Ball Tracker

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Few toys delight a toddler as much as a ball, and very little is more exciting than a ball in motion. The Marble Run and Tracker combines the excitement of motion (teaching gravity, and the early stages of physics and logical thought) with key physical skills. It is ideal for little ones as young as those who have just learned to sit and hold a ball, and as old as the imagination allows.

All toys from Modern Imagination are specially designed to secretly develop a set of skills through the wonder of play, and to ignite the imagination.

THE SKILLS

Can a few wooden balls teach math and physics?
Absolutely.

Very young children will practice their range of the Palmer Grasp as they pick up the 2-inch balls and drop them along the run. The clunking sound as the balls falls to the next level and rolls to the bottom is satisfying and engaging and is the first experience in predicting movement (early logic). As they watch the ball roll their eyes will begin to develop the key tracking skills needed for reading later on.

At first little ones will only drop the ball on the lowest run, but as time progresses (or they watch an older sibling play) they will begin to lift the ball to the next level. The sides of the run are designed to help little fingers crimp and assist with pulling up to a standing level. (Please note that while the run is extremely stable, no child should be left unattended when playing with this toy.)

Older children will enjoy the challenge of dropping as many balls in as possible at varying intervals. This is when they start to explore early physics concepts like inertia, inclined planes, and gravity. Will all the balls travel at the same pace each time? Will one eventually catch up to another? What happens if you drop two in at once? Three? Does the red ball roll faster than the blue? How fast does it take for one ball to get from the top to the bottom? (Set a stop watch for this.) Is it possible to stop the balls once they have started rolling? Our three-year-old loves to create a traffic jam and then release them all at once. She varies the colour order and sequence and the level that the traffic jam occurs on.

Little ones and older kids can play on each side simultaneously, fostering social skills, interactions, imaginative play, and taking turns.

THE IMAGINATION

There is an endless amount of play to be had with the balls themselves. Count them, sort them, order them, sequence them, or practice patterns. Perhaps they’re planets, perhaps they’re bowling balls or perhaps they are balls that other animals push along or stand on at the circus. Or perhaps they’re just balls, and the little one can sit and roll them back and forth, or along the floor to you.
Imagination is endless, and so are the possibilities of open play for this.

SIZE

The Marble Run and Tracker is made of pure Canadian maple and is 17 1/4" x 23" x 3 1/2". The base is 16 x 11 3/4" deep.

MARBLES (aka wooden balls)

The Marble Run and Tracker comes with 3 wooden balls that are each 2 inches in diameter. The standard colours are red, green, and blue. Other colours are available. If you would like other coloured balls please let us know in the Add A Note section.

If you would like additional balls they are available at $5.50 each.

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A note about wooden toys: Wood is a natural material and as such, has various unique markings. Variations in wood grain, color, knots, or texture are all natural occurrences in these hand-crafted wooden products. These unique variations and markings are proof of quality, not defects. Enjoy the markings that make your toy unique.