Zoie received her December Amazon STEM Club Toy Subscription, and we had a chance to finally play with it!
For December, she received the Drill Activity Center by Educational Insights Designs.
The Drill Activity Center comes with 120 chunky plastic bolts, a power drill, screwdriver, combination wrench, 2 drill bits, and 20 pattern cards (all pictured below). The power drill does require 3 AA batteries, they are not included of course.
At first, when I received the notification this was the toy that was coming in the mail I was a bit hesitant. First, why do I want to teach my 4-year-old how to unscrew things! Seriously, she already takes enough stuff apart! Second, do I really want to deal with 120 chunk plastic bolts thrown on my floor at once (my OCD really kicked in)?
When the kit came, I was still a little hesitant, but finally, post birthday celebrates I handed it over, she was very excited. Instantly she just wanted to screw the bolts into the activity board, she kept changes the drill bits and went to town. As soon as I handed her the drill it was game over, bolts kept coming in and out of the activity board.
So far she isn’t too intrested in the pattern cards, she starts one but eventually becomes uninterested & wanting to create her own design. She does understand the pattern, and will put them all in the open spaces, but won’t drill the bolts into place.
The drill bits are very easy for little hands to move in and out of the drill and screwdriver base. The bolts are also easily removed with your hand, so far we have had no issues with the bolts getting stuck.
The drill is a great addition, helping maintain grip while the drill is in motion. Also, it has just the right speed for little kids, it does not spin out of control during use. It additionally helps with hand and eye coordination, as they look directly at the bolt to align the drill bit and use two hands while trying to drill, going slow and steady. The drill also comes with a reverse option, allowing for easy removal.
In the end, I’m happy with the Drill Activity Center! We keep the bolts in the bag, just one out at a time unless secured on the activity board. The activity is easy for her to do on her own & really fun for her. The activity also is helping her calm down, when the bolt does not go into the hole correctly she’s breathing, looking and retrying. Of course, there are a couple issues, and we have had bolts flying. It also is helping her grip and hold items, like crayons and pencils.
They make different variations of “Design & Drill“; Design & Drill BrightWorks, Design & Drill SparkleWork, Design & Drill Flower Power Studio & Design & Drill Power Play Vehicles Race Car! I’d really recommend anything by Educational Insights Designs! We have so many of their science kits and exploring toys!
Please, don’t forget to read my original post Amazon STEM Kit #1, Kids First Automobile Engineer Kit!
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