I love supplying toys for Riley which help foster her creative thinking skills and spark her imagination.  For the last 40 years, Roylco has been developing and manufacturing early childhood products with the same goals in mind.

They are known worldwide for their unique art materials and recently allowed me to review the Straws and Connectors 400-piece set.  Keep reading to learn more!

The Roylco Straws and Connectors 400-Piece Set is one of the simplest and most affordable building toys on the market.  It is so very easy to construct any masterpiece, for there are only two different items included...straws and connectors.  The 400-piece set contains 232 thick, heavy duty, 8" straws in five different colors.  These straws are definitely not like a typical drinking straw though!  They are much more rigid, yet still flexible enough to be bent into an arc.

The set also comes complete with 168 connectors in five different colors.  These connectors have the ability to join up to six different straws together at 90-degree angles.  Because the straws are flexible and hollow, they can easily be cut in half, into thirds, etc., for even more building possibilities.

With the simple-to-use Roylco Straws and Connectors 400-Piece Set, you can build a fort, rocket, boat, tower, tunnel or bridge!  You can also design a scientific model or create a huge contraption.  There is a booklet of illustrated designs included with this set or your child can visit www.strawsandconnectors.com for even more ideas!

Since the connectors themselves are fairly small (about the diameter of a quarter) and are designed for children ages 4 years old and up, I didn't allow Riley to play with this product just yet.  I'm quite sure though that she will be thrilled to play with this building toy once she's old enough!

If you would like to give your favorite little elf a thought-provoking and imaginative toy that will entertain for hours, yet not break the bank, then I highly recommend the Roylco Straws and Connectors 400-Piece Set.  Sometimes the simple toys are the best toys and the Straws and Connectors set definitely runs on brain power, not batteries!

Disclosure: I received the Straws and Connectors 400-piece set from Roylco in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received. This product review is based on my own personal experiences with this item and is completely honest and objective.