KEVA Structures 200 Plank Set
Pine or maple planks can be balanced and stacked while exploring engineering fundamentals such as proportion and structural integrity.
<p><strong>Toy Description</strong></p>
<p>200 identically sized pine planks.</p>
<p>Includes a project idea booklet.</p>
<p><strong>Play</strong></p>
<p>Build structures by balancing and stacking the planks. If the situations calls for it, pretend to be a dinosaur attacking a city and roar while knocking down aforementioned structures.</p>
<p><strong>Observations</strong></p>
<p>Unlike construction sets that have interlocking pieces, this set relies on balance and proper weight distribution for structures to succeed. In this way, children are forced to think about how geometric shapes affect the overall structural integrity and stability in a much more direct way than with traditional building sets.</p>
<p>These planks are made from wood, not plastic molds. There are occasionally small discrepancies between some planks, but we are entirely unconcerned about them. Children playing with the set sometimes noticed that one plank was ever-so-slightly warped, or that one piece was a tiny bit thicker than another piece. This did not stop their enjoyment of the set. In fact, children noticing these small differences were then able to reassign a purpose for that piece. For instance, when observing that one plank was not balancing very well when turned on its thin side, the child used that piece as a flat section for the roof and selected a different piece to balance. Learning to adjust and be flexible is a key lesson in life.</p>
<p>We agree with the manufacturer’s recommend age of 7 and up. Balancing these planks does require a level of hand control that some children just might not have, yet.</p>
<p>The included project idea booklet is something else we appreciate. Because there are no step-by-step instructions to follow, children must either come up with their own projects or recreate the structure based on the image of the finished project. Using a finished project as the only guide forces children to construct the steps themselves, thinking what actions must be taken in order to achieve the desired result.</p>
<p>The Maple planks are advertised as being more durable and better for holding up to wear and tear over the long term. We found nothing about our pine planks to indicate that they will give out any time soon, but we can understand that some people may just prefer the feeling of maple over pine. For us, the pine is fine.</p>
<p>We did not find any issues with splinters in our set. Our planks were perfectly safe for play. We have come across reports of others finding a few planks with some rough sides in their sets, and we can not account for this difference.</p>
<p><strong>Care</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Wipe down with damp cloth</li>
</ul>
<p>For more information on how to care for wooden toys, check out our <a href="/Blogs1/The-Cleaning-Guide-for-Toys.htm" linktype="8" target="_self">Cleaning Guide for Toys</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Parts and Pieces</strong></p>
<p>Includes 200 pine planks. Compatible with the KEVA 400 Plank Set.</p>
<p><strong>Concerns</strong></p>
<p>We don’t really have any concerns for this toy. The planks are not really small enough to be a choking hazard, though they should still be kept away from children who enjoy chewing on their environment.</p>
Written by: The Guide For Toys
KEVA Structures 200 Plank Set
Date published: 2016-06-27
9.00 / 10 stars
Detailed ReviewToy Description
200 identically sized pine planks.
Includes a project idea booklet.
Play
Build structures by balancing and stacking the planks. If the situations calls for it, pretend to be a dinosaur attacking a city and roar while knocking down aforementioned structures.
Observations
Unlike construction sets that have interlocking pieces, this set relies on balance and proper weight distribution for structures to succeed. In this way, children are forced to think about how geometric shapes affect the overall structural integrity and stability in a much more direct way than with traditional building sets.
These planks are made from wood, not plastic molds. There are occasionally small discrepancies between some planks, but we are entirely unconcerned about them. Children playing with the set sometimes noticed that one plank was ever-so-slightly warped, or that one piece was a tiny bit thicker than another piece. This did not stop their enjoyment of the set. In fact, children noticing these small differences were then able to reassign a purpose for that piece. For instance, when observing that one plank was not balancing very well when turned on its thin side, the child used that piece as a flat section for the roof and selected a different piece to balance. Learning to adjust and be flexible is a key lesson in life.
We agree with the manufacturer’s recommend age of 7 and up. Balancing these planks does require a level of hand control that some children just might not have, yet.
The included project idea booklet is something else we appreciate. Because there are no step-by-step instructions to follow, children must either come up with their own projects or recreate the structure based on the image of the finished project. Using a finished project as the only guide forces children to construct the steps themselves, thinking what actions must be taken in order to achieve the desired result.
The Maple planks are advertised as being more durable and better for holding up to wear and tear over the long term. We found nothing about our pine planks to indicate that they will give out any time soon, but we can understand that some people may just prefer the feeling of maple over pine. For us, the pine is fine.
We did not find any issues with splinters in our set. Our planks were perfectly safe for play. We have come across reports of others finding a few planks with some rough sides in their sets, and we can not account for this difference.
Care
- Wipe down with damp cloth
For more information on how to care for wooden toys, check out our Cleaning Guide for Toys.
Parts and Pieces
Includes 200 pine planks. Compatible with the KEVA 400 Plank Set.
Concerns
We don’t really have any concerns for this toy. The planks are not really small enough to be a choking hazard, though they should still be kept away from children who enjoy chewing on their environment.