For ALuv’s 7th birthday this year, we purchased him this domino set (plus the 24-piece add on set) from HearthSong. He fell in love from the moment he laid eyes on it. He is my builder. Has been since day one. So you can probably imagine the excitement this boy had when HearthSong sent us a wooden marble runaround for him to “test out”.
The day the package arrived, he was quite literally jumping up and down. NJoy and MBug were excited to see what was inside the box as well.
My Engineer and His Marble Runaround
He has had a blast placing the pieces in different configurations to watch the marble roll, race, and even jump.
He’s combined it with his domino set quite a few times for one monster of a marble run! 🙂 It’s so fun to watch his engineering mind in motion.
NJoy (currently 4) and MBug (currently 2.5) have also played with it, building smaller sets and watching the marble roll and jump. (Note: I supervise while my MBug plays, especially with the marbles, as it is recommended for ages 4 and up.)
These are a Few of my Favorite Things
1. It’s wooden. I love wooden toys because for one, they don’t require batteries and two, for their durability.
2. The pieces are very colorful, whimsical and would work for both boys and girls.
3. It can grow with the child. Some of the pieces from the set can be played with by younger children as blocks. For example, NSis (10 months old) likes to play with the largest pieces in the set. As the child grows, certain pieces can be added. And, as you can see, my 7 year old loves to play with the set. Mom and dad have been “caught” on occasion playing with it (but, shhhh…don’t tell).
More Thoughts on the Marble Runaround
When I asked ALuv to tell me what he liked best and what he liked least about the marble runaround, he gave me the same answer: there’s no diagram or specific instructions included on how to use all the pieces to build a marble run. Because there are no instructions, he can build it any way he wants. Open-ended. A builder’s dream, right? Because there are no specific instructions, there are a few pieces he’s still not sure how to set up. {I honestly like that he hasn’t been able to figure it all out, yet. It keeps him coming back to it…a puzzle he has yet to solve completely.}
*I was provided a wooden marble runaround free of charge from HearthSong in exchange for my honest review. To read more, you can view my disclosure policy.
Want a chance to win this wooden marble runaround from HearthSong? Then, enter via the Rafflecopter below. Giveaway ends Friday, January 11th and the winner will be announced on this same post on Saturday, January 12th. Please be sure to read the terms and conditions before entering. Note that the only mandatory entry is a comment on this blog post. All other entries are optional.
~Becky
I am relieved it is made of wood and not marble 😉 My 3 year old would love this brightly colored stacking toy! I like that it develops motor and mental skills the best.
What a fun toy! I love that it is not plastic! This would make a great present for my little man’s upcoming birthday 😉
I would love to win this as a gift for a special little girl’s birthday surprise!
I would love that my 5 year old would have a great way to stay entertained with the marbles we got him last weekend.
Wow! This looks great for my boys!
My son LOVES any and all kinds of marble runs and my 7 year old is a little engineer in the making! This would be the perfect toy for our family.
i like that it can be different every time you pull the toy out! And also that it’s not huge! Nora would love this! The marble run at the toy store is her favorite thing to play with in there, but we don’t have room for something like that at our house. This would be perfect!
I like that it is wood, colorful, and doesn’t require batteries. Looks fun and my 4 year old would love it.
I like the fact that it is made of wood. My sons would love it.
I love. That it is wood! So much nicer than the hold set made of plastic we got at a garage sale!!!
what a great toy, I have a few builders in my house that would love this!!!
I love that it is made of wood. We’ve been using cardboard tubes taped to the wall as a marble run. My son would love this sturdier version.
What a neat mind challenging toy! Hunter loves to build towers, ramps, etc. I love reading your blogs and keeping up with the kiddos.
I love the cool colors and the fact it’s wooden. My son would love this!
My son (also 7) loves building things too. I know he would have a blatant with this!
That last comment should have said “have a blast”, not blatant. Lol. I also meant to add that I love that the toy is made of wood
The colors are great, I love wooden toys, and anything that inspires my children to create.
I love this wooden toy. I know my son would love it too.
My girls would love this! My favorite part is that it is open ended and requires imagination!
