[g2046]

Legomindstorms - once they kids get older.

Don't you find lego is very kit-based (you buy a box and get to build a specific "thing" - wouldn't it be better to buy some building toy which allows one to build whatever they want).

How about meccano? (again not the kit based).

What other construction toys?

[wiredfool]

Sort of kit based, but there aren't that many lego pieces that only work for one type of thing, everything can be repurposed if they have enough other bits and pieces. (though frankly, right now all thelegos in my house are in dump truck form)

Konects are kinda cool, but the variety of what's straightforward to make is lower than Lego.

Plain old blocks are the other big construction thing around here, supplemented with some rough cut rounds from our forest. Overall though, I'd say that the legos are used at least as much as all the other construction stuff combined. Ymmv, I've got three boys, 6,3.5 and 1.

[axod]

> "Don't you find lego is very kit-based (you buy a box and get to build a specific "thing")"

People always say this about Lego recently. They still have a ton of generic building block kits which are great.

My kids love doing both though. They love having the kits, building them, and keeping them 'for display'. But we have boxes and boxes of general lego bits, of which they're always using to build hogwarts castle, a school, or some contraption.

I think Meccano takes more patience. But good when they're older.

K'Nex is ok, but not as flexible in terms of what you can build with it than Lego IMHO.