Product Description

A New Level of Thinking, Creativity & Possibilities. 5 Games in One! 8 square & 16 triangular magnetic tiles in 8 brilliant colors & natural Bamboo. Wave-like variances in its height. (Smooth natural curves inspire a higher level of thinking & creative play when you try to match height of adjoining pieces.) Black Magnetic Board with Natural Wood at Corners. A Comprehensive Booklet. 3 Levels of Challenge. For 1-2 players. Ages 4+

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46990 in Toys & Games
• Brand: BambooCollection
• Model: BAM895200
• Released on: 2006-06-12
• Dimensions: 2.80" h x 13.00" w x 13.00" l, 2.10 pounds

Features

• Crafted from highly renewable bamboo and stained in water based and child safe colors
• Contains 24 magnetic square, triangular shaped bamboo tiles and magnetic board
• Won The Child Magazine Best Toys of the Year award
• A great solitary activity
• Recommended age range from 4 years and above

From the Manufacturer
Colora is a design and shapes game that promotes pattern and color recognition and the understanding of sequencing. Use a few or all of the smooth bamboo shapes to design a pattern. See how easy it is to create endless possibilities with this truly open ended set. After years of research, extensive testing and a worldwide design workshop, HaPe International is proud to offer the Bamboo Collection, the world's first collection of bamboo games. Why did it take years? The challenge with bamboo, a giant natural grass that grows as tall as a tree, is its sensitivity to sawing, cutting, filing, dyeing, temperature and bending. HaPe realized the extensive amount of research and testing required but persevered due to the sustainability of bamboo and its economical and ecological value to the world. Once cut, bamboo grows back completely in a mere three years. Bamboo also combines lightness with stability and is flexible but very strong.

Customer Reviews

Simple, pretty, soothing, but FUN
I bought this not being really sure what type of 'game' might be played with it, and basically just took it out of the box and left it out as decoration on a table. My kids, 5 and 7, consistently come back and start playing with it, moving the pieces around to make actual pictures or just patterns. The wood is smooth and nice to handle, very relaxing. This would make a very nice desk 'toy' for an office person too.

Not so much a game as a design set
This is an exquisitely crafted set with beautiful colors and shapes to manipulate into patterns and pictures. As far as the game aspect, I don't see much to it. Here are the game options from the instruction booklet:

Beginner:
-Lay Colora tiles so each edge matches and creates a wave effect.
-Lay Colora tiles by color in rows or columns.

Intermediate:
- Deal Colora tiles among two players. Agree on a color sequence to play the tiles. One by one play the tiles according to the agreed-upon sequence. The winner is the one who has played all his tiles first.
- Create a pattern that repeats across the metal board.

Expert:
-Draw a picture of a boat, star, or other image and lay out Colora tiles to create that design.

Game aspect aside, I do not regret buying this product. As an adult, this is a great little tool to use for stress relief or just to stimulate creativity. It comes in a colorful cardboard box with a rope/bamboo handle. And as the previous reviewer said, it does look great on a desk or coffee table. I am very happy with this product and pleased with Amazon's speedy service.

Fantastic!
I purchased this for my preschool classroom. It is neat to create lots of different designs and really lets the kids use their imaginations to create.

I didn't realize when I bought it that the corner pieces are connected by an elastic cord and can easily slip off, making it just a magnetic board. I'm not sure how long it will last as "one piece" but it doesn't need the corner pieces to work so I'm sure we will be using this for years.