Our colleagues at Good Housekeeping (another Hearst publication) have been testing products for
more than a century, just like we have. And they take toy evaluations seriously, making sure that the top
games and devices hold to ASTM standards, and then sending the most promising ones out to the most
relevant testers: kids. We partnered with the Good Housekeeping Institute for this package, combin-
ing some of their test results with our own evaluations to bring you this authoritative list of STEM and
builder toys and entertaining games for your little tinkerer or future programmer.—W.E.How We Tested Toys
Abacus Brands
Professor Maxwell’s
VR Science Lab $50
This science-lab kit opens doors
to fun, hands-on STEM expe-
riences. Kids can conduct 25
experiments (with step-by-step
instructions and help from
augmented-reality videos), then
put on the included VR goggles
to explore how each experiment
relates to real-life examples,
such as flying over an active
volcano or going deep into a
crystal cave.
Mattel Hot Wheels
Track Builder Unlimited
Ultra Boost Kit
Motorized Set $50Hot Wheels offers plenty of
builds that can be mixed and
matched, but this motorized set
won over kid testers with its two
boosters, which click together in
a variety of configurations.BY PAIGE SZMODIS$20Don’t constrain creativity to pre-
made color options. Crayola’s
Maker Series allows kids to DIY
their own hues. This Marker
Maker has the tools they need to
mix their own shades from three
ink bottles and package them in
up to 16 full-size markers.Lego Creator Ford Mustang 10265 $150
Pass on your mechanical knowledge by working with your kid to build
this Lego Ford Mustang. Modeled after the GT 1967, the 1,471-piece
replica includes a detailed interior, opening hood and trunk, and add-
ons like a supercharger and spoiler.
68 November/December 2020
LAKOTAGAMBILL(VR^ LAB);^ COURTESY^ LEGO^ (MUSTANG);COURTESYCRAYOLA^ (MARKER);^ COURTESY^ MATTEL^ (TRACK)