… and more additions below… scroll down :-)
Zometool
Zometool is easily my favorite and most versatile sacred geometry toy (and tool, since I use it in workshops to demonstrate sacred geometry proportions in both 2D and 3D, relationships between the Platonic and Archimedean Solids and much more. Here’s a page showing how Zometool can build a large number of the designs in Sacred Geometry Design Sourcebook.)
Zometool is a superb creative geometric toy/tool/visualization system from the wizardry of Marc Pelletier! I use mine for demos and explorations of all sorts.
Fractiles
Fractiles – Versatile geometric toys made of magnetic diamond shaped tiles
I’ve enjoyed playing — I’m just a big kid — with Fractiles for many years. I don’t even need the excuse of having younger family members visiting to bring them out and design elegant patterns with these unique magnetic tiles in 3 diamond shapes. Here are a few examples of the endless patterns that can be made in a few minutes.
Here’s a list of features from the Fractiles website:
- Award-Winning Fractiles-7 received a Parents’ Choice Award for play and educational value, quality and design.
- Versatile: Use these wonderful little diamond-shaped tiles to easily create seven-fold snowflakes, starbursts, spirals, bouquets of flowers, swarms of fireflies, beautiful mandalas, butterflies, spaceships, 3-D illusions, much more.
- Elegant Geometry: The versatile elegant geometry allows anyone to create endless varieties of imaginative and beautiful designs. Designs range from very simple to infinitely complex. One can spend tireless hours discovering new levels of play and design.
- Infinite Possibilites: Puzzle with millions of solutions — limitless combinations and diverse designs.
- Wide Appeal: Fractiles Fans range from young children to seniors, from those with no math background to advanced math researchers.
- Easy to Manipulate: The MAGNETIC tiles stay put – yet slide easily on their specially textured board – a helpful feature for anyone with fine motor skill problems. Magnetic Fractiles-7 is a great travel toy!
- Builds Pattern Recognition Skills: Pattern recognition skills are key to learning. Lack of pattern recognition skills is linked to learning disabilities Fractiles-7 is so much fun you may not even notice how regular play increases your pattern recognition skills.
“Fractiles is so popular with my first graders, that we have to have a sign up for equal turns!” – teacher Marilyn Bowker
“My 7th and 8th graders live for free time so they can play with Fractiles.” – Sandra Bullard, The Prentice School, “Where Children with Dyslexia Learn to Learn” - Ethical: Production Fractiles is manufactured in the USA with no child labor or exploitation.
Astro-logix
Astro-logix is a unique system of glow-in-the-dark hubs and day-glow cylinders to make a phenomenal variety of 2D and 3D geometric models. There’s MUCH more imagery and info on the Astro-logix website. Here’s a video of a Platonic nest made with Astro-logix components.