Thursday, November 8, 2018

Hands On STEM Learning with the Design & Drill Workbench

Keep siblings busy and learning with their very own Design & Drill Workbench!



We were kindly gifted this Design & Drill My First Workbench by Educational Insights for purpose of review. All opinions and images are our own and completely genuine. This post contains affiliate links.



I've been considering getting my two kids a workbench style toy for a while but I was struggling to find one that had good functionality. I didn't want more cheap plastic in the toy room! I came across this Design & Drill Workbench by Educational Insights and felt it was just what I was looking for!


I was genuinely impressed with this STEM toy. My kids were both completely engaged as they played. The set comes with a workbench and storage drawer, nails, screws, a hammer, and the star of the show, an electric screwdriver.


The screwdriver requires three AAA batteries and functions with a forward and backwards feature to screw and unscrew. I was really happy to see that even my 19 month old daughter could easily handle this tool (obviously with safety supervision!). It was a fantastic fine motor workout for her, and really tested her patience and ability to explore a new tool.


5 year old big brother was just as happy to get his hands on this tool. He grasped a good understanding of the forward and backward button and could use the screwdriver to arrange the screws into patterns on the board. The set comes with a manual with some pattern suggestions. Of course my son opted for a train, his favorite!



The second tool which comes with the Design & Drill set is a hammer to use with the nails. This is cleverly designed. To get the nails into their grooves on the workbench, a decent amount of force is needed and then they snap in securely. I was surprised at how robust the hammer and nails are, making it a really fun gross motor activity for the kids!


On the reverse side of the hammer, the tool can be used to pick out the nails. This can be achieved with an easy scoop and pull motion which both kids could do.


For me the biggest positive about this set is how open-ended it is for collaborative play. My kids spent over an hour straight playing with it together. The fact that there are two tools and two types of nails / screws is crucial! The workbench itself is also of a decent size and can be easily used on the floor or a table so that everyone has easy access. And let's not forget the very useful storage drawer!


I loved listening as my son set out the screws for baby sis to screw in. Then he would ask baby sis to lay out some nails for him to hammer in. Together they carefully created colorful patterns and shapes, all the time working their fine motor skills and engineering abilities.


I'm very confident that this will be a toy that continues to grow with my kids. They will find new ways to use the nails and screws, and will enjoy the excitement of using real tools for years to come. Thanks for a great toy Educational Insights!

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