Guidecraft Construct-It Early Building Set: A Review and Giveaway

Christmas is over.  Hopefully most of your decorations are put away.  Maybe even some of the new toys are hidden, only to emerge at a later date when the February doldrums sets in and young bodies are anxious to be busy. 

I tried as long as I could to hide a certain building toy set sent to us by Guidecraft. 

No, let me take that back.  I actually had it “stored” in our family room for a long, long, long time.  I wanted the boys to get super-duper curious. 

It worked.

On a particularly boring day (for them), due to the fact that I had to devote more attention to Naomi, I unveiled unpacked the Construct It Early Builder Set.

Why were they so curious?  Well . . . imagine a boy suddenly acquiring 160 pieces to build as many machines and toys as his imagination will allow.  In our house, if it has a hammer, pliers, and a screwdriver . . . it is sure to be a hit.  (Not to mention the fact that this toy is geared toward ages 4 and up.  Yup, we got a few of those walking around our house.)

They were enticed to build this . . .

and this . . .

 and this . . .

 

What does a 6 year old do with this toy?

He treats it like a set of Lego's.  Except he can build more useful things.

But a 6 year old who is used to following step-by-step instructions becomes frustrated when those instructions are NOT included.  He has to look at a picture and somehow figure out what pieces to use to mirror the aforesaid object.

I, personally, don’t have a problem with the lack of instructions.  I think it is good practice to employ problem solving skills.  But it was a little hard to convince a certain 6 year old that there is value in working through something difficult to create something useful.

What does a 4 year old do with this toy?

He mainly watched his brother.  Smart little tyke.  He wanted Asher to construct the toy, and then he would play with it. 

But he could (for school or for play-time with mommy)

• sort colors
• sort shapes
• follow my step-by-step instructions to create something

What does a 2 year old do with this toy? 

He looks at it.

He tries to figure out what on earth his brothers built.

He takes his brothers’ creations apart.

What else could he do with this toy?

• refine his fine motor skills by dropping dried spaghetti through the holes
• pound the pegs through the base rectangles with the supplied hammer
• experiment and see what pieces fit through a paper towel tube

And what will brothers do when they play with the Construct-It Early Builder set?

They will turn a laundry basket into a boat.  Underneath the basket you will find a blue blanket that is actually water.  And with the Construct-It Early Builder set, they will attach the blanket to the basket so that they can pretend to be the captain of a pirate ship.

Looks like the Construct-It Early Builder set must be an open-ended toy.  I like that.

And if you like that . . . head on over to Mama Jenn’s to win this very set!  Giveaway ends January 21st! 

And if you don’t win the giveaway, , you can head over to the Guidecraft website OR purchase the Construct-It Early Building set through Amazon!

As a Guidecraft Mom blogger, this product was given to me for review purposes. I do not have to return the product to the vendor and I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

B.E.E. 90x Challenge: Belated Check-In

The Hottie is having a contest at work.  I got roped into it.  As a result, I have become a bit completive about it. 

So competitive that I secretly went to work out in the basement after Monday night Bible study . . . I know . . . real holy.

But he was upstairs running in place, while I was studying the Word of God.  Sitting.  You know, like Mary.  Jesus did say that was the better choice.

The Hottie was doing it on purpose.  He was being a Martha.  He wanted to win.

Honestly, we do have a healthy competition going on.

Why?  Whoever (in our household—not at his office) has the most steps at the end of the day, wins a massage that night.    And with the Arnica Lotion we are reviewing from Tropical Traditions right now – you bet I wanted a massage.  That stuff soothes the muscles. 

Note:  Whoever has the most steps at the end of the week at the Hottie’s office gets some money or something lame like that. 

I was excited until I reset my pedometer on accident last night.  Blast.

But I am back in the game.  After fuming at the pedometer for 12 hours, it is back on my hip.  I am walking in place as I type this. 

Gotta keep moving. 

Remember B.E.E. 90x is about setting REASONABLE goals that you will fulfill in 90 days.  And the prayer is that in those 90 days you will establish life long habits.  A habit to read your Bible daily.  A habit to eat wisely.  A habit to move your body.

And remember . . . there will be some giveaways at the end of the 90 days here at Granola Mom 4 God.  Leave a comment.  Make some changes.

Do something. 

B.E.E in the Bible:  This week’s chronological readings are as follows:

• Monday . . . . Genesis 12-15

• Tuesday . . . . Genesis 16-18

• Wednesday . . . . Genesis 19-21

• Thursday . . . . Genesis 22-24

• Friday . . . . Genesis 25-26

• Saturday . . . . Genesis 27-29

• Sunday . . . . Genesis 30-31

B.E.E. eating well:  Learn to make yogurt.  Cut out white flour and sugar.  Eat whole wheat.  Have a smoothie for your meal.   Eat ONLY when you are hungry.  Or take the Eat Fat Lose Fat Challenge.

