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12 Building Toys Any LEGO-obsessed Kid Will Love

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They’re small, expensive, and hurt when stepped on. Yes, I am talking about LEGO, the construction set that, for 75 years, has sparked creativity in children and those who refuse to grow up—but you may not realize that LEGO isn’t the only game in town. In addition to the company’s many imitators, there are other construction systems that don’t have a hit movie franchise or theme park behind them. Yet, they are perfect for different age ranges and purposes that your child may enjoy. Below are 12 alternative brands offering young users a creative outlet for their ideas. 

K’Nex

The internet, being what it is, loves to debate about whether LEGO or K’Nex are the better construction set. The truth is that the system of interlocking plastic rods, connectors, motors, and other components is geared (pun intended) more toward those interested in engineering than building, but that hasn’t stopped builders from making models of space shuttles and roller coasters with this system designed over three decades ago. 

Playstix 

According to the reviews on its product page, children won’t use the instruction book included with this colorful, groove-based construction set for long. Despite Playstix’s unusual shape, users pick up on how to use them right away, quickly constructing everything from cars to houses to furniture, and the color of each piece represents its length. Parents also mention in their reviews that Playstix is the perfect toy to calm a child’s busy mind.

Mould King

Bricks and sets from LEGO can get mighty pricey. Most of the sets my 8-year-old wants would take years to save for on his allowance. However, there are alternatives. Mould King is a brand based in China that manufactures sets similar to the building bricks based in Denmark…almost. They also cost significantly less. Whereas an AT-AT Walker from The Empire Strikes Back costs a pretty penny from LEGO, Mould King’s nearly identical set is more than two-thirds less in price, and most reviewers state it’s a good value for the money. However, some builders in the comments strongly disagree, so have some glue handy when putting sets together if you want them to stay intact.

Bristle Blocks

Aimed toward toddlers and preschoolers, these colorful, chunky blocks are perfect for developing brains that crave stimulation. I never thought much of them when I saw them in my child’s daycare, but when I view what kids have built on the product’s Amazon page, they might be the most underrated STEM toy on the market. 

Plus Plus

Sometimes, kids don’t want to be told what to build. They need to figure it out themselves, making the puzzle piece-shaped Plus Plus sets appropriate for kids trying to bring their imagination to life. Children discover how to build three-dimensional structures and creatures on their own. They’re also portable so you can take them on that road-trip to LEGOLAND.  

Magformers 

These building toys look very similar to Magnatiles, another building toy that parents of preschoolers are undoubtedly familiar with. However, the size of the pieces and placement of magnets in Magformers make it much easier to build three-dimensional structures than with Magnatiles. 

Mega Bloks

Whether your child would want Mattel’s Mega Bloks depends on what they’re into. LEGO has the rights to Super Mario, but Mega Bloks has Pokemon and Halo building sets. On the preschool front, if your little one likes Thomas the Tank Engine, Mega Bloks has plenty of sets available, too. Fisher-Price also manufactures them, so plenty of cool accessories, like a construction table, are available for your child’s building sets.  

Superspace

It isn’t easy to find a place to sit in my living room on Saturday mornings because my sons take every couch and chair cushion in sight and use it to build a fort. Superspace solves that problem with its extra large felt magnetic panels, which allow children to create structures that won’t easily fall apart. Think giant Magformers that keep kids occupied while you catch up on basketball highlights.

Wange

LEGO’s architecture sets are one reason the childhood building blocks resonate with adults. However, if the price of building your favorite structure seems steep, you can always get a similar set from Wange. They have sets based on the London Bridge or The White House for a more reasonable price than their Danish counterparts. 

Lincoln Logs

There’s no school like the old school, and nothing older than this over-century-old building set designed by the son of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The fact that your child’s great-great-grandfather also played with Lincoln Logs says a lot about how this simple toy has endured, even when interlocking plastic blocks began to capture the imagination of children around the world.

