This Reading Mama

HearthSong Marble Runaround {Review and Giveaway}

By 118 Comments

HearthSong Marble RunaroundFor 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”.

opening up the marble runaroundThe 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

HearthSong Marble RunaroundHe has had a blast placing the pieces in different configurations to watch the marble roll, race, and even jump.

marble run set and domino setHe’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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Becky

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Comments

  1. 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.

    Reply

  2. What a fun toy! I love that it is not plastic! This would make a great present for my little man’s upcoming birthday 😉

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  6. 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.

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  7. 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!

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  8. I like that it is wood, colorful, and doesn’t require batteries. Looks fun and my 4 year old would love it.

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  12. 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.

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  13. What a neat mind challenging toy! Hunter loves to build towers, ramps, etc. I love reading your blogs and keeping up with the kiddos.

    Reply

  16. 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

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  20. 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.

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  25. 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.

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  26. 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!

    Reply

  28. 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)

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  29. 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.

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  35. 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 😉

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  37. 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.

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  44. I love the wood and the colors. Also, my grandson and marble run can grow and change together.
    Great giveaway!

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  46. 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.

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  48. 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!

    Reply

  50. 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.

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  60. what an exciting giveaway! my daughter really wants one of these and i would love to give it to her. so much imaginative play!

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  61. 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.

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  62. 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!

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  63. 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!

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  74. 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.

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  77. My daughter loves to build things and then watching the marbles would add so much
    more enjoyment to her play. We would love it.

    Reply

  84. 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!

    Reply

  85. 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!

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  93. 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!

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  94. 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…..

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  98. 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!

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  106. 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!

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  108. 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!!

    Reply

  110. 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!

    Reply

  111. 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.

    Reply

  112. 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. 🙂

    Reply

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