Here at Wisconsin Parent, we're always looking for interesting toys to share with readers. When we stumbled across Brackitz, we knew it was one we wanted to share!

The idea of Brackitz is really simple: wooden planks coupled with plastic connectors allowing construction in 90 and 120 degree angles.The great thing about this building toy is that the plastic connectors are strong. In fact, for the first week or so, I had to do most of the connecting for my younger kids (ages 4 and 5) because it took some muscle to get the wooden planks all the way into the plastic connectors. After a week of playing with them daily, they loosened up just enough for the kids to take over their constructions.

While my kids thought they were fun on their own, they really enjoyed making creations for their figurines to climb on. The constructions are super strong and portable, which is a relief—no "HE BROKE MY TOY" and "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! I DIDN'T MEAN TO! exchanges.

If this looks like something your family would love, I would recommend buying the bigger sets (they come in 50, 100, or 200 pieces). With the set of 50, the kids felt like their constructions were a bit too limited by the smaller amount of plastic connectors. The photo above uses nearly all the connectors and most of the planks.

My husband and I had a little fun teaching about angles as the kids experimented with how to make a closed shape using different pieces, so I certainly foresee some potential STEM lessons.

Brackitz has received several awards: Brain Toy from Academics Choice, Toy Man eChoice, STEM Toy Award, and Creative Child Toy of the Year.

A special thanks to Brackitz for sending us a kit to review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are our own.