Gear Motion Blocks — 31 Pieces That Drive Each Other

31 pieces — flat base blocks, coloured gears and small vehicles — that build a machine which moves. The skill is meshing the gears so their teeth engage: get it right and turning one gear drives the whole assembly; get it wrong and one gear spins alone.

How you play

1. Build a flat base from the coloured blocks.
2. Fit the gears onto the base so their teeth mesh with each other.
3. Add the vehicles and figures on or beside the gears.
4. Turn the main gear by hand.
5. Watch the motion travel through the assembly — and fix any gear that does not move.

What it builds

• How motion transfers from one part to another
• Precision, since gears that almost mesh do not mesh
• Diagnosing where a chain of movement stops
• Designing an arrangement rather than copying one

Three ways to play it

• Build the longest chain of gears the base will hold
• Swap a large gear for a small one and watch the speed change
• Take it apart and rebuild it without looking at a picture

The details

• Ages: 6–8 years
• Pieces: 31