Quercetti Pallino Educational Number Coding Game, STEM Game for Boys and Girls Ages 4+, Mosaic Patterns

How it works: The Pallino is low-tech and works via mechanics to allow you to make mosaic designs out of coloured balls. The balls are enclosed under the see-through plastic cover. To begin, you tilt the Pallino to tip the balls from the reservoir, up to the top where balls can be channeled, one by one, through the mechanism. Using two hands, you hold down a button that corresponds to the collum you want to drop the ball into, as you give the 'enter' button a good tap, which shoots a ball along the channel and into that collum. Balls of colours that aren't wanted can be exited back into the reservoir. The Pallino has fold out props so that it can make use of gravity. The collums can be emptied one at a time, using a 'reset' switch, so when you make a mistake, you don't have to start completely from scratch. There are double-sided picture cards to follow or you can make up your own pictures or designs. Who would enjoy it: This toy takes some patience to make a picture but it is tactile and engaging in its simplicity. When you begin a picture, it's almost impulsive to continue until it's finished. The Pallino is not a flashy 'cool' toy, but it has real child appeal and is likely to be returned to again and again because new creative ideas can be made. It also makes an excellent travel toy. The Pallino would suit any child and some adults, especially those with autistic spectrum disorders who may enjoy the sorting, systems and repetition involved, as well as the colourful visual aspect. What to be aware of: The Pallino toy relies on physics so don't expect perfection in smooth useage as though it was software. For example, sometimes a few balls escape through the 'exit' channel, back into the reservoir when you only wanted one ball to pass through. Or a couple of balls might escape from a collum when you tilt the toy to re-stock the balls at the top. These are quirks of its physics and aren't faults as such. But some might be unimpressed by this. The Pallino is not a quiet toy, because balls clatter around inside. Quality and educational value: It takes some planning and spatial awareness to design your own pattern, because the design must be built from the bottom up. So, there is plenty of intelligent play value. The quality is good. The only downside is that the cards, which are stored in the Pallino, can fall out, so watch out for that. The see-through plastic could become scratched or get cracked with rough treatment, but the Pallino seems well-designed and of good quality over all.

The video is from the perspective of my 9 year old child. The game is probably a little bit old for him long term, as he's basically completed it many times. Took him a matter of minutes to get to grip with the simplistic technology used to create the in out system. The system has a locking mechanism to drop the balls into, and you can edit mistakes easily but this can lead to frustrations over time. But once your child has figured out how to use the puzzle they soon get immersed in the overall product. I would recommend this for 6+ but it says for 4+ I can imagine a lot of little ones getting annoyed with it. Each card it double sided so there's a fair few puzzles get through, and if you were so inclined you could make more. It's a very simple concept, giving the player a 20-30 experience of what feels a bit like those water puzzle machines you had as a kid. The ones where you float the hoops, crossed with a pinball machine. Very fun would recommend.

Amazing game, so therapeutic and enjoyable for all ages. The first one came with the background out of sync, but amazon was so fantastic and sent another one out the same day I informed them. Second one is perfect and we are all enjoying playing with it so much! It’s amazing to watch the kids get better and better the more they play. It’s gets their brains and coordination working- just fabulous.

8 year old loves it, at first was a bit difficult to understand how to work it, soon got the hang of it, the exit button releases far too many balls in 1 go, when u just want 1 to exit.

brought this as a gift for a family, everyone loves it and plays with it, from the 4-year-old till the 18-year-old... can keep a child busy for him/herself for hours!

This is an OK game. The product I received had a flaw though, with some of the balls not having enough space to move and ended up stuck in the middle of the board. I returned the item and didn't order a replacement because, for the price, I expected a product with no faults. Kids would need a lot of patience to play with this but once used to it I'd say it could be a captivating game. I think girls might enjoy it more than boys.

Article ne comportait pas les frais de douanes, donc payé l’article super chère pour ce produit,☹️ En plus reçu défectueux....très déçu .

Un gioco molto carino, poco impegnativo, ma un po lungo da fare Insomma tiene occupati i bambini Si sceglie un disegno e si mandano le palline nel posto giusto usando i tasti Spero di essere stata chiara nel video C'è il tasto in alto che serve per scartare una pallina che non ci occorre Il tasto subito sotto serve per spingere la pallina in una delle colonne (prima si deve tenere premuto il tasto blu corrispondente alla colonna in cui si vuole mandare la pallina) Poi c'è il tasto di reset che serve per svuotare una intera colonna, per usarla si deve tenerla premuta verso sinistra e poi spingere il tasto blu della colonna che si vuole svuotare. Più facile da fare che da dire Provatelo Molto carino

Entretenido y fácil de usar, les encanta

I have been looking for this item for 25 years, and I am so happy I finally found it on Amazon! I looked last year, with no luck, and no one else seems to sell it either. Anyways, I had this as a kid and had to leave it behind when we moved home from Italy, and it has haunted me since. Now I have an almost 4 year old, and she will be getting this for Christmas. I took it out of the box yesterday and was immediately hooked. It's fun for adults too! I'm thinking 4+ might be a little young, but I guess it depends on the child. I have a feeling I might be giving my daughter this a little too early, that it will be too hard and she will get frustrated by it, but only time can tell. You get 12 different patterns. The goal is to put the beads in the right slot. You tilt your board upside down so all the beads end up at the top. They trickle down one at the time. You look at the bead and decide if it should go down into your pattern or not. If it should, you push the button corresponding the column you want it in, then shoot the bead off. If you don't push any buttons it will exit at the bottom. There is an exit button as well, but I find it very hard to only get one bead to exit, so I would rather suggest shooting the bead out without pushing a column-button. Same effect but easier. If you misplace a bead you do not have to restart, you can just empty that column and start it over. This is a great brain-toy, suitable for trips or just at home. I can't say enough great things about this item, and I am so eager to give it to my daughter for Christmas and get to play it with her.

I bought for my Son and he would play with it for hours at a time. If your child is too young to coordinate the balls themselves I would sit with my Son and one would be the so called "shooter" and the other for the placement of the balls. 2 people can easily play with this. Adults like it too. The object is to match the colored balls to the design. There are 12 different designs that you can insert into the machine. It's great for car travel, as it's self-contained for the most part (just the pattern cards can be loose), fairly quiet (not church quiet, though I think this is great for fostering creativity, eye-hand coordination, artistic skills (you can make up your own patterns) and I think it helps kids learn patience too. If you make a mistake, you might have to release a column of balls & thus have to do that column all over again, but they soon learn it's not the end of the world. We love this!