Let me start by saying that we have used this kit with over 200 students, ages 4 to 8, most being of the PreK-K age, and continue to use it. We have been very happy with the kit. The included directions are sparse, but taking 15 minutes (BEFORE trying to do it with children/students) to make one and figure out what works best for you and your purposes is all you need to do. If you expect to just open up the kit and do it with kids before even looking at it yourself, it's going to be tricky and you'll be frustrated. Take the time to make one yourself and adapt to your needs and it will go smoothly and be an activity kids love! It's not that hard. - To attach the small straw (axel) to the bottom of the chassie, use masking tape. - For the dowels, if you press and turn one end, it actually locks into the wheel. The kids put a dot of tacky glue into the hole in each tire and then put the dowel rod in two of them. The teachers then go around and push and turn until it's tight. Let dry at least 5 minutes. Next, place dowels through straw axel, and have kids place wheels on top. (There should already be a dot of tacky glue on wheel). Teacher presses each one down into place. Again, you feel when it is place. We try to let cars sit for at least 5 more minutes before using. -If you press the dowels too hard, they can break, so just be careful to apply equal pressure. There are a few spares so it's usually fine.

I got this kit to do with my school age kit and it was a mess! Wheels would not stay the stick that attaches to the wheels kept breaking. We even used glue it was very frustrating for the kids! Don't buy!

I bought these to do with my summer STEAM class with kindergarten. The kids had a fun time decorating but putting the car together was more challenging than we were anticipating. There are also no assembly instructions so a true problem solving activity. Still made the best of it and had fun!

Bought this kit to do with a 5 yr old who is very mechanically inclined... but I had to basically do everything for him. This should be for ages 8 and up. Also, the wheels don't stick on the dowels well, blowing the balloon up with the straw doesn't work well, and to top it all off there are literally no directions. Would not recommend. Very frustrating.

I'm not a classroom teacher, but I thought these would be fun for 8 grandchildren aged 5-12, but at the first session, we realized we didn't have the supplies to begin (no instructions, but a suggestion to use glue or tape). Second session, we tried again, but wheels did not stay on, so we had to glue and wait a couple of hours (many still fell off later). Third session -- only 3 kids were still interested, and after decorating, the set up was ok, but they quickly needed to redesign and retry, but the balloons were worn out (stretched out) after 3 or 4 tries and didn't propel the vehicles at all. Such a disappointment for so much $$ -- better explanation of supplies, time required and some basic instructions to get started would have helped. Instead I had 8 kids running around with balloons on straws to make their own kind of fun. Maybe it would work better in a classroom.

Great car building kit for older kits. Younger can make the car, but have trouble attaching the wheels to the axle firmly, even with help. Placing the balloon so it is most effective was very tricky and most kids had trouble blowing the balloon up for a second run.

This kit is a dud! There were no instructions and several different iterations failed to launch.

My son was so excited to receive this toy that he'd had his eye on for a long time. Imagine his and my disappointment when we opened it and discovered that there are no instructions (just some suggestions) and then we struggled immensely to get the balloons to work to propel the cars. Its a great concept but would be better with more guidance and examples for the little ones.

We found this kid extremely difficult for the lower ages it’s recommended for. Also, it comes without a lot of the supplies that are needed. We did not know that. This may be good for an older children but it’s certainly not good for five year olds.

The whole concept about this toy is adorable however when you try to build a car it doesn’t work and is sooo frustrating!

I highly recommend these balloon car kits. As part of our library's remote Summer Reading Program, I ordered these kits in bulk and gave out the needed parts from each kit plus rolls of colorful masking tape and markers to 500 youths of our community. They then created and experimented with their own balloon car designs. What a fun, playful way to develop skills in engineering, physics, and graphic design!

My kids (3 and 6) enjoyed experimenting with the materials and making their own car but needed lots of help. In addition to the materials in included, you will need tape, scissors, glue, and coloring materials. It is a challenge to get these working and the set does not come with instructions.