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Customer reviews of Roman Arch Set by HABA
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Roman Arch Set has been reviewed 30 times with an average rating of 4.77
Great Job
Posted 2/15/2008
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This arch set is exactly what I needed for demonstration purposes. I had been looking for something like this for some time and was pleased to see how readily it fit the presentation, saving me hours of prep time.
Understanding Innovation
Posted 1/25/2008 by Wendy Neeld
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Actually, this is the third of these Roman Arch sets that I've purchased, but all three sets get a great deal of use. I'm humanities teacher at a community college in Florida, and for me, these Roman arch kits provide a valuable teaching tool. Getting taller does not change human beings' love of getting hands-on. In my humanities classes, I teach my students about the amazing innovention involved in moving from post-and-lintel architecture to the rounded Roman arch. Not only do I teach them about the physics that make the arch work, I talk about the support structures needed in the process of building the arch. This Haba block set is made of high-quality wooden blocks and it contains an "arch support" that reflects the Roman way of supporting the structure. It lets my students build an arch and see for themselves that it requires support only until the keystone is put into place. In the classroom, I combine this set with a Roman arch block puzzle found elsewhere on the internet, and the two sets have provided a powerful, re-usable teaching tool for me for several years. The set stands up well to use and abuse, is simple enough to clearly illustrate my point, and is complex enough to challenge my adult students (who knew college students would have problems building with blocks?). This set is wonderful and meets my needs perfectly. That's why I bought a third set to accomodate hands-on opportunity for a larger number of students in my classroom. It's durable, fun, and a great teaching tool.
Review for Roman Arch Set
Posted 12/31/2007 by Penny
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This product is wonderful to have when studying the Romans. And it is just fun for the builder. I do not think it to be a preschool toy. My children are 10. They seem to be a good age to appreciate more complex building blocks. It is a shame to me that the HABA blocks are marketed with the preschool toys! Some of the period blocks are for much older children who can appreciate the period styling and building techniques.
Excellent Product
Posted 12/21/2007
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The product was exactly what I had hoped for. I have searched all over for something like this. I am so glad to have finally found them. And to not be disappointed.
Review for Roman Arch Set
Posted 8/8/2007 by Eyal
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I bought the Roman Arch for my 4 year old and it was an instant hit. After helping him put it together 2 or 3 times, he was doing it on his own. Through this set I was able to arouse his curiosity about roman history, tell him about ancient architecture and demonstrate basic physics/engineering principles. Initially I was concerned the toy might fall out of favor. Judging from my experience both with this set and the Pyramid and Colosseum sets, these toys do not fall out of favor so fast and pose a challenge each time, in particular they were very helpful in enacting some of the stories from the periods to which they relate.
Information about Roman Arch Set
Posted 1/27/2007
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I am using this as a demo for a high school art class. The kids enjoyed it, and it illustrates the concept well.
A rating of Roman Arch Set
Posted 11/19/2006 by Margo Hill
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My kids love it and it really ties in with our unit on ancient civilizations.
Roman Arch
Posted 9/29/2006 by MJB
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The Roman Arch set was a big success in my Latin class. The students enjoyed building it, and the directions were fairly clear and straightforward. It is certainly a worthwhile product for anyone interested in architecture and makes an excellent teaching tool.
My rating of Roman Arch Set
Posted 9/14/2006 by Katharine Gilbert
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I have to say that I was very disappointed with this block set. For years I taught with an earlier, simpler Roman arch kit from T.C. Timber (but not made by Haba, I think) until some of the pieces got lost. Although I knew going in that the kit did not come with verbal instructions, I was hoping for an easy-to-read diagram. Alas, I found the pictures far too small, and it's hard to read the numbers that designate the different kinds of blocks. I test-ran this with my daughter, who is a high school senior and far better with visual-spatial stuff than I, and she said the same thing. Worse, the blocks that had to fit into each other (the channeled ones that define the arch and the sloped ones that nestle into the channels) didn't all fit well and had to be forced. The wood was rough in places and unpleasant to the touch. (I actually sanded some of the parts to improve them.) Sorry to be so negative, since it's still a wonderful teaching tool, but the materials and execution left a lot to be desired.
My rating of Roman Arch Set
Posted 8/23/2006 by Leisa Corbett
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The photo on the cover of the box suggests that construction of the arch is easy. Even though my husband and I played with Lincoln logs as children (and he constructed models of military aircraft), we still found the construction of the Roman arch challenging. I plan to use this model to demonstrate the quality of Ancient Roman engineering to my college level art appreciation students. I can't wait to see my students cooperate in order to construct the arch.
Roman Arch Set
Posted 8/22/2006 by Burt Kann
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This will work perfectly in the classroom to explain how Roman arches work.
Roman Arch
Posted 6/8/2006 by Tracey Hill
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The HABA building blocks have been a great suppliment to our history instruction. In the words of my 9 year old son. "The Roman Arch was fun to play with because I like to build and I like to think. I had to think about where to place each of the parts. And it was really neat to see how the Romans built their arches. This toy is very cool!" The blocks are sturdy and the kit comes with instructions which are very helpful. All in all, a nice variation from the run of the mill plastic toys and it will last for generations.
Great
Posted 3/30/2006 by Linda Burdell
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The roman arch works! The key stone is what holds the arch up, just like a real roman arch. The construction follows the detailed visual instructions in the Haba architectural block sets. A 7-year old will find it challenging to balance the pieces accurately, but with a little help, will be able to successfully build this engineering marvel.
