I had the opportunity to play with the John Deere Gearation Magnetic Board this week. This magnetic board certainly offers a different type of play. I did enjoy my play time with this John Deere-themed play set although I am not sure it is going to hold attention for a long time.
This was an easy toy to unbox. Just removing the tape from the side of the box allowed me to pull out the magnetic board and the small bag containing all the gears. I did have to install one C battery to play.
The Playtime Experience
The front of the board has two buttons, one on each side. One is to control the speed of the spin with symbols of a rabbit for fast and turtle for slow. This button controls a small central button that spins whichever gear you place on this piece as the main spinning gear. The other button is an on/off button that also allows you to choose the direction of the spin.
The included gears are all different and have unique features. On the bottom of several there is a small indent that can be placed on that central post I referenced previously. The other gears have unique features like levers, flippers, belles…etc that are activated while spinning.
To play with this simply place a central gear and then start building around it. You can do it while still or while it is moving, though when it Is moving it can be more of a challenge!
Things I Liked
I really like that each gear has something unique about it and many of them come to live when the board is set it motion.
Things I Didn't Like
I don’t like that I cannot place the gears between to others without jamming up the whole system!
Appropriate Ages
This John Deere toy is recommended for players 3 and older.
Final Note
Although I really do like the John Deere Gearation Magnetic Board. I feel that within a few minutes I had run out of ways to place the gears and ways to play. It is really neat but my fear is it won’t hold attention for long enough to justify spending the money. This is a great gift for a small child who enjoys moving parts…etc but it isn’t great for everyone.