I have a small set from when my almost 16 year old son was smaller. My 4 year old son now plays with it and has a great time. I’m with you on the no batteries and forces creativity aspect of toys like this! Thank you for the opportunity.
My son loves marble tracks and building. He would be in heaven with this! Great giveaway!! Thanks for the chance!
I like that it is made from wood and would keep my boys busy!
My son would love this and I love that it is made out of wood instead of plastic!
This looks so fun…no batteries keeps the mind working in my opinion.
My son is six and he is also our “builder”. I love that I could see invision him playing with this excitedly on a daily basis.
I think that my son will LOVE this! He is 3 and already builds castles and towns and houses with blocks…this will be a great addition! And. … yes.. supervised!! 🙂 Thank you for the chance to win this wonderful gift!
I teach kindergarten and this would be great for my classroom!
So many things we love about this! Wooden toys, open-ended play, construction–but the colors are so much fun I’m going to say that’s what I think I’ll love the best. :o)
Thank you for the chance to win! This was on my daughter’s Christmas list. I love watching her figure things out as she builds.
This is sooo cool! Thanks for the chance to win it!
This is so neat for so many reasons! I love how coloful it is and that it’s made from wood and open ended!
LOOOOOVE wooden toys – Ryan is like ALuv, as you know. Loves to build.
i like that its wooden and long lasting–not to mention good old fashioned fun 🙂
*kelly
kelly-tillotson@hotmail.com
I love open ended toys for play. My 3 and 5 year old would love this and for years to come.
I have been looking for a “marble chaser” for quite sometime now! I was hoping to get one for my son-in-law for Christmas but was just not happy with the one’s I saw simply for the appearance, s
challenge and cost 🙁 He mentioned a while back how he always wanted a marble-chaser for Christmas but never got one! I would love to enter and hope that I could win him this wooden marble runaway!! It’s been hard to find one made from wood! It would make a great surprise…he’s a fantastic son-in-law 😉
Looks like so much fun!
My boys would love building and using it, and I’d love watching them! I also love that it’s wood and so brightly colored.
I love that you can build and rebuild it into different runs!
I would enjoy watching my kids put this into different configurations.
Endless play and learning opportunities from this!
I love that it’s wooden and the bright colors,
I can see myself and hubby on the floor enjoying this right along with our 7 year old son!
That really is a great marble run. I love it! Do you know if they are available in Australia?
I love the wood and the colors. Also, my grandson and marble run can grow and change together.
Great giveaway!
That looks like a great set. Thanks for all your great ideas and giveaways.
I teach 6 boys who have autism. this would be a great addition to my classroom. I could see it get a lot of play~~ Lots of language activities.
Being made of wood it will be around for a long time which is what I love about wooden toys:)
I love how this encourages creativity and problem solving. My boys would enjoy this for years, ages 7,5,3 and 11 months. Great site and giveaway!
I like that it requires no batteries and you can play it anywhere.
My daughter is not a big builder, but she loves to watch marbles in marble runs. I love that the sturdy wood pieces look like they would provide some better successes in creating a decent run. We’ve tried making marble runs with paper tubes and paper plates and the frustration factor is just too high. The brightly colored patterned blocks also look like they would hold her interest for building longer as well.
Looks like a great toy for my boys!
My kids love to build with blocks in my classroom and this would be a great addition to my block center.
This looks so cool! I have been looking at marble run toys but haven’t been able to find the money to get one! I have three boys that would LOVE this!! 🙂
Very fun and creative looking toy. My boys would love it.
Love this marble run. I always forget to check out this company thanks for the reminder
I love the creative colors and designs! And long-lasting wood? Yes please!
My 4-year-old daughter is quite a builder and would love this!
With a large family, having open-ended toys is a must. They are more suited for sharing and creative play. This marble run looks great!
I like that they can build it however they want. It looks like it’s great quality too!
what an exciting giveaway! my daughter really wants one of these and i would love to give it to her. so much imaginative play!
I love how I can use it with so many different students! They love to build and it allows them to build it how they like it. I also like how I can teach about cause and effect in a fun and colorful way.
I :LOVE that the pieces don’t need to lock together like plastic sets- my boy turns 6 in a couple weeks and this would be PERFECT for his birthday!
