From Family Room Forts to Big City Skyscrapers … Crazy Forts is a Great Choice to Encourage Design and Building
Here’s a paid DIY STEM activity that’s tons of fun and engages kids in engineering thinking and design. At 22 / 25 points, the rating is Buy IT or Borrow It! Crazy Forts is a great idea for a present for any occasion. You can add on components so the building creativity is almost endless. Great activity to build confidence and curiosity as a lot of trial and error. Also, positive hands-on experience designing and building. For many kids who are hoping for something that isn’t pink, sparkly or a blonde-haired doll, this is a great choice!
What: Crazy Forts; Please see website for all details, including safety recommendations: https://crazyforts.com. Crazy Forts comes with 25 balls and 44 sticks to connect and create a fort structure. Just add bed sheets to top off your creations. Crazy Forts has been recognized by Purdue University in their Engineering Gift Guide and also Huffington Post holiday gift guide.
Rating (out of 25): At 22 / 25 points, the rating is Buy IT or Borrow It! (Fun = 4 + Confidence & Curiosity = 5 + STEM Aligned = 5, + Time Value = 5, + Cost = 3).
Cost: ~$40.00 CND; Free Shipping with Amazon Prime
Age: 5+
Kid POV:
As per Adrianna (6 years old, loves gymnastics, part-time Jr. Executive at D4DSTEM): “It’s fun to build the house but also to use my imagination to build other structures. I can follow the instructions and be creative. It’s more fun building with my friends and brother than tidying up after. ”
As per Marcus (3 Years old, loves animals): “I like to make the rocket ship! My dad is an alien and can’t come inside.”
Caregiver POV:
As per Darryl (38 years old, dad, husband, D4DSTEM Founder & Digital Banking Executive): “In addition to my kids having fun, I have a lot of fun as building forts was one of my favourite childhood activities. Both Adrianna and Marcus have spent hours making forts. I wish they spent hours cleaning up afterwards. Great activity to build confidence and curiosity as a lot of trial and error – especially if you don’t follow the instructions and try to innovate. Also teaches the importance of structures having a strong foundation and using imagination to create unique inventions. The age recommendation is accurate; however, don’t drop the balls on your bare toes … it hurts.