Engino Discovering STEM Structures: Buildings and Bridges is an engineering construction kit for building 9 models, from a house and pyramid to beam, truss, arch, cable-stayed and suspension bridges, while learning why structures stay up.

What's inside

• About 190 Engino parts (Maisonette lists 191; Engino lists 195)
• A learning booklet with theory, experiments, quizzes and printed instructions
• A double-action extraction tool for taking small parts apart
• Free 3D building instructions in Engino's app

How it works

Kids build each model using Engino's snap-fit connectors, then use the booklet's experiments to test it: for example, loading a bridge to see how its design spreads the weight. Instructions are printed for some models, and all nine are in the app.

What kids learn

• Engineering and physics: forces such as tension and compression, and how engineers manage them
• Architecture: why bridges and buildings use beams, arches, trusses and cables
• The scientific method: build, test, compare and explain
• Spatial reasoning: following 3D instructions and visualizing a structure

Good to know before you buy

• Age: 9 and up.
• You may need a device: not every model has printed instructions, so plan to use the free app on a phone or tablet.
• No motor: it's a quiet, hands-on building kit with no electronics.
• Value: $52.99 at Maisonette; prices elsewhere vary, so it's worth comparing.

Who it's for

Kids 9 and up who like LEGO Technic-style building, budding engineers and architects, homeschool families and classroom STEM corners.