Great Toys for Little Engineers

     In this post, I will talk about some amazing toys for kids who love to think, build, and create. We have been struggling with boredom at home with our newly 4 year old. With the cold winter upon us, I was looking to add a few toys to the playroom that would hopefully engage my son, and let him build and create to his hearts content. The list below includes some old favorites, along with some fantastic new additions:

Puzzles
     Both of the kids LOVE puzzles. Sometimes my 4 year old likes to work on his own, and other times, he wants the whole family to help. The cardboard floor puzzles are definitely the favorites at the moment. I love the Melissa and Doug puzzles, and the Crocodile Creek brand also has some unique and fantastic puzzles.

MagnaTiles
    You can read my previous review on MagnaTiles here. These are still a huge favorite with both my boys. Two year old Baby E is very into the tiles now, and my older son constantly comes back to them with new ideas and ways to use the pieces. I love that they really grow with the child, and each child can find something creative to do that matches his development.

Magformers
     I really thought that these would be redundant since we already had MagnaTiles. Around the holidays however, there was a sale that was just too great to pass up. We got a 62 piece set to start off, and I have been thrilled with them. Magformers allow the kids to build different types of structures, and my older son has really enjoyed playing with them. Magformers have much stronger magnets, and my son really enjoys that he can pick up and work on his 3D creations.

Clics
     Clics are much more affordable than any of the magnetic toys, but are great for endless hours of building and constructing. These are a little bit harder to manipulate, and my 4 year old definitely still needs help when building with these. It's a great quiet activity though, and I can see the clics having great play value even as the kids get older.

Lego
    I felt that I could not have a list like this without Lego. My kids have never really been into legos, but they would definitely be on my list of toys to try if your kids love to build and create.

What are your kids favorite building toys? 

Hand Print Turkey Puppets!

I have always wanted to try this Thanksgiving project, and this afternoon was the perfect opportunity. I used an image from Google Images as my starting point:



These were the materials we used:

• brown and pink construction paper
• glue sticks
• hot glue or regular glue
• popsicle sticks 
• crayons
• laminator and laminating sheets (optional)

I was too distracted to take pictures during the actual process of making these, but I have some of the finished product. It was a really simple activity that even Baby E (newly two) really enjoyed. I traced each child's hand on a piece of brown construction paper. They colored the hand prints, and then I cut them out. I cut out little pink construction paper feet, and the kids glued them on with glue sticks. Next was the kids favorite part - laminating! We laminated the Turkeys, and then glued them onto large popsicle sticks. The hardest part was waiting for the glue to dry!

Here is the finished Turkey puppet:

You could also make these into cute cards or centerpieces.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Counting Fun and paper Chains!

We are snowed in today. Being snowed in with little kids can be an interesting adventure. The 3 year old has been keeping himself pretty busy, but Baby E does not like being cooped up inside.

Making paper chains is a great way to pass the time and have some fun. All you need is paper, scissors, and glue.

There are lots of ways to incorporate counting into this activity. We counted out our pieces of construction paper, we counted as we held our edges together for 10 seconds after gluing, and we counted the rings on our chains!

What toddler or pre-schooler doesn't enjoy the opportunity to cut (with mommy's help) and glue to his heart's content?

Now onto the next activity!

Review: Magna-Tiles!

I am really excited about this review! I first heard about Magna-Tiles last year, when Munchkin was still too young for them. Now that he is approaching three, I thought they would make an awesome (early) birthday present. He started building with the magna-tiles as soon as he got them, (thanks Grandma and Grandpa!) and has played with them every day since. The tiles are little different than I expected, but they are amazing nonetheless!

Hard at work

We got the 100-piece set, and I think that was definitely the right decision. I don't think 32 pieces would be enough. The tiles are much bigger than I imagined, which makes it easy for little hands to build with them. There is a nice variety of shapes - large base plates, smaller squares, and three different types of triangles. 

Munchkin has mostly been stacking the tiles and making flat designs, but he has also started to experiment with 3D shapes. In a few short days he has become much better at building and thinking of designs he wants to make. 

Baby E getting in on the fun

 It is extremely easy to manipulate the shapes, but there is definitely a learning curve as well. The structures built with magna-tiles are pretty delicate, and my toddler has been frustrated a few times about not being able to get something to stay the way he wants it. But I love that he is engaged and challenged while playing. There are endless possibilities, and I am definitely enjoying building as well! I can see these being well loved, but only time will tell if the magna-tiles will have longevity in this house. 

I am storing our magna-tiles in a plain old sterilite container, and they are a breeze to clean up!

*This post contains affiliate links 

Favorite Toys: Age 2.5

         I am always on the lookout for new toys, so I thought I would list some of my 2.5 year old's favorite toys. We don't do a lot of electronic toys in this house, and I like looking for open ended toys that can be used many different ways.

         Here is his current list of favorites:

• Step 2 Cooking Essentials Stainless Steel 10-Piece Set 

A absolutely loves these pots and pans, and his little friends are usually immediately drawn to this set. He uses them to cook, and create random concoctions like crayon soup and salad dressing pancakes. We have a toy kitchen as well, but the pots and pans are often used as a stand-alone toy, and I love how he really uses his imagination when playing.

• Puzzles, Puzzles and more Puzzles

Right now, A is really into these Melissa and Doug puzzles. I love the sturdy wooden pieces, which are easy for him to manipulate and stay together well. He is also into larger 24 piece puzzles that he likes to do with me or my husband. I got this great set of Melissa and Doug wooden puzzles.

• Melissa and Doug Jumbo Cardboard Blocks

These have just recently started getting a lot more play. They are great for building all sorts of towers, houses, steps, you name it! 

• Little Tykes Push and Ride Racer

This has been a favorite for a while now. It is great both indoors and out. A loves to run outside while pushing this car, and there is a great little area in the back where he can put his snack or whatever toy is coming on our walk.

• Play-Doh

A has just recently gotten into Play-Doh the last couple months. He has some texture sensitivities, so it is great to see him working with Play-Doh and really enjoying it. I got a great starter set similar to this, that has 4 small containers of Play-Doh and a bunch of animal shapes. He still needs some help to roll out the Play-Doh and push down on the animal shapes, but this is a great activity for when baby E is napping. The one downside is the little pieces of Play-Doh that get into the carpet, but I guess that's what a playroom is for.

• A Random Red Bucket

This list would not be complete without his beloved red bucket. This is just any old pail that we got from a friend. He uses it to carry around whatever objects he is obsessing over at the moment. This bucket often comes with us to the store, on walks, to the pool and beach (obviously!), and to the park. Not sure why he loves it so much, but it sure is cute to watch. (Strangely enough, I don't have a picture of him with his bucket, ill have to add one later)

What is your 2.5 year old playing with?

*Disclosure of Material Connection: This post contains affiliate links