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Angie Mc
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| Posted: Oct 02 2009 at 1:47pm | IP Logged
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Yesterday we were at a museum that had Keva Planks available for play. Very nice. I know there are Kapla and Keva fans here so...
Any tips on how to make the most of the investment?
How do you make them easily accessible?
How do you store them - bag? wooden box? other?
(Here's a link from Keva that compares the two, FYI.)
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Betsy
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| Posted: Oct 02 2009 at 3:01pm | IP Logged
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We have Keva blocks and my boys LOVE them!!! We keep them in a wood box about the size of a milk crate in their play room.
I am not sure how much difference there is between Keva and Kapla, I doubt that you would be dissapointed with either, but I do like that Keva is made in USA and they are of a very high quality.
Betsy
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: Oct 02 2009 at 7:21pm | IP Logged
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Thanks, Betsy! Did you purchase the crate with the blocks? Do you think there is any advantage to the crate over their bag (it looks like a canvas bag with handles)? I'm just wondering about a big tipping over...
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Betsy
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| Posted: Oct 02 2009 at 8:03pm | IP Logged
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Angie,
When I purchased my blocks they didn't have the crate option. However, the homemade crate we have is very similar to what they now sell. We like the wooden crate because it's easy for the boys to pick up (or throw) the block into the sturdy open box. However, when all of the planks (400) are in there the crate is a bit heavy for the younger ones to move.
As far as tipping, I am not sure what to say. We have never had a issue with tipping...or at least any injuries that have resulted from it  . If tipping and block scattering all over is what you are worried about it might happen more with the canvas bag, because they might be able to maneuver it more. If you are worried about pinched fingers the wood box could pose a problem, but it hasn't been for us.
My two cent's would be to get the wood box if you will be leaving the box out in a playroom/bedroom area. If you need to move them often,like from a closet, would get the canvas bag.
HTH, let me know if you have more questions...
Betsy
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Mary G
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We too have the Keva, but just bought a plastic bin to keep them in ... it's easier for the kids to see what they want if they're in a bin! We keep them in the garage ... so appearance isn't a big deal ... but I like the ease of cleanup with the bin and the weight is less than wood.
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acystay
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| Posted: Oct 02 2009 at 8:47pm | IP Logged
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We too have Keva's. Our kids love them and will build with them. I even take them to Sunday school from time to time and they are always a big hit.
I actually prefer them for a couple reasons. They are made in the USA. NO color...love the natural wood look w/o the staining look that Kapla has. And, one more...they feel really smooth and soft. I recall that kapla blocks aren't the same feeling.
We have the canvas bag to hold 400. The bag is a flat bottom so it stays open to load easily. Also, I have hardwood floors so my kids drag the bag around to where they want to build. Only thing I don't like about the bag is that one of the handles has come loose in the stitching, but it is a nice storage system.
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SusanJ
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| Posted: Oct 02 2009 at 9:33pm | IP Logged
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We got Kaplas as a gift. My kids are really too young for them but they play with them all the time anyway and everyone who visits us just loves them. I can't check to see where mine were made but they are also completely unstained and very smooth and soft as well. Maybe they come in more than one option?
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katilac
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| Posted: Oct 03 2009 at 8:22pm | IP Logged
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We have whichever are the cheaper ones, can't quite remember! They came in a very sturdy box, so that's where we keep them. All of their blocks/legos/building things are kept under one of their beds in boxes or bins, they just slide them under or out.
My girls would probably have never asked for any sort of building toy, *g*, but we think it's good for them to have. I'll pull them out to the front room sometimes for "school time free play" and that will often lead to a long play session. They think of it on their own only every now and again.
dh loves them, though, .
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: Oct 05 2009 at 12:53pm | IP Logged
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Thank you, all! I ordered 200 from Amazon to get us started. I'm going to IKEA this week so I'll go ahead and purchase a clear storage unit with a lid.
My 10yo is so excited!
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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rose gardens
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| Posted: Oct 05 2009 at 5:47pm | IP Logged
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Angie Mc wrote:
Yesterday we were at a museum that had Keva Planks available for play. Very nice. I know there are Kapla and Keva fans here so...
Any tips on how to make the most of the investment?