I like that it can be interchangeable since they don’t have to fit together like the plastic one. My parents have a plastic one and my daughter LOVES playing with it when we visit them, this would be a perfect addition to our home!
I think I’d love to watch the creation process. I know watching the kids enjoy the results would be awesome!
It looks like an awesome toy…my daughter would love it!
My boys would love to play with this
I love the idea of this. I have never heard of this company so thanks for the heads up!
I love that this is made from wood! My son would love it.
I love that this is opened ended play. It will keep the kids occupied for hours.
My 3 1/2 year old would love these!!!!!
I love wooden toys, so that would top my list 🙂
My students could play for hours with this during inquiry time.
Wow! Wooden marble runs/mazes are so much nicer than plastic! I know my 5 year old would love this! Thanks for hosting!
What a SUPER NICE giveaway! Both my children would love this! They can have fun and learn at the same time = BONUS! Thank you for offering this.
I like the open ended play it provides, and that my boys could play with it for many years.
What a great creative construction toy! My boys would love this.
My daughter loves to build things and then watching the marbles would add so much
more enjoyment to her play. We would love it.
that its made of durable wood
I like that it isn’t plastic and it’s open-ended.
I love how colorful it is!
I can think of a lot of ways to use this in my Preschool classroom. Love it!
Love this & love Hearth Song! It is one of our favorite online stores for our kids!
What a great toy!!
My best friend has adopted a little boy and she has been trying to be consistant in using mostly natural, open ended play kinds of toys. She is a single mom, and if I won this I would give it to her for her son as a way to give back to her for all the things she has done with me. I love all of the possilbilities that a child can do with this item and the fact that it can be combined with other building toys to create something wonderful!
I love toys that develop creativity and thinking skills such as this one! Both my grandchildren and my preschool class would have hours of fun with it for years to come!
This is exactly the kind of toy my son loves – creative, open-ended, and FUN!
This is a great flexible toy! I think that all of the family would have fun with this. Thank you!
hours of entertainment!
My girls would love to predict the path of the marble! So cute!
I’m not sure who would enjoy this more – my son or me!
This is gorgeous, we love wooden toys and this looks amazing! Hours of fun.
I love that it is wooden! Lovely sounds!
I love it! I am not a fan of all the plastic toys and all of the noises. We really limit what we get for our two children and this appears to be a high quality product that they would have a lot of fun with and that I would like too!
I would have to agree with everyone…It is a beautiful whimsical open-ended fun toy to play with ….perfect to encourage young ones to think outside what they “should” do and create their own masterpiece…..
That my 4 and 6 year old could play together with it!
It can also be used to build with
I love how it’s wood and how it encourages creativity!
I love that these are made out of wood! I ran a preschool and had the plastic ones that were always getting stepped on and broken. I can see these would last a lot longer. I have gone from teaching 16+ at a time to teaching just one, my sweet granddaughter, and I know she would love this!
One of the highlights of our day is the marble trail!!
Love that it is made of wood
I really love that it is open ended. The ramps can be made in so many ways! Cool!
I love that it’s wood! It probably won’t break like our plastic marble run
We love marble runs and would love to win!!
We love that you can build it all different ways!
This toy looks awesome – great strategy thinking .. and makes the mind work to get all the pieces working together. great toy!!
I love how open-ended it is and how it allows for a large age range! Thanks for the giveaway! 🙂
It is durable. With five kids, we need toys that will last! I love that it is made out of wood and the kids use their imaginations to create. What a great toy!
Great toy.
I want to thank you… I enjoy your thoughts and enjoy reading your opinion and ideas…. I am trying to make sure I purchase things that will last… with 3 girls I don’t want to keep replacing toys & having things that are good for all ages works in my best interest. Less clutter!!
oooh love this! And {LOVE} wooden toys!!!
I love the open-ended nature of this toy. It allows for different levels of engagement at different ages, and encourages children to be creative!
My kids would LOVE this marble run! And I love that they can get creative with it – I could see it keeping them entertained for a very long time.
We have a similar set, and my boys love it! I would love to expand to our collection. With four boys, it would be nice if they could all play at once. 🙂
It’s solid, so wouldn’t fall apart in a few months. My builder child would spend hours on this!
Love it!