The Uberstix LandShark / UberDragster is part of the Uberstix Scavenger Series. This kit encourages recycling by incorporating common household recyclables into the design. The building kit contains 150 pieces (20 CubStix, 10 LocHubs, 105 Quarks, 5 I-Stix, 5 PopStix, 5 PirateStix) and a two scavenger lists detailing the few commonly recycled household items you will need to complete each of the Uberstix scavenger building projects.
But don't stop there, experiment with your own designs. Before you know it you will be combining Uberstix with your existing building systems and additional common household recyclables to build much more than you originally expected.
All Uberstix are designed to work with recycled materials (straws, popsicle® sticks, paper cups, paper clips, water bottles, etc) and other popular building systems like Lego®, KNeX®, Erector® , Zoobs®, Zome®. The design is such that it gets you thinking like an engineer and building like a real architect.
Kits range from the fairly simple animal kingdom series to the very advanced UberArc series (which includes real architectural blueprints). With all sets, planning and structural stability are part of the building process and you're having way too much fun to even realize you are learning about mathematics and physics along the way. Don't let the education fool you though, there is plenty of room for imagination with this building system.
The kits come with instructions, some with variations to explore, and all sets encourage experimenting with your own designs. The Uberstix building system also includes expansion packs which enables you to add just the pieces you need for whatever project you dream up. Once you learn the basics of how Uberstix parts fit together, how they work with your current building systems and how you can incorporate recycled materials into your projects you will realize you can bring to life just about any structure you can imagine. So let your imagination go wild! Who knows, maybe you'll be the next Frank Lloyd Wright.
Recommended age: 7+
Scavenger Items Required For The Dragster:
◊ 4-Push-Ups® Icecream Pops
◊ 1-Large Starbucks® Straw
◊ 1-Plastic Coffee Stir Sticks
Scavenger Items Required For The LandShark:
◊ 6-Push-Ups® Icecream Pops
◊ 2-Plastic Coffee Stir Sticks
◊ 1-Plastic Grocery Bag
◊ 1-Large Starbucks® Straw
◊ 1-McDonalds® Straw
◊ 10-Paper Clips
◊ Scotch® Tape
◊ 2-Popsicle® Sticks
Why is this product Very Cool?
Here is at least part of why we decided to rank the Uberstix LandShark / UberDragster as a Very Cool toy.
Scavenger Hunt Anybody?
The Uberstix Scavenger Series adds an extra twist by encouraging kids to get out and scavenge for additional, commonly found items to complete the suggested builds. This adds additional emphasis on the recycling and Ingenuity aspects of Uberstix.
Good Selection of Various Uberstix Pieces
This particular set has a good selection of a variety of pieces, although it does not include the BirdHub or BottleNeck. The set contains 220 CubStix, 10 LocHubs, 105 Quarks, 5 I-Stix, 5 PopStix, 5 PirateStix
Uberstix Encourage Recycling
The first thing that caught our attention about Uberstix in general is that they are designed to work with recycled items (straws, craft sticks, plastic water bottles, etc.). The “green” aspect of this is nice but we also like that a kid has the option of finding things around the house to expand the sets. In essence he or she could potentially add new pieces to the sets for free. We also like that Uberstix works in conjunction with a variety of other popular construction toys which really expands a child's options for creativity without making existing toys obsolete.
Uberstix Encourage Ingenuity
The “recycling” aspects of Uberstix goes a step further by encouraging a child to “think outside the box”. By opening the door to using non-Uberstix items while building with Uberstix a child has permission to think up new and different ways to use existing toys and household items during play. All on his own, no prompting, no instructions, my 7 year old nephew made an “armor chest plate” with a variety of Uberstix pieces and two empty paper towel rolls. That's cool! Teaching kids to start thinking this way, to look at a common object and see uses beyond the objects primary use is teaching ingenuity and that is super cool!
Uberstix Teach Engineering Techniques
Unlike some other construction sets the Uberstix structures built from instructions are very stable, surprisingly so in some cases. The use of foundations, cross bracing and other engineering techniques teaches a child some fairly complex concepts in a very natural and hands on way. Once you learn the basic building concepts you really can use those concepts to build all kinds of very stable structures from your own imagination.
Uberstix Are Just Plain Fun
So maybe you just don't care all that much about stability, recycling and Ingenuity and you just want to have some plain old fun! Go for it! Uberstix pieces fit together in a variety of ways, easy for kids to figure out without instructions or coaching. My nephew just went to town building all kinds of cool things with no instructions or guidance. We just dumped all the Uberstix Starter Set pieces out on the table and before I could get one suggested structure built he had the whole thing figured out and had built a half dozen different things.
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