Hoberman Sphere

Pros: math-y and science-y, fun for all ages
Cons: might be more fun for adults than kids

Who doesn't appreciate geometry? I loved it in high school and college, I love a good proof as bedtime reading, and my doodles always seem to be triangles upon triangles. While the Hoberman sphere is more of a kid's toy and educational tool, if ...

Pros: Interesting and intricate design.
Cons: Doesn't hold interest that well, price, and is not really durable for younger children.

My daughters had one of these until fairly recently. It was a smaller version of the one more commonly available. We got it for them because it looked interesting and might be educational. Once they played with it a couple of times, they soon put it aside. There's not much that can be done with this toy aside of pulling it out so it looks like a ball and then pushing it back in. I've heard that it is supposed to teach children about math and science. I took a lot of math courses in college and it didn't show me anything. I soon lost interest. I guess it's good for those people who like to fiddle with objects and repeat the same motions over and over again with them but aside from that, it doesn't have that much else to offer. Other problems I had with it is the price and the relative lack of durability. It's possible to break it if it is pushed back together the wrong way. My daughter popped out a part of it by doing that.