tegu :: magnetic wooden blocks

Wooden blocks. Big, small, painted, au natural, when you come down to it they’re still wooden blocks. Kids stack them up, build towers and castles, knock them down, and start all over. Until recently I didn’t think there was much that could be done to improve upon or change the wooden block.

What changed my mind? I discovered Tegu‘s magnetic wooden blocks. Each Tegu block has some strong little magnets inside which let you stack & build, without worrying about the accidental tipping and destruction that frequently happens with traditional wooden blocks.

To the right you can see what happens when I get our 26-piece natural Discovery Set out for Michaela to play with. She instantly starts building herself a ‘horse’ or two. She then has them chase each other around the table complete with horsey sounds. I love that she is using her imagination and she is always so proud of her creations.

Now, the blocks alone are pretty cool. But what makes Tegu really, really cool is their story. Tegu is a toy business founded to address unemployment, neglected natural and human resources, and the need for entrepreneurship in Honduras. Brothers and founders, Chris and Will Haughey wanted to help a country and its people, and they quickly discovered that Honduras could be home to beautiful, sustainably-harvested tropical hardwoods.

Tegu also shows their love for Honduras and it’s people with two special programs that are you can choose to help with every Tegu purchase. Their Days of School program helps send Honduran children from the Tegucigalpa trash dump to school for the day (or longer) and their Trees Planted program lets you help plant a tree and contribute to the reforestation of the Honduran rain forest.

The Discovery Set – Natural :: $55 This 26-piece magnetic block set is sure to keep your kids entertained. If you have more than one child though I’d suggest the 52-piece, The Original Set, to keep all those little hands busy at once. 

*I was provided Tegu blocks shown above to conduct this review using personal experience. The opinions expressed are my own.*