Cobi

My oldest son is currently obsessed with anything historical, so Cobi’s sets featuring historical aircraft, tanks, and airplanes would be perfect for his next construction project. They also offer Maserati cars, historic trains, and some planes from the hit film Top Gun: Maverick.

Tinkertoys

Tinkertoys might be the original STEAM-based toy, and they are perfect for preschoolers who just want to use their hands to build something fun. Older kids who might not be ready for K’Nex can assemble a robot or another creature by mixing and matching the rods, spools, and connectors. 

All the Lego alternatives…





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For sale: A piece of California’s country music history

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The famed Buck Owens Crystal Palace, where music legends including Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, Garth Brooks and a young Taylor Swift have played, is up for sale, with the foundation that runs the Bakersfield venue planning to list it for $7 million on Monday.

The nightclub, museum and steakhouse was owned by its namesake Buck Owens, the country music trailblazer who bucked the slick commercial melodies of Nashville for a distinctly West Coast twang. Owens opened the Crystal Palace in 1996, watching it become a premier venue for the biggest names in country music, including himself. Buck and the Buckaroos played there every Friday and Saturday night until his death in 2006.

Jim Shaw, a member of the Buckaroos and a director of the Buck Owens Private Foundation, said that after 28 years of running the famed venue, the Owens family plans to step back and find new owners amid a challenging business climate. The foundation said in a statement that “since Buck’s passing in 2006, we’ve tried to maintain the excellence that he expected, even as it became more and more difficult during these challenging times of increasing food and labor costs.”

The venue is not closing and scheduled events will continue as planned, Shaw said.

“It’s business as usual for now,” Shaw said. “Ideally, someone who wants to keep it exactly as it is will come forward.”

Owens’ youngest son, Johnny Owens, wrote on Facebook that the family’s hope “is that a buyer steps forward with a vision for the future and a reverence” for his father and the Bakersfield Sound.

The Crystal Palace, located on Buck Owens Boulevard, is a major tourism staple for Bakersfield. The 18,000-square-foot venue is next to the city’s downtown entrance.

“It’s the No. 1 tourist attraction in Bakersfield,” Shaw said. “There are people stepping forward and we are waiting to see what happens. I am getting a lot of phone calls. I’m anxious to see what happens.”



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2nd local radio host says they were given questions ahead of Biden interview

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A second local radio host on Saturday told ABC News that he was provided a list of questions in advance of his interview with President Joe Biden this week.

“Yes, I was given some questions for Biden,” Earl Ingram of CivicMedia told ABC News. Ingram, a prominent host of a Wisconsin radio station, interviewed Biden this week in the wake of his debate performance.

Ingram said he was given five questions and ended up asking four of them.

“I didn’t get a chance to ask him all the things I wanted to ask,” he said.

Ingram is the second interviewer who now says they were provided questions by Biden aides to ask the president this week. Earlier today, another local radio host who interviewed Biden this week told CNN she was given questions to ask Biden before the interview.

PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School, on July 5, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School, on July 5, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School, on July 5, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“We do not condition interviews on acceptance of these questions, and hosts are always free to ask the questions they think will best inform their listeners,” the Biden campaign told ABC News on Saturday.

Ingram told ABC he didn’t see anything necessarily wrong with the practice. “To think that I was gonna get an opportunity to ask any question to the President of the United States, I think, is a bit more than anybody should expect,” he said.

He continued that he was grateful for the opportunity to interview Biden at all.

“Certainly the fact that they gave me this opportunity … meant a lot to me,” Ingram said.

MORE: Wealthy Democratic donors sound alarm over Biden staying in race

On CNN earlier today, Andrea Lawful-Sanders, the host of WURD’s “The Source,” said Biden officials provided her with a list of eight questions ahead of their interview with Biden.

“The questions were sent to me for approval; I approved of them,” she said.

“I got several questions — eight of them,” she continued. “And the four that were chosen were the ones that I approved.”

