Pete's Expert Summary
My human seems to have acquired a box of garish plastic discs and sticks, ostensibly for the "educational enrichment" of a visiting small human. They call it a "Gears! Gears! Gears!" set. From my observation post on the back of the sofa, I see it's a collection of brightly colored cogs, pillars, and a crank handle, designed to be clumsily assembled into rudimentary contraptions. The appeal for a creature of my sophistication is questionable; there are no feathers, no tantalizing strings, and it smells faintly of a factory. However, the potential for a well-aimed paw to induce a catastrophic, clattering collapse of a painstakingly built tower has a certain charm. Furthermore, the spinning motion created by the crank might just be distracting enough to be worthy of a brief, disdainful glance between naps.
Key Features
- STEM Toys for Toddlers: Celebrate 25 years of Gears! in 2019 and set imaginations in colorful motion! Fun, bright new colors and kid-friendly pieces make this deluxe hands-on construction set a whole new building experience. Compatible with all other Gears! Gears! Gears! sets for even more imagination and screen-free fun. Get your gears moving!
- Kids Building Toys: Invite “little engineers” to explore a world of building possibilities while developing critical thinking and problem solving skills
- Steam Toys for Kids 3-5: Boost fine motor skills and cognitive skills, while promoting reasoning as children create moving experiments; learning gets more intricate as children’s abilities advance
- This versatile, interconnecting gear set is different every time you build to foster imagination and offer ways to experiment with simple mechanics and science; supports STEM by introducing children to sorting, grouping, counting, designing, constructing, and putting physics into play with spinning gear movement.100-PIECE GEARS SET: This deluxe set includes 46 Colorful gears (blue, green, orange, red, purple), 26 square pillars, 21 six-way axles, 6 interlocking bases, 1 crank handle.
- Give the Gift of Learning: Whether you’re shopping for holidays, birthdays, or just because, toys from Learning Resources help you discover new learning fun every time you give a gift! Ideal gift for Halloween, Christmas, Stocking Stuffers, Easter Baskets Stuffers or even for Homeschool.
A Tale from Pete the Cat
The thing arrived in a loud, crinkly box that was briefly more interesting than its contents. The small human, a creature of limited motor skills and excessive volume, dumped the plastic refuse onto my favorite rug. A hundred pieces of rainbow-colored junk. I flicked an ear in irritation and retreated to the dignified solitude of the armchair, watching the fumbling attempts at "construction" with the weary resignation of a king observing a court jester. The child connected a few pieces, creating a wobbly, pathetic little tower, then quickly grew bored and wandered off to investigate the irresistible allure of a power outlet. For a long while, the plastic heap lay dormant. Then, propelled by a sudden, inexplicable urge, I descended from my throne. I padded silently around the collection, sniffing. No scent of prey. No hint of catnip. A failure on all sensory fronts. I nudged a purple gear with my nose. It rolled a few inches and stopped. Pathetic. I was about to return to my nap when my gaze fell upon the crank handle, still attached to a small base and a single blue gear. On a whim, I hooked it with my claw. I pulled. The blue gear spun. It was the motion that changed everything. It wasn't just a spin; it was a smooth, predictable, rhythmic whir. I gave the crank a more deliberate pat, and the gear spun faster, its plastic teeth a blur of hypnotic motion. This wasn't a toy. This was a machine. A device for focusing the mind. I began to experiment, nudging a green gear into place next to the blue one. With a satisfying *click*, their teeth meshed. I turned the crank again. Now *two* worlds turned in perfect, opposing harmony. Red followed, then orange. I was no longer a cat playing with a toy; I was a master watchmaker, a cosmic engineer assembling a model of the universe itself. The gentle, rhythmic *whirrrrr* of the interlocking parts was a mantra, a mechanical purr that vibrated through the floor and up into my paws. The small human could keep its clumsy towers. I had discovered the machine's true purpose. This was a meditative device, a kinetic sculpture of my own design. Each evening, after the household falls quiet, I return to my plastic galaxy. I rearrange the planets, connect new systems with pillars and axles, and turn the crank, watching the silent, colorful dance I have orchestrated. It is an exercise in precision and control, a reminder that in this house, I am the one who truly understands how all the pieces fit together. It is, against all odds, worthy.