I’ve heard wonderful things about the GoldieBlox line of toys, but I haven’t purchased any for my girls because I worried that they were on the verge of being too old for them. But when Walmart asked if I was interested in trying out the Goldie Blox and the Dunk Tank set, I figured my 9-year-old, Addie, might enjoy checking it out — and if it was too young for her, we’d donate it.
If you’re not familiar with them, GoldieBlox toys are designed to get girls building with fun and colorful sets that tap into STEM-based learning.
The GoldieBlox and the Dunk Tank set, specifically, is a problem-solving kit. Goldie needs to find a way to get her dog, Nacho, clean. However, Nacho hates water and actually likes being dirty. As kids read along, they construct a dunk tank and learn about hinges and levers in the process.
GoldieBlox sets are designed for ages 4-9. Obviously, kids at the younger end of the age range are going to need some assistance reading and building the sets, but older children should be able to complete the set unassisted. Addie sat down and read the book and constructed the dunk tank unassisted in about 15 minutes.
While she truly loved the set and played with the completed dunk tank for quite awhile after building it, unfortunately, the toy hasn’t had much staying power in our house. I haven’t seen her play with it once since she built it over a week ago, so I think I was right about these toys perhaps being a bit too young for her.
However, I would wholeheartedly recommend them for a younger child, as they really do hit the mark in making building fun and engaging. I noticed on the GoldieBlox website that they have a new open-ended building set (GoldieBlox and the Builder’s Survival Kit) that’s targeted for ages 7-12, so I think this might be a better fit for my girls.
GoldieBlox and the Dunk Tank can be found at Walmart and on Walmart.com for $19.99. It received a Gold Seal for the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award!