Responding to Lawful-Sanders, Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said in a statement that it’s not “uncommon” for interviewees to share topics they would prefer. She noted that Lawful-Sanders was “free” to ask any questions she saw fit. She also noted that it was the campaign who sent over the questions and not the White House as other reports claim.

Lawful-Sanders did note in her interview with CNN that she ultimately “approved” the questions provided.

“It’s not at all an uncommon practice for interviewees to share topics they would prefer. These questions were relevant to news of the day – the president was asked about this debate performance as well as what he’d delivered for black Americans,” the statement said.

“We do not condition interviews on acceptance of these questions, and hosts are always free to ask the questions they think will best inform their listeners. In addition to these interviews, the President also participated in a press gaggle yesterday as well as an interview with ABC. Americans have had several opportunities to see him unscripted since the debate.”

A source familiar with the Biden booking operation told ABC News that moving forward they will “refrain” from offering suggested questions to interviewers.

“While interview hosts have always been free to ask whatever questions they please, moving forward we will refrain from offering suggested questions.”

2nd local radio host says they were given questions ahead of Biden interview originally appeared on abcnews.go.com



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President George W. Bush turns 78 years old

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George W. Bush, born on July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut, was the 43rd President of the United States.

Bush was born to parents Barbara Bush and former President George H. W. Bush. He has five siblings; Jeb Bush, Marvin Bush, Neil Bush, Dorothy Bush Koch and Pauline Robinson Bush. Pauline was diagnosed with leukemia and passed away at age three.

He was formerly the Republican Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000.

WHY FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH IS WINNING … THE POST-PRESIDENCY

Bush was first elected to the White House in November 2000, and officially began his first term as president in January 2001, after he defeated Democrat Al Gore during the presidential election. Bush was reelected to his second term as the incumbent in November 2004, when he prevailed over Democrat John Kerry, and led the United States until January 2009 before handing over his torch to former President Barack Obama.

Bush married Laura Bush on November 5, 1977, the day after her 31st birthday, in her hometown of Midland, Texas. The couple were engaged in September 1977, and married less than two months later in a Methodist church. Bush and Laura met at a barbecue, and he took her to play mini-golf on their first date. 

The Bush’s share twin daughters, Barbara Pierce Bush and Jenna Bush Hager, born on November 25, 1981. Today, the couple also share four grandchildren; Mila, Poppy, Hal and Cora.

GEORGE BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY ISSUE STATEMENT ON AFGHANISTAN WITH MESSAGE TO US TROOPS, VETERANS

During his presidency, Bush cared for his English springer spaniel, Spot Fetcher, who accompanied him to meetings in the Oval Office and on adventures throughout the White House. The dog was born to his parent’s dog, Millie.

On September 11, 2001, less than one year into Bush’s presidency, the Twin Towers in New York City were attacked by terrorists when airplanes hit both buildings, causing a collapse and thousands of lives lost. At the time, Bush was reading to elementary-aged children at a school in Sarasota, Florida. He was calmly and quietly advised of the attacks and quickly returned to Washington, where he was briefed alongside Vice President Dick Cheney.

Bush was regarded highly for his poise while learning of the attacks and for his demonstration of patriotism and leadership in the uncertain days and weeks following the hijackings of multiple planes on the day that shook America to her core.

SADDAM CAPTURED ‘LIKE A RAT’ IN RAID

On December 30, 2003, during Bush’s first term as POTUS, Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi leader and executor of the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., was captured by the American military

In the early morning of December 30, 2006, during Bush’s presidency, Hussein was hanged and executed for his crimes against humanity. Americans across the nation celebrated the death of Hussein and applauded Bush for promising the country he would take him out and following through.

While Bush was regarded for his dealings with the terrorist attacks, the signing of No Child Left Behind Act and the Patriot Act and the creation of the United States Department of Homeland Security, many Americans were unhappy with the sanctions of interrogation techniques, the war in Iraq and taxes while he was president.

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