Marbles — and creating tracks to send them rolling down — have been a staple of play for centuries. Yet Fat Brain Toys has found a whole new take on marble runs with the Deluxe Trestle Tracks building set.
Part of a larger series of Trestle Tracks building sets for kids ages 8 and up, the kit comes with a whopping 124 pieces. This includes two base grids that offer a stable foundation for kids’ marble run builds, 90 stackable cube building pieces called risers, 10 stainless steel marbles, and 18 colorful track pieces.
These colorful track pieces are what really make Trestle Tracks stand out. With the exception of more interactive pieces, including a funnel and stairs (which add some extra fun to the marble runs), the track pieces are completely flat.
This is unusual for marble runs, which usually utilize sloping track pieces to give the marbles enough momentum to keep going. Trestle Tracks, however, rely on a physics principle called the Trestle Propulsion Principle. Basically, each piece of track widens very slightly from one end to the other. The widening is almost imperceptible, but it provides momentum to keep the marbles moving. The result is incredibly cool to see, as the marbles appear to coast along by magic. This also means that Trestle Tracks are far more compact than many marble runs, which is a bonus for anyone trying to save space.
Along with all of the construction pieces, the Deluxe Trestle Tracks set comes with a guide that offers step-by-step instructions for building different runs. This is a great starting point when kids first get started with Trestle Tracks! Then, kids can get a bit more creative and design their own Trestle Tracks marble runs. As kids build, they will be flexing their STEM skills a bit, making sure that the tracks always go in the correct direction for the Trestle Propulsion Principle to work. The pieces are very easy to put together and take apart, which means kids can take on Trestle Tracks as a fairly independent project.
As an added bonus, once kids finish a Trestle Tracks build and send the marbles rolling down, they will enjoy a great sensory experience. Not only are the marbles fun to watch, but they also provide a soothing sound as they whoosh and clack down the run.
The Deluxe Trestle Tracks set is one of three new Trestle Tracks sets from Fat Brain Toys, all of which are available to preorder now, with an official launch on May 20, when Trestle Tracks will also be available on Amazon. The Starter Set (which is only $15!) comes with 43 pieces, while the Builder Set ($24.95) has 73 pieces. The Deluxe Set is the biggest of the bunch. The best part is that all of the pieces are compatible between sets. That means kids who have more than one set can combine them to create an epic Trestle Tracks metropolis!
Drawing on creativity, STEM elements, and sensory fun, there’s endless fun and play potential with Trestle Tracks!
