From the blog

• May 25, 2018 Marble Genius Instruction App Released!
  

  We're excited to announce that we have a FREE App to enhance your experience with all of our Marble Genius products!

  While we recognize that our toys are "free play" toys like Lego that allow for infinite design possibilities, we've received requests for instructions that are easier to consume. We provide several guides with each of our products and have offered an 80-page manual available on PDF or Kindle, but we've long desired to provide visual instructions that are interactive and three-dimensional.

  Enter the Marble Genius app!

  Here's what you'll find...

  As of the official release date of the app (May 16th, 2018), we have over 100 different projects across all of our toys and games, with four different skill levels (Beginner to Advanced). You'll find an introduction area for our Marble Run toys and Marble Maze games with both visual and video options.

  Here's a breakdown of the rest of our products:

  • Starter Set -  4 projects
  • Super Set - 9 projects
  • Extreme Set - 12 projects
  • Pinked Out! Set - 6 projects
  • Marble Jungle Marble Run - 6 projects
  • Marble Maze Challenge Game - 80+ projects

  Badges:

  Every time a project is completed, you'll earn a badge with the Marble Genius Logo and check mark pictured below.  This will help you keep track of projects you've completed and projects you haven't.

  

  Challenges:

  In addition to the 100+ projects in the app, we also have a number of different challenges and we'll continually add more, which will keep our toys and games fresh and exciting. Some of our current challenges include Circular Challenge, Single Color Challenge, Longest Jump Challenge, etc.

  

  Take a Pic & Share:

  At the conclusion of every project or challenge, you'll have the option to take a picture of your project and share it with others on our app, through Facebook, or on the social media platform of your choice. Don't forget to tag us at #MarbleGenius so we can see too!

  Compatibility:

  Our app is compatible with iPhones, iPads, Android Phones, & Android Tablets:

  

  Feedback & Ideas:

  It would be a HUGE help if you could leave feedback in the form of an App review on either the App Store or the GooglePlay store! If there's anything that didn't meet your expectation or additional features you'd like to see, please send them to support@marblegenius.com and we'll prioritize them accordingly.

  We hope this app takes your Marble Genius fun to the next level!

  

• April 22, 2018 Your Living Room: A Learning Ground for All Ages
  

  Education expands our knowledge of the world and empowers us to make it better. It develops perspective and broadens our view. And it all starts with early childhood development.

  The development of young children greatly impacts their overall growth, ultimately leading to the adults they'll become. That's why investing in your kids is so important. It not only enriches their lives now; it sets the stage for future well-being.

  STEM LEARNING AND MARBLE RUNS

  The fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are more vital than ever before. STEM education combines the fields into a unified model that has real-world applications. The education is hands-on, problem-solving based, and designed to teach students new skills that can help them in the future. But the best part? It's fun!

  Here at Marble Genius, we've heard from teachers across the country on how they've utilized our marble runs in the classroom. But learning doesn't have to be limited to a school building. Homeschooling parents or those looking to inspire learning through impromptu play can reap the educational rewards.

  LEARNING WITH MARBLE RUNS AT HOME

  Building a marble run is a lesson in creativity and patience. Your kids will learn how to focus and improve their memory and recall. The Marble Genius marble run toys are designed to enhance cognitive abilities and enable kids to learn while having fun. We're not the only ones who believe that, though.

  

  HowToHomeschool.net recently evaluated hundreds of resources and products for their Best Homeschooling Resources & Curriculum list. Their desire was to not only encourage well-rounded learning, but to also equip parents with new ideas to make the education process fun and exciting. We're humbled and grateful to be included in the list.

  Whether you send your kids off to school or you educate them at home, don't miss out on the fun ways you can inspire them to learn and grow. Your living room may just be the most effective learning ground.

  For ideas to incorporate our marble runs into your kids' education or in a school classroom, be sure to check out our lesson plans HERE.

   

  

• January 15, 2018 How to Fight Kids' Boredom in the Winter
  

  For most of us, the dog days of winter are making their presence felt through cooped up kids who love to say the three dreaded words…I AM BORED!!! Being parents ourselves, we've heard our fair share of “I am bored.” But how do we create engaging and active ways for them to play inside?

  We feel strongly that it's important to get creative and not just put a screen in front of them for the winter. According to the market research firm Childwise, “Children aged five to 16 spend an average of six and a half hours a day in front of a screen compared with around three hours in 1995" (http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-32067158). This is unacceptable, but it's also easy to do. (We've been guilty of it ourselves at times.)

  BEST TOYS FOR FIGHTING BOREDOM

  There are lots of different types of toys you can buy for your kids, and the last thing you want is a closed-ended toy that they're done with after 10 minutes. Finding toys that are truly open-ended, giving them numerous ways to play and holding their attention for extended periods of time is extremely challenging.

