It's true about the foam pieces: they tear very easily, a big frustration for my 6-year-old, who, strange as it may seem, is so careful that he has never broken a piece of glassware. I tore two, myself, in an attempt to follow the instructions. However, the rest of the product is very ingenious; we keep discovering more ways to connect the plastic pieces, and the company was very responsive when I complained in an email. I got a very personal response from the president (!) within 6 hours, explaining that they know the foam pieces are a problem, they've ordered pieces twice as thick that will come in this summer, and that in the meantime, he'd replace any torn pieces. So don't let the possibility of torn pieces be a spoiler for you; change is on the way. Also, any company that responds that quickly and personally gets my vote. I'll be buying more Zoob.