As South African entrepreneur Elon Musk lights up the night sky with his SpaceX Starlink satellites, my children and I have become fascinated with the idea of space exploration. So when I was asked if I’d like to review a cardboard telescope from Build Your Own Kit I jumped at the chance.
Made from sustainable cardboard and paper and designed to be as eco as possible, this fabulous flatpack telescope arrived in a nicely presented cardboard box containing everything we needed for a fully functioning and extendable cardboard telescope.
With 29 press-out parts, the cardboard telescope pieces slot together using a clever slot and click technique with no glue required.
No glue, no mess, no fuss. Did I mention it was made of cardboard?
My 7-year-old son, Sebastian and I were super impressed with how easy the instructions were to follow and whilst it was a little fiddly at times, it was fun watching Seb tackle the build on his own before needing a helping hand.
He said it helped that he had had experience from playing with Nintendo Labo – another slot, fold and build cardboard toy that interacts with the Switch console, though I don’t think any prior interaction with similar toys matters as it’s a really fun project for both adults and children alike without being overly challenging.
Once built, the results are fantastic. The kit comes with a glass optic lens which provides 16 x magnification and the telescope itself is super robust and extends to up to 72cm. It didn’t feel like a cardboard toy we’d built ourselves, which made using it even more fun. We enjoyed using it during the day to explore the garden and whilst Seb hasn’t stayed awake to use it at night yet, my other half and I have sat out on the deck with it and were really impressed with the magnification. Again, I can’t believe it’s cardboard!
As World Environment Day falls in June we are currently thinking about ways we can all become more eco-friendly to improve the Earth’s environment by making changes to our lives.
One way we can all strive to improve is to reduce the need for single-use plastics and this can include looking for different ways our children play. Eco-friendly toys like this kit from Build Your Own are a fabulous alternative if you want to move away from buying plastic toys or if you’re looking for a fun gift for a loved one.
Things we loved
We loved the fact it was total mess-free construction. The pieces have been designed expertly to slot and click and though we found one section a bit fiddly and had to use a little sellotape, the rest was no problem. I was also a fan of the fun yet educational element of the kit as I enjoy seeing my children engage with STEAM toys that aim to encourage exploration and engineering with a fun and hands-on approach.
Things we didn’t
The only tiny gripe was the viewing section was a little fiddly. The three slides that you stack and sandwich the lens in-between kept slipping so we used sellotape to secure them in place.
How much is it and where can I buy one?
The Build Your Own Telescope is priced at £19.99 and can be purchased from Build Your Own Kit here.
About Build Your Own
Build Your Own, part of Paper Engine Ltd in Hampshire, are awesome creators of a range of exciting cardboard flatpack toys made from sustainable cardboard and paper which have been designed to be as eco as possible.
They came up with the idea of designing toys that kids would enjoy building and which captured their active imaginations in a fun, engaging way.
The team were concerned about how the majority of plastic toys would eventually end up in a landfill, so decided that cardboard was definitely the best way forward. Whilst they haven’t eliminated plastic entirely, cardboard and paper are always the main components.
Review by: Libby Wilkinson
You may also want to read this:
Children’s Book Review: Maker Workshop by Dr Alison Buxton
Review: The Brilliant Recycling Project Book by Sara Stanford
Review: The Impolite Imps (Uh Oh Milo) by Kate Wogan
* We were sent the telescope kit for free in return for a review. All opinions are our own.
30 comments
What a brilliant idea, it would make a lovely gift. My kids love looking through my Dads proper one so this might have to go on to the Christmas list!
Thank you for sharing x
Yes it is a fantastic gift to give little ones
Oh how fabulous! I love these types of kits! The fact it is made from cardboard makes it even more awesome, certainly makes it easier to store! Sim x
Yes it is easy to make and to store as well
I’ve not seen a build your own telescope kit before. That looks like really good fun. I’m sure my son would really enjoy making and playing with this.
The telescope is really good quality and it is so simple to build it as well
Oh my goodness, this looks amazing! My daughter loves everything space and I just know she would love this so much!
So glad to hear that Jenni
This is excellent, my son would love this, not only is it a cool thing to have but you get a sense of township because you built it, great post.
I agree, he was really happy to see the end product
It’s a lovely idea for kids to be able to build something they can actually use. I bet they will be fascinated by what they can see through this.
My son was certainly facinated
This looks like so much fun. what a cool toy and great that you can learn though play with this too x
Absolutely agree, we had such fun
Mess-free construction must be amazing, nothing to clear up afterwards and it looks like a really good telescope for the price x
Glue is one thing which gets my hands totally messy, so this was really fun to do
What a great science experiment for kids and a way to learn our solar system and universe too
Totally agree, love it when my kids get to learn as they play
Love the look of that, and I can’t believe it’s cardboard, it looks so impressive! I have two little boys and this would really capture their imaginations!
Agree, we could not believe the quality of the product as well, worth getting it
This looks really good, my son would love this! That is a bargain price as well! I have seen similar things to this for much more! Also loving that it is eco friendly
Yes it is a fantastic item to gift someone or get for your child
What a fab project to keep the kids entertained! I didn’t know you could get sets like this. Think my two would get a lot out of building these.
Yes they would certainly enjoy the experience of building it together
awww this is so cute, such a great way to keep the younger kids entertained – and such a bargain!
You are so right! It is such a bargain indeed
My kids are fascinated by space so would love this. We’re trying to move away from plastic toys as much as possible.
How wonderful to hear that, this is made using eco-friendly materials
It is such a waste of money. It is no where near to the sturdiness or the picture shown. I too thought it would be great fun- but it is very flimsy.
Sorry to hear that, we did not have any problems building it, wonder if the kit you were sent was made of a different material?