Review of Roman Arch Set
Posted 3/1/2006 by Nancy
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This is a fantastic art and architecture resource for homeschooling families! The smooth, pleasing blocks allow a hands-on understanding of basic architectual principles. (Our Ivy League classics major enjoyed building it with the toddlers in the family!) A lot of learning in one box!
Review of Roman Arch Set
Posted 2/10/2006 by Karen Wallis
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My 8 year old son helped build the Coliseum Set at school and he is using the Roman Arch in a school related project. It's perfect!
Great fun, educational, and a challenge
Posted 2/10/2006 by Brenna Muldavin
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My three year old loves building so we have blocks of all kinds, but he still found this set to be lots of fun. The connection with history and the challenge of building the arch properly has had his imagination for days already, and I am betting that as he can do more and more of it on his own over the months (or years) he'll rediscover the fun again and again. I always appreciate the asthetics of toys like this too--instead of cluttering my home with more clashing plastic colors, I feel like I've added a little elegance and art to the livingroom floor. I only wish it had a nicer more easily reusable storage container, like the cloth bag provided by the makers of our Tree Blocks.
Review for Roman Arch Set
Posted 2/2/2006 by Lilian Haeger
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High quality item. Works well. It was just what I was looking for.
Roman Arch Set
Posted 1/17/2006 by Sharon Byers
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I ordered these building blocks for my art classroom. I am thrilled with this product and intend to purchase other block sets in this series.
Thank you for providing such quality toys that can be integrated into my classroom for teaching purposes.
Spectacular Historic Building Blocks
Posted 1/9/2006 by Debbie Swift
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My five year old is so fascinated with this set! We got it for Christmas and have left all the other gifts to build this over & over again. We're also studying ancient Greece & Rome and it provides an excellent "stage" for enacting battles, etc. with other play figures.
Roman Arch Set
Posted 1/9/2006 by Regina Schmitt
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My granddaughter wanted this after not getting to use it in her Montessori classroom, and was really excited. Her Mom had suggested it. When they used it, her sister and brother both wanted to "build" with it, too. It was in the living room until we took it down and they had to go home. They will use it a lot at home. Our daughter is an architect, and has always been interested in "how things work", and now her children will be able to use it and learn invaluable lessons. We really appreciate the quality and excellent way it goes together. Thanks for your great educational "toys"!
Roman Arch Set
Posted 10/24/2005 by Linda Morris
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The block set is of high quality and pictorial instructions are clear. On building the arch, it's evident "how things work." Once built, the model becomes a good illustration for locating the various parts of a Roman arch.
Product review of Roman Arch Set
Posted 9/24/2005 by julie wiedemeier
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First let me say that we are big fans of T.C. Timber and have many of their products. Their quality is always excellent and the Roman Arch Set is no exception. I am homeschooling my children and we are currently studying about ancient Rome. This set helped bring history to life for my children. After building the arch and removing the form, similar to the ones they would have used to construct full scale stone arches, my children took turns pressing straight down on the keystone with their full force. It's amazing how much weight a small block structure can stand! The arch did not collapse but instead gave just enough so the children could see how the force was being distributed out and down. I knocked down the arch and challenged the children to build an opening with the same span using the same blocks without making and arch. They didn't succeed but they now understand what an important role the arch played in Roman architecture. With this knowledge they have been better able to understand the imaginative uses the Roman applied to the arch including the barrel vault, groin arch, and the dome. Without this hands-on experience I doubt that my children (ages 6 and 8) would be able to grasp these concepts. The arch has been rebuilt several times and now serves as the gateway to the Roman block city we are building. Getting the angled blocks in the right order was a little tricky for younger children but penciling numbers that match the diagram should solve that problem.
Review for Roman Arch Set
Posted 7/4/2008 by Tara Ricciardi
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This set was an interesting lesson in itself with regard to building an arch - and the block themselves will become part of our larger collection which is in constant, inventive use by my 5 year old. The pieces were a bit smaller than I anticipated online, but who's to say that's good or bad...I find a variety of shapes and sizes lead to some pretty creative structures around here!
HABA Roman Arch
Posted 6/15/2008
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This is a more advanced addition to the Master Builders series. The Roman Arch is made of high quality materials and appeals to more historic and spacial learning.
Roman Arch Blocks
Posted 5/20/2008 by ANA C SOUSA
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I bought this product for my son, who is a 4th grader, to present at the Science Fair at his school. His project was on Roman arches and the blocks were the perfect companion to demonstrate how an arch is built. It was a great success, and many people were attracted to experimenting with the blocks.
Roman Arch Set
Posted 3/5/2008 by Jeremy Freeman
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I am very pleased with the product. I was actually looking all over for a Roman Arch set at various retail locations and after no success I googled it and immediately came to your site. The product is everything I had been looking for and I will be using in an educational program to explain Roman architecture.
A rating of Roman Arch Set
Posted 2/17/2008
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I recommend this product. One of the earlier reviews mentioned rough wood and the need to sand the pieces, but this was not the case with our set. The pieces were smooth and fit together easily. I did puzzle over the diagrams a little, but my son (aged 9) figured it out quickly enough. He's taken it apart and rebuilt it several times now.
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