Teaching my 8-year-old daughter about science is important, and I’m always trying to find new ways to introduce STEM concepts to her without losing her attention. She loves to build and create, so we tried a highly rated interlocking disc set called Brain Flakes. These flat, colorful discs snap together, making it possible to build just about anything and learn basic engineering concepts while tinkering. The bright colors and unique shapes are enough to grab a child’s attention, but for how long? Read on to see if Brain Flakes live up to the hype of parent praises.
Packaging: Easy to store and transport
Brain Flakes arrived at our home in a simple plastic container with a lid and a handle. It’s not a sophisticated packaging system, but these plastic connector pieces don’t need anything fancy; they can be thrown back into the container once playtime is over, and the plastic handle made it easy to transport them from place to place.
Design: Simple but fascinating
The design concept behind Brain Flakes is simple: they’re flat, quarter-sized discs that snap together so you can build whatever you want. The jar had 500 bright-colored discs made of safe and tested polyethylene. All of the discs were the same size and shape, though the colors varied, and they looked a bit like flowers. The pieces snap together by notches so kids can build while developing spatial intelligence and thinking. My daughter didn’t realize there was a learning component to the Brain Flakes. She just wanted to snap them together and build. She stacked and snapped disc after disc to try and create cats, cars, and just about everything in between. She was able to snap the pieces together easily. It was a little difficult for her to pull them apart after they were snapped together, so I spent a lot of time disassembling giant blocks of flakes, but it was a small price to pay to know that she was learning about engineering concepts by playing with these discs.
Entertainment Value: A new favorite
My 8-year-old wasn’t the only person who wanted to play with the jar of Brain Flakes. My 17-year-old daughter was intrigued by them, which surprised me. She convinced her sister to share so they could build together. The two of them snapped the pieces together to build trees, snowflakes, and colorful buildings, and there wasn’t a single argument between them during that time. I was also surprised to see my 17-year-old play with them on her own. My youngest daughter left the jar of Brain Flakes on the table one afternoon while we ran some errands, and we returned to find an amazing colorful tree had been built from them. I asked who’d made it, and my teenager laughed and told me she’d Googled how to build it while we were out. I have to admit that I’ve also played with these colorful discs too after the kids have gone to bed. I’m not as creative as my daughters are, but I’ve enjoyed building towers with them.
Age Range: All ages
The manufacturer recommends Brain Flakes for ages 3 and up. Everyone in our house has played with these plastic discs—parents included.
Care: Toss them into the jar
Brain Flakes are easy to clean and store. The plastic container that holds them is pretty durable, and pick-up is simple. My daughter throws them into the jar when she’s done building. Clean-up is a breeze, too. I’ve only had to clean them once, and it was after my daughter dragged the container to dinner at a sushi restaurant and played with them at the table while eating salty edamame. I used all-purpose cleaner to wipe the mess off them, and they were back to new again.
Price: Less than lunch
Brain Flakes retail on average for between $15 and $20, which is a small price to pay given how entertaining they are.
VIAHART Brain Flakes 500 Piece Interlocking Plastic Disc Set vs. EMIDO Building Blocks Kids Educational Building Discs Set
Brain Flakes isn’t the only set of interlocking discs on the market. There are several options to choose from in the same price range. The EMIDO Building Blocks Kids Educational Building Discs Set is built on the same premise as Brain Flakes, but there are a few differences. While the discs in this set snap together, they’re not flat like Brain Flakes are. They’re shaped more like jacks, with knobby edges that snap together instead. They’re colorful and unique, but they aren’t as highly rated as Brain Flakes are, and they’re about the same price. Brain Flakes are the new favorite toy in our house. They help kids naturally learn about engineering and STEM basics, and they’re enjoyable to build with.
