Thames & Kosmos Gumball Machine Maker Lab - Build Machines with Physics & Engineering Lessons | 12 Experiments | Make Your Own Gumball Machines | Includes Gumballs | Award Winner

Where do I start, how about with the CONS. The gumballs actually taste good, so they are going to get eaten. So … Yup, that’s the cons list.Now for the PROS, This is another great science kit from Thames & Kosmos, but this time They put the GUM in FUN! Or is that the FUN in GUM … Anyways right outta the box, you can tell that there’s a lot going on, starting with this kit from the QR code on the front that takes you to a number of explanatory videos that mirror the experiments in the box, where they take you through various experiments that teach you about the different pieces in the kit, like the Smooth track, Momentum track, inclined plane, Centripetal Force funnel, etc. To the “expert set-ups” in the manual that show you how to combine the different pieces and combinations to construct almost like a gumball “Rube Goldberg” machine. And this is where the real fun begins, combining the various parts, creating different experiments, observing the actions and reactions, making adjustments, and doing it all again is where your kids are going to have a great time and get lost in it. To be honest, your kids probably won’t even get to the expert set-ups before they are off on a tangent bouncing gumballs off the trampoline, trying to land them in the funnel, where they will circle around and head off to pendulum and then to the ... Forget about handing the kids the iPad, put this in front of them, and watch their creativity soar while they have a great time learning physics in the process.

I gave this gift to my niece’s daughter, and it was a hit! Not only is it something that the recipient can use for quite a while, but there was a sense of accomplishment of putting this together herself. It appears to be very durable and a great value for the money. I love to give a gift that stimulates the kids which this does.

The media could not be loaded. First of all it arrive with a crack in the container to hold the gum balls. Easily fixed with tape but still. Plastic seems cheap overall and we were afraid of breaking it further the entire time putting it together.Got it as a silly gift for my adult brother and I and our father. We would probably rate it as a 2 but going to give it a 3 for kids.The mechanism to release a gumball was almost useless. It constantly jammed in both directions and was almost impossible to get a gum all out. This would be the biggest frustration for a child.Several of the “experiments” are overhyped, especially the claim that they teach physics. The dominoes is a disappointment - the ball is intended to fall off the track. Actually it’s intended to fall off for several of the “experiments”. The momentum trap track was basically just the same as the 180 degree track.A few experiments were fun though! Trampoline was cool, although assembly was confusing. Centripetal force funnel was also cool. Slingshot was definitely entertaining even as an adult.Be aware that you can only do a few experiments at once due to the height of the gym all machine, especially if you want to do ones requiring more height like the pendulum.Overall I guess I’d recommend it if it was $10-15 max but for the price it’s not really worth it and I could see it being frustrating for children.

Do not buy this gum ball machine. My 7 year old was so excited about this. It’s horrible. It’s hard to assemble, the opening in the top is not covered so the gum balls are always exposed, and the WORST part is if you accidentally grab it by the top to move it the top comes completely off and gum balls so everywhere. I cannot even tell you how many times I’ve picked up spilled gum balls. The worst money I’ve spent. It will be going in the trash and was hardly even used.

I think this is a great gift for kids. Especially good for kids interested in STEM and have the patience to build. Id recommend 7 and older.Downside is that it's hard to no lose pieces over time. Plus like anything else, kids get bored of it.

This a was a gift for a 9 year old we had not met. She immediately opened the box and insisted we put together the structure. She was very engaged with the assembly and examined the directions. Success when the gumballs followed the path she created. It was a hit.

My son loves gumball machines and this has been a favorite of his Christmas gifts this past year. The gumballs looked like they had melted and they were no longer round and fit through the machine just right. I notified the company and they were so easy to work with and replaced the gumballs quickly.

The track is hard to assemble and falls apart easily. It is rickety and some pieces that require balance fall over at the touch of a feather. The gumballs rarely stay on the track for the full trick, even if you follow the instructions or the online tutorials. The gumball dispensing machinery gets stuck easily and requires significant force to dispense a gumball, which sometimes causes the entire setup to fall to bits.