Learning Resources STEM Explorers Magnet Movers (39 pieces) Review
A 39-piece introductory magnetism set for ages 5 and up, containing a magnetic wand, a magnetic post, two magnetic rings, a bar magnet, two magnetic balls, a horseshoe magnet, string, 30 colored chips, and an activity guide. Designed for home use and for kindergarten and preschool classrooms, it lets children test attraction and repulsion, sort magnetic from non-magnetic materials, and run guided force-and-motion experiments.
Kylie Harker's review
By Kylie Harker ·
Category scores
- Does it need a parent 2.5
Heavily. This is an activity rather than a toy, and the difference is about half an hour of your time. Handed over unsupervised it becomes a wand and a pile of chips within minutes. Sat down with, it is genuinely good. Score reflects the parent's experience honestly, not the child's, because that is the bit people are surprised by after buying it.
- Suitability for the stated age 3.5
Rated five and up and pitched at kindergarten through second grade, and the upper part of that is where it works best. Younger children love the effects, which is real value, but the guided experiments assume a child who can make a prediction and think about the result. My four-year-old had a great time and learned considerably less than the box hopes. There is no easy mode to grow into.
- Educational value 4
It teaches attraction, repulsion and polarity in a way a child can feel in their hands, which is far more effective than being told. The bar magnet with labelled ends is the piece that turns the magic trick into an explanation, and sorting the house into magnetic and non-magnetic is a genuinely good afternoon. Marked down slightly because the concepts run out fairly quickly once the guide is done.
- How long it holds interest 3
Brilliant in bursts, and honestly not much more than that. The activity guide is a fixed number of experiments and once you have worked through them what remains is open-ended play with a wand and some chips. It comes off the shelf every few weeks rather than living in the middle of the room. That is a perfectly reasonable life for a science set, but do not expect a daily favourite.
- Pieces, storage and mess 2.5
Thirty-nine pieces, thirty of them small chips, and they spread across a room with impressive speed. Plan on supplying your own tub or zip bag from the first day or you will be finding chips under the sofa for months. The small magnetic balls are also the piece to keep firm track of if there is a younger child anywhere in the house.
The review
Magnets are one of the few bits of science that still look like actual magic to a small child, and the best thing about this set is that it mostly gets out of the way and lets that happen. My son is four, so a year under the stated age, and the first ten minutes were him dragging the wand around the kitchen finding out what the fridge, the radiator and the cutlery drawer had in common. No instructions required. That part is lovely.
What you get is a bag of parts rather than a toy. A wand, a horseshoe magnet, a bar magnet, a post with two rings, two magnetic balls, some string and thirty coloured chips, plus a guide of activities. The two rings floating apart on the post is the moment that reliably gets a reaction, and the bar magnet with its ends marked is the bit that turns a party trick into an actual explanation of why.
Here is the thing nobody tells you in the product description. This is not a toy that entertains a child while you get on with something else. It is an activity you do with them. Left alone, my four-year-old used the wand to collect chips, scattered the chips, and then lost interest. Sat down next to him with the guide and the same pieces held him for a good half hour. If you do not have that half hour, the pieces will end up at the bottom of a toy box within a fortnight.
The age rating deserves respect for two reasons. The obvious one is small parts, and this set contains magnetic balls, which are exactly the sort of thing you do not want in a house with a toddler who still puts things in their mouth. Swallowed magnets are a serious business, not a bit-of-a-nuisance business. The less obvious reason is that the guided experiments assume a child who can follow a prediction, test it, and think about the result. A four-year-old enjoys the effects. A six-year-old actually learns the lesson.
Practical grumbles. It is thirty-nine pieces, thirty of which are small chips, and they go everywhere. You will want a tub or a zip bag of your own on day one. The guided activities are also finite, and once you have worked through them, what is left is free play with magnets, which is good but not endless. This is a set that gets used in bursts and then goes back on the shelf, and that is fine as long as you paid a bursts-and-shelf price rather than a treasured-favourite price.
The verdict. A well-judged, genuinely educational introduction to magnetism that does the job it claims to. It is not a toy that runs itself, it is not for younger siblings, and it will not hold a child for weeks. Buy it knowing you are part of the equipment.
Who should not buy it: anyone with a toddler in the house who still mouths things, anyone hoping to hand it over and get half an hour back, and anyone whose child is much under five and only wants the magic trick rather than the reason behind it.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe if I have a toddler in the house as well?
I would be careful. The set is rated five and up, it contains small pieces, and two of those pieces are magnetic balls. Swallowed magnets are a genuinely serious hazard rather than an ordinary choking worry, particularly if more than one is swallowed. If you have a younger child who still puts things in their mouth, this needs to be a table-only, adult-present activity that goes back in a closed container afterwards, not something left in the toy box.
Will a four-year-old get anything out of it?
They will have a wonderful time and they will learn less than the box implies. My four-year-old immediately understood that the wand picks up some things and not others, and going round the house testing objects was genuinely worthwhile. What he could not do was the guided part, where you predict what will happen, test it, and think about why. That is the actual learning, and it needs a slightly older child. If yours is four, buy it for the fun and treat the science as a bonus that arrives next year.
Does it keep them busy on their own?
No, and this is the honest answer people want before they buy. It is an activity rather than a self-running toy. Left alone, most young children use the wand to hoover up the chips, scatter them, and wander off. Sat down with an adult and the activity guide, the same set is absorbing for a good half hour. If you are looking for something that buys you time rather than costs you time, this is not it.
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