Hand-made to order in Aotearoa New Zealand · Get a school quote

STEM & Play

Handcrafted in Aotearoa New Zealand

Wooden building sets that turn a classroom into a workshop.

STEM & Play makes artisan timber STEM toys for primary schools. Children plan, build, test and rebuild with their hands, and learn engineering, maths and science without a screen in sight.

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  • Made by hand, to order
  • Designed for group learning
  • Built to last for years
Two children building with Play Planks inside a timber forest-school shelter
A wheelbarrow built from Building Beams timber and bolts

Incredible what the children create.

Year 2 teacher, Willow Park School, Auckland

4hands-on sets, early years to Year 8
156notched plywood pieces in every Play Planks set
0screens, batteries or apps required
NZmade locally by a family workshop

The toy range

Open-ended sets for every stage of primary school

Each set is designed for small groups to share, store neatly in a classroom and stand up to years of enthusiastic building.

Years 0–6 · 156 pieces

Play Planks

Notched plywood planks that slot together into buses, boats, castles and playhouses big enough to climb into.

  • Engineering
  • Spatial reasoning
  • Collaboration

$680 NZD

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Years 3–8 · 3-box creator set

Building Beams

A bolt-together timber engineering kit with wheels, pulleys and rope, for real-world machines children design themselves.

  • Simple machines
  • Forces & motion
  • Problem solving

$799 NZD

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Early childhood – Year 2 · 156 pieces

Play Planks Mini

Everything children love about Play Planks, scaled down for smaller hands, smaller spaces and younger builders.

  • Fine motor skills
  • Imagination
  • Early maths

$490 NZD

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Early childhood – Year 1 · Board, 7 segments & 10 cards

Dots & Digits Number Board

A wooden seven-segment peg board with 10 double-sided number cards, digits on one side and dot-to-dot tracing on the other.

  • Number recognition
  • Counting
  • Fine motor skills

$25 NZD

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How it supports STEM learning

Real materials. Real problems. Real understanding.

Abstract ideas click when children can hold them. Our sets give teachers a hands-on way into the Science, Technology and Mathematics learning areas, and into the key competencies that sit alongside them.

S

Science

Why did the tower fall? Children see gravity, friction, balance and momentum at work as they build ramps, carts and pulleys, then predict and test what happens next.

T

Technology

Students follow a real design process: identify a need, sketch an idea, build a prototype and improve it. The Dots & Digits board even shows how digital displays work.

E

Engineering

Load-bearing walls, strong joints, wheels and axles. Building Beams and Play Planks make structural thinking visible, so learners discover why some designs work better than others.

M

Mathematics

Counting notches, comparing lengths, spotting patterns, finding symmetry and building 2D and 3D shapes. Measurement and geometry become something children do, not just read about.

See it in action

Dots & Digits: early numeracy children can hold

Children build each digit from seven red wooden segments, count the kiwi on the matching card, then flip it over to trace the number and its word on the dot-to-dot side. Seeing, building, counting and tracing all happen in one small set.

Explore Dots & Digits, $25

A lesson with STEM & Play

  1. 1Wonder

    Pose a challenge: a bridge for a toy car, a shelter for four people.

  2. 2Plan

    Groups talk, sketch and agree on roles before a single piece moves.

  3. 3Build

    Hands on timber. Notches and bolts make every idea quick to try.

  4. 4Test

    Does it stand? Does it roll? Every wobble is a puzzle worth solving.

  5. 5Reflect

    Share what worked, what didn't, and what they'd change next time.

Skills teachers see grow

  • Curiosity
  • Communication
  • Critical thinking
  • Team collaboration
  • Creativity
  • Taking initiative
  • Spatial reasoning
  • Fine motor skills
  • Resilience
  • Active learning
Stacks of drilled timber beams and dowels, ready to become a Building Beams set

Local craftsmanship

Cut, drilled and finished by hand in our New Zealand workshop

We are a small family business, not a factory. Every plank, beam and number board is made by us, which means we know exactly how each piece will hold up in a busy classroom.

  • Made to orderEach set is made by hand when you order it, so there may be a short lead time. It's worth the wait.
  • Timber, not plasticPlywood and solid timber throughout. The only plastic in Building Beams is four wheels and the rope.
  • Built for years of playDesigned to be assembled and re-assembled endlessly, reducing waste and giving real long-term value.
Visit our workshop story

They are absolutely fabulous. Our Year 2 children love using them. It's incredible what the children create.

C. Down Teacher, Willow Park School, Auckland

For schools

Ordering for your school is simple

Whether you're kitting out one junior class or a whole-school makerspace, we'll help you choose the right mix of sets for your learners, space and budget.

Start a school enquiry
  1. 1
    Tell us about your learners

    Year levels, class sizes and how you'd like to use the sets.

  2. 2
    Get advice and a quote

    We'll recommend sets that fit and send a clear quote for your school.

  3. 3
    We make it by hand

    Your sets are crafted in our New Zealand workshop.

  4. 4
    Delivered and ready to build

    Unbox, pose a challenge and watch the learning start.

Give your students something real to build.

Explore the range or ask us anything. We love talking with teachers.

Enquire for your school Explore products