Despite the fact (or maybe because of it?) that my husband and I make a living through technology and computers we try very hard to limit tech in our house. Our kids are very creative and we encourage them to use that and give them toys to build and play with that are screen free.
One problem with that, so many of the crafty creative projects are very girly. Even if the project itself is, say a bird house, many times they are packaged in ways that while very appealing to my 8-year-old daughter, are a complete turn off to my 10-year-old son.
When I showed him Qixels and told him a package was on the way he was super excited. This was a creative, crafty, toy that was not pink, was not girly and was perfect for him.
The best part for mom, was that at 10 years old he opened the packages, read the instructions and got started all on his own! Qixels are cubes that fuse together with just water. No heat, no glue, NO MESS! Kids can create their own 8-bit world with included templates or their own imagination. For you non-gamer folk 8-bit is a way to describe an image that looks like an old school video game made of square pixels.
Moose Toys (maker of Qixels) knows how to appeal to video game loving boys. Aside from he 8-bit inspired design of the Qixels cubes the templates that come with it range from ninja’s and dragons to vikings and swords. The Fuse Blaster takes the spray bottle and turns it into a water gun used to blast the cubes together. The Turbo dryer unit is not only fun to play with it cuts down on drying time (and the asking if it’s dry yet!)
I generally don’t feel the need to create categories of boy toys and girl toys, especially in the creative fields. I think art is art and kids should explore it all. While I give my children lots of access to all kinds of creative non-tech toys I am totally sold on this new “craftsruction” category that Moose Toys is creating that encourages boys to be creative and active at the same time.
If Qixels aren’t on your holiday wish list yet they should be. Appropriate for ages 5 and up you can find the line at most major retailers including Target and Toys R Us, or locally at Learning Express Toys in Lake Zurich.
Connect with Qixels:
View the demo | See the commercial | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Leave a Reply