for scale). On a typical fridge, you have to zigzag the pieces to work within the limited width. The ideal surface would be a large magnetic white board. The instructions caution that at first it's wise to check whether moving the pieces about will scratch your fridge surface, and if so, to place a sheet of paper on the surface first. The magnets are smooth and so far, no scratching has happened, but it's good to be aware of.The plastic front of the pieces is bold and fun but some children might be tempted to peel these fronts off the foam ramps. The quality is good but it's not damage-proof for children who de-construct toys! The materials are clearly designed to be light, so that the magnets adhere well. It does succeed in that. The ramps can handle the marbles tumbling down them, without moving much at all - only needing the odd nudge back into place when gravity knocks them slightly out of line.Overall, this is an engaging toy. It keeps your attention because you're drawn in to just trying 'one more' idea, to see if your next creation is even better than your last and essentially, that makes for a good toy.

Bought this as a gift for my nephew, 5. He really enjoyed playing with them and even Dad couldn't resist the urge to get involved!

Really like this, easy for kids to play with. You need a wide magnetic surface to to make the larger runs.

I bought this for my mum as she gets regular visits from her grandchildren. They can be kept busy with this while the grown ups talk. Perfect.

This is a good product that the children enjoy. A key limitation with it, however, is that you need a big magnetic surface to make the most of the product and certainly if you want to construct all the plans that come with the kit. So bear in mind... how big's yer' fridge?!