  Here are some ideas we have...

  • Robots & Programming: Dash & Dot

  

  Company Description: Kids define how they want to play. Whether you’re into hosting make-believe tea parties, having jousts at magical kingdoms, or adventuring with friends, Dash & Dot will be there every step of the way. Children ages 6 to 12 learn the foundations of problem solving and computer programming as they have fun with Dash & Dot. In addition to the robots and apps, their website offers a variety of fun activity ideas and challenges for you to take on with your new robot friends. Start with these and then invent your own uses for Dash & Dot.

  • Movie Making: Stikbot Studio

  

  Company Description: You create. You animate. You SHARE! Stikbot is the social-sharing, easy to pose figurine Standing 3-inches tall, Stikbot's suction cup-tipped limbs will adhere to almost any flat surface allowing for easy posing for photographs and stop-animation filming. Stikbot Studio Pro comes with 2 figures and a green screen. Also includes a free app for iPhone and Android. Stikbot.

  • Building Toys: Marble Genius Marble Run Toys

  
  

  At Marble Genius, we obviously have a little bias here, but we continually get positive feedback regarding the fact that not only is it fun to build our toys, but you actually get to play with them when you're done! Most building toys like Lego have a construction element, but once the toy is built there's not much else to do other than go build another one.

  We like to dump the box of marble run pieces out and let the creative thinking begin. Our kids are still amazed at what they're creating and love to have races with the marbles, all without knowing they're developing hand-eye coordination, logical thinking, and problem-solving skills. This year, we’ve also enjoyed allowing our inner child to come out to help our kids build forts, obstacle courses, and our personal favorite, Hot Lava. As an extra bonus, we enjoy using the marble runs within our obstacle course.

  HOW PARENTS CAN HELP BREAK THE BOREDOM CYCLE

  Sometimes we avoid buying open-ended toys because we see our children stop playing with them after the novelty has worn off. The most frequent question about a toy: “Will my child continue to play with it, or will it just collect dust?”

  Let’s change our thinking here. If children stop playing with an item, we may think the failure lies with the toy. Really, no one is at fault. Maybe the child just isn't feeling inspired. They're human, and we can’t expect them to be creative all the time.

  When we see that our kids are bored or ignoring their open-ended toys, we've personally found it helpful to start playing with the toys by ourselves. We don't invite them to join us, but they always end up joining. They’ll sit beside us and say, “Hey, Mom and Dad, look what I made!” The inspiration returns, without any nudging or direction. All we had to do was sit down and play first. It works every time.

  Winter might challenge families to stay active, but with the right toys and a little creativity, you can turn boredom into a fun family experience.

  

• November 08, 2017 Introducing 9 New Marble Genius Accessory Sets
  

  We're excited to let you know about 9 new Marble Run Accessory Sets that we recently released on Amazon, ranging in price from $6.99 - $12.99! These Marble Run Accessory Sets are compatible with any of our Marble Genius marble run toys and any marble run toy that uses Marbulous pieces. We developed these 9 products based on many requests we've received over the last year. Here's a summary of each one...

  Automatic Chain Lift:

  Enhance the excitement of your existing marble run with this automatic chain lift. Explore the fun that comes with combining more than 1 chain lift together to create a fully automated infinite loop.

  

  Jumps & Swings:

  Challenge your building abilities and enhance the playability of your marble run with jumps & swings that move marbles through the air to other locations on the marble run toy. 2 Jumps, 2 Swings, & 4 Catches are provided in this set. The additional pieces/marbles shown in the picture above are for illustration only and are available in other sets but not included with this set.

  

  Stable Bases:

  4 of our largest bases are included in this Accessory Set to enhance the stability & playability of your existing marble run.

  

  Waterslides & Rollercoasters:

  The 5 pieces that come with this set produce exciting action with marbles, including a full 360-degree circle. Expand the fun of your existing marble run toy by adding these pieces!

  

  Marbles:

  These glass marbles are compatible with any of our Marble Genius marble run toys and are the standard size for toy marbles (5/8 inch each).

  

  Physics Fun:

  The 5 pieces that come with this set produce exciting action with marbles including a full 360-degree circle and 2 Y splitters that alternate the direction of marbles. Expand the fun of your existing marble run toy by adding these pieces!

  

  Sky High Circles:

  Increase the fun as well as the strength and stability of your marble run by leveraging our Round 'n Round topper pieces.

  

  Tubes! Tubes! Tubes!

  Quickly increase the size and playability of your existing marble run by adding the 30 translucent tubes that are included with this set.

  

  We have even more exciting products and innovative technologies for your existing marble run toys that are scheduled to be released in 2018, so stay tuned. Also, we'd love to hear your feedback on additional products that you're interested in! Please send an e-mail to support@marblegenius.com with your input.