My husband and I often reminisce about toys we had as children. They were simple toys – something that today’s kids would find utterly boring. I think kids today would rather sit at home on thier smartphones than go outside in the fresh air and built a fort in the woods. Heck, back in the day we could find many fun uses for simple rocks and sticks. Oh how times have changed.
I am very impressed by some of the toys available to today’s youth, both young children and older ones (pre-teen and teens). I’m not talking about toys that require any “electrical assistance” or batteries, but toys that actually challenge a child and really get them to think.
I recently received to review a very innovative kinetic building system, made for ages 12+. This is so cool that even adults, aka “big kids,” can have so much fun with it.
The product is called Tecti. It’s by Fun in Motion Toys. Here is some background information about Tecti.
TECTI is a turning point in building toys, offering an innovative kinetic building system that allows people to build over 50 kinetic structures out of interlocking, movable cubes.
Here are some key features of TECTI:
- Each cubatic structure shifts into different shapes with tectonic-like movement thanks to built-in hinges.
- Lock your creation in place with the orange keystone to prevent it from moving, or keep exploring and creating new shapes.
- TECTI is scalable, modifiable, and easy to disassemble, allowing you to create the next big thing.
- Combine kits to build bigger superstructures when you’re ready for more.
Erik Ă„berg, the brain behind TECTI, is an artist from Stockholm, Sweden, and a professional juggler. With TECTI, he brings his expertise in movable sculptures to the world of building toys.
Fun in Motion Toys is known for their award-winning products and their commitment to making people happier and healthier through unique movement products. TECTI is STEAM accredited, making it a great educational tool as well.
Check out this brief video about Tecti. Look at how cool this toy is!
I was sent Tecti to review.
Everything you need comes in a handy box which is also used for storage. The box is made with two sections so you can keep specific pieces handy, rather than have to go looking for them. Tecti also comes with instructions. I fully believe that once you get the knack of how to use Tecti you can come up with your own structures.
Everything, including the box, is more colorful than what is pictured. The lighting is way off in our living room.
There are three different pieces that come with Tecti – the main building pieces (squares), hinges and special plates to fill in the empty spots on your structures, should you have any (not all designs involve the filler plates).
I suggest starting with the basic beginner structures when you first start off. This gives you a chance to understand how the pieces work.
The pieces snap together very easily. They don’t come apart as easily though, which is a good thing. You don’t want a piece to pop out when you are engaging with it.
To remove a plate, simply use the wood dowel, which comes included (pictured above) to remove just one side of the box. Once you get one popped out, the rest are easy to remove.
I’ve been recovering from pneumonia and bronchitis, so I didn’t have the “oomph” to create a more elaborate structure, but I did make one of the easier ones. It’s hard to tell, but the boxes are all connected by hinges, allowing me to move them around (if that makes sense).
My husband is more of a techi-person, so I gave Tecti to him to see what he would make.
*I apologize for the cat things in the background.
This is one of the pieces my husband created using the included directions. It’s a YouTube short, so I had a hard time finding out how to embed it. I also held my camera the wrong way for a short. Ugh!
The directions do help A LOT, but to be honest, they did get a bit confusing. Not so much the basic beginner structures, but the more advanced ones.
The placement of the hinges is very important to making these structures. You have to make sure the hinge in put on in the proper direction (how it folds), otherwise there won’t be any movement.
The instructions do make sense, but I wish there was more better way to indicate which direction to attach the hinge. Perhaps when we get used to building things with Tecti it will all make better sense. Aside from that, I think Tecti is a really cool toy. Actually, I don’t think of tis as a “toy” in the classic sense. This is a lot more. It’s a toy, a STEM-like product, and I might even dare to say a work of art. When you watch the Tecti video (not the one I made) you can see how fascinating and beautiful the advanced structures can be.
My husband said he wants to build a really big one and keep it at his desk and use it as a fidget toy for those times when he’s bored and has nothing to do. That is fine with me, as long as he brings it home for me to play with from time to time.
Tecti sells for $44.99 on the brand’s website. That might seem pricey, but think about all the different things you can make with it. You can also combine Tecti sets to build even bigger and better amazing movable structures.
To learn more about Fun in Motion, and to see all their other available products, visit FuninMotionToys.com. To learn more about Tecti specifically, visit this link.
Fun in Motion Toys is also on social media. All their links are found on the bottom of their website.
Tecti is sold on the brand’s website, as well as other retailers such as Amazon.
What do you think about Tecti? Feel free to comment and share your thoughts.
Kimberly
* I received a free product in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.