How do you make them easily accessible?
How do you store them - bag? wooden box? other?... |
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My children love them! (That includes my older sons in high school and college.) Santa gave them to us at Christmas. I don't remember the quantity, but they came with a canvas storage bag.
I rotate my children's toys so they aren't all out at once. Our Keva planks alternate with other building toys, like legos and wooden trains. (By rotating toys, they seem "new" when they come out of storage.) We have a "train table" where the children mostly build their projects. Planks are stored in their canvas bag or kept on train table.
I'll also add that I like toys that are aesthetically pleasing to adults as well as children. While they are an "investment" price, I think they are worth it. The maple wood grain in the planks are very pretty. They are well engineered and nicely proportioned. Plus, they have soft wood sounds when the project collapses. Overall, Santa did us a huge favor last year by giving our family these beautiful planks!
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Natalia
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| Posted: Oct 06 2009 at 8:45am | IP Logged
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Angie,
We have Kapla. We got them for Christmas about three years ago for my now 12 yob. He is thinking about being an architect. This toy has kept his interest through the years. The things he builds just get more complex. He wants some more for Christmas this year. I have never heard of Keva but I'll look into them to see how the compare to Kapla price wise.
Oh, we did a youtube search for Kapla blocks and found some cool stuff that my ds has tried to replicate. It was fun!
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hmbress
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| Posted: Oct 07 2009 at 6:48am | IP Logged
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Has anyone tried Citiblocks? They look like they might be similar, just as nice quality, but a better price ...
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Heather Rose (ds13, ds10)
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SusanJ
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| Posted: Oct 07 2009 at 7:36am | IP Logged
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I just read the comparison of Kevas v. Kaplas and then looked at the Citiblocks. I would be wary of them, I think. The real key with Kevas and Kaplas is that the planks are very precisely cut so that they balance. If you aren't completely sure that Citiblocks would have that quality then they wouldn't be any better than any other kind of block--actually they'd be worse because they'd be all the same and pretty boring.
You sort of have to see Kaplas to believe them, I think. They balance amazingly well. Our Kaplas were a gift but after comparing them to Kevas I think I'd go with Kevas if we were buying them ourselves. I definitely see the "softer wood dents easily" argument with the pine blocks.
Susan
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Jenn Sal
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| Posted: Oct 08 2009 at 5:21pm | IP Logged
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Bought Kevas last night for my puzzle loving son 
Thank you for the topic, Auntie!
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: Oct 09 2009 at 11:27am | IP Logged
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Jenn Sal wrote:
Bought Kevas last night for my puzzle loving son
Thank you for the topic, Auntie! |
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Oh good, I hoped you saw this. I was planning to report directly to you after we received them. Where did you purchase yours? I'm still waiting for ours to arrive from Amazon. They don't carry them here at Walmart. That's as far as I've looked locally. But I did get a container for them at IKEA yesterday.
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Jenn Sal
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I bought them from Amazon, as well. I don't have an Ikea  , so I'm going to wait to get them and figure out storage after.
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Jennifer, Texas
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MelissaClaire
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bumping this to see if anyone has been able to play with Kevas/Kaplas and Citiblocs side by side--or has done any kind of comparison. Amazon reviews say Citiblocs are as good as the more expensive ones, and I'd really prefer to pay less, but not if it's going to be frustrating.
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Melissa
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MelissaClaire
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Bumping again because I just saw a 300 piece Citiblocs set at Costco for $15 last night.
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Melissa
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JennGM
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MelissaClaire wrote:
bumping this to see if anyone has been able to play with Kevas/Kaplas and Citiblocs side by side--or has done any kind of comparison. Amazon reviews say Citiblocs are as good as the more expensive ones, and I'd really prefer to pay less, but not if it's going to be frustrating
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I was wondering the same question, but I couldn't remember the brand I saw at Costco!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: Nov 27 2010 at 10:50am | IP Logged
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BIG Keva fans here and...
we're going to give the Citiblocs a chance. I picked them up (300 pieces) at Costco last month for $19.00 but won't be able to compare until Christmas day .
One FYI - they are made in China.
ETA: Found this comparison at TWTM forums.
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Keva/Kapla Planks
