Introducing Conectaballs
Conectaballs, a 3D puzzle provides adults and children alike with hours of entertainment. This unique puzzle teaches children spatial reasoning, shapes, patterns and symmetry while providing hours of entertainment. Adults are equally challenged with this puzzle as they combine sets to build more complex structures.
Conectaballs is both a puzzle and a building toy. It can be connected in virtually unlimited combinations to create numerous geometric figures, such as pyramids, cubes, and various free-form multi dimensional structures. Conectaballs is already being used in math summer camps and schools to supplement the curriculums with a fun and educational puzzle!
Educational
Conectaballs challenges spatial reasoning through constructions of increasing difficulty. For younger children it is an excellent developmental toy to captivate their imagination and develop hand eye coordination and fine motor skills. Conectaballs teaches concepts like shapes, patterns, and symmetry. It was tested on many kids from pre to high school, college students, MIT graduates, and adults. Math teachers use it for enrichment with elementary and middle school kids.
Occupational Therapists are currently looking at this puzzle as a tool to help children concentrate on their school work.
The Math of Conectaballs
Leonhard Euler, an 18th century mathematician, developed a beautiful area of mathematics called Graph Theory. A “graph” is made up of “vertices” or “nodes” and lines called “edges” that connect them. Curiously, Conectaballs are directly related to Graph Theory and introduce it in fun intuitive ways. Concepts like shapes, patterns, and symmetry – all come into play.
How is Conectaballs Made?
We have partnered with Detoa, a toy factory in the Czech Republic, established by Johann Schowanek in 1908. The factory was originally established to produce wooden beads, buttons, and other small lathe-turned parts. They soon became the largest producer of their kind anywhere in Europe. All of Detoa's products are made from high-quality wood, which comes from the mountain regions of Central Europe. Paints and finishes are all high quality, certified, ecological, and comply with the EN 71 standard, so they do not constitute any burden on the environment. Since many of Detoa's toys are designed with young children in mind, special attention is given to the technological process and the finish, which guarantees the lasting high quality of their product - and ours!
Conectaballs prototypes are made of a high quality maple wood from sustainably grown trees. When it comes to our manufacturing process, our goal protect the environment. With that in mind, we choose Detoa, because they only work with local wood from the Czech and Slovac Republic and support forestry that is PEFC/FSC certified. Additionally, Detoa makes use of the wood waste that they get from the manufacturing: It is used as a fuel for the factory itself or nearby households. Their manufacturing process is improved frequently and is closely monitored to save energy and avoid CO2 emissions.
For a colored set of Conectaballs, we use only quality certified ecological colors and varnishes that comply with the EN 71 standards, are approved to be used by children of any age, and have no impact on the environment. The adhesives used are bought from renowned European manufactures and are also certified for use by young children.