B.E.E. exercising:  go on a walk, run in place, lift something heavy while you do squats.  Place a pedometer on your hip (they are cheap) and make sure to walk over 10,000 steps in one day.  I have been using Biggest Loser Boot Camp, Biggest Loser Yoga, Wholy Fit (which has been a huge blessing to do with my sons and is a GIVEAWAY ITEM), and P90x Kenpo X.

Can’t wait to hear from you!

Wordless Wednesday: Mutilated Sweet Potatoes

When I gave my sons the task of poking holes in the sweet potatoes for this recipe, I had no idea how thoroughly they would accomplish said task.

Happy 3 Months!

It is so appropriate that today my little girl learned how to flip from her belly to her back.  And she was none too happy about her new found strength.

Three months . . . I can not believe how fast time is flying by.

Already . . . Naomi’s newborn cry is gone.  As are the little mouth clicks . . . sighs . . . gurgles.

However, they have been replaced with bright smiles and delicious laughs and warm snuggles that feel like hugs.

And . . . she has found her hand.  Not her thumb.  Her entire hand.

A Timberdoodle Review: Critical Thinking Press

He completed the book in 4 sittings . . . if even that. 

Dear Timberdoodle, my favorite homeschooling supply store, the workbook was supposed to last longer than that!  We want more books from Critical Thinking Press!  Thank you!

Signed,

Granola Mom

Mr. Smackdown and I  went on a date to Starbucks.  Instead of chatting like we normally do . . . making up stories . . . he wanted to do school work.  Specifically, he wanted to turn multiple pages and finish his Visual Perceptual Skill Building (Book 1), that we were reviewing from Timberdoodle.

He didn’t finish on our date, but not many more school days later . . . the book lay completely used and lonely. 

Does that mean it was potentially too easy, not age appropriate though the Timberdoodle website states that it is for ages 3-6?

No.  I think the book is just that much fun for children – especially after reading some other reviews regarding the Visual Perceptual Skill Building workbook.

What are visual perceptual skills?  They are the set of skills we use to gather visual information from the environment and integrate them with our other senses.  These skills tap into previous learning and life experiences in order to derive meaning.  Without visual perceptual skills you basically can’t learn.  Things like reading, giving directions, copy work, visualizing objects, even discerning where a sound is originating from becomes difficult.

The purpose of Visual Perceptual Skill Building is to provide exercises in “a clear, uncluttered format, perfect for the easily distracted preschooler.”   This workbook endeavors to prepare students for high achievement in reading, spelling, writing, spatial reason and visual math. 

Each topic begins with a pre-test and ends with a post-test so that you can “marvel” at the progress that your child made (according to the Timberdoodle website).

And that is what I did.  “Marvel.” 

Thumbs up for the Visual Perceptual Skill Building Workbook that can be found at Timberdoodle for $24.99.

____________________

Mr. Smackdown wasn’t the only one who has been enjoying a workbook by Critical Thinking Press.

Sir Honey Ezra, my kangaroo, is L.O.V.I.N.G. his Math Reasoning Level A (kindergarten) workbook. 

This seriously surprises me.  This is my little boy who has to be moving, running, or vigorously touching you 99% of the time.  But when it comes to “math time” his is engaged .  . . .

as long as I am hovering over. 

 

If I am absent, a little someone gets distracted.  It becomes difficult to hold his pencil correctly.  Then, mysteriously random lines begin to appear all over his workbook page.

As soon as I reappear to work alongside the little man, he is happy to continue his learning. 

 

But I can’t blame the little guy.  If I basically had a personal teacher . . . I would want their ever-present help, too. 

Not to mention the fact that Sir Honey is only 4 . . . doing a book intended for kindergarteners. 

The Math Reasoning A Kindergarten workbook features (in full color) activities such as:

• addition
• bar graph
• calendar
• capacity
• coins
• count
• fractions
• language
• length
• likelihood
• match
• number line
• odd/even
• order
• pattern
• real world problems
• shapes
• subtraction
• time
• weight
• whole numbers

I should have warned you that it was a long list . . . but because this list is so long . . . it covers everything that I would like Sir Honey Ezra to learn this year.  Thus, Math Reasoning A Kindergarten has become his math textbook.  We do about two pages a day.  I think it is a very affordable curriculum . . . $39.99 at Timberdoodle.

____________________

We picked this book, Can You Find Me Preschool, for Gabe (2.5). . . thinking based on the description that he would be able to participate . . . ummm . . . didn’t happen.  Not even close.  But the boys and I enjoyed it!

The great thing about Can You Find Me Preschool is that it is a book that can be reused and works well for a special snuggle time! 

This book can be used to develop your child’s “skills in using similarities and differences, sequences, classifications, analogies, and logic to solve colorful rhyming riddles. All riddles require the answering of two or more clues to figure out the answer. Each book covers reading readiness, science, math, and social studies. Includes answers and a chart of skills developed in each activity.”

This book was a breeze for Mr. Smackdown (6). . .

(Do you know the answer?  Let me know and you might win my copy!)

And an appropriate challenge for Sir Honey Ezra (4).

 

My only bug-a-boo about this book . . . these guys are weird looking, don’t you think?

Thanks, Timberdoodle! 

Legal Disclosure:
As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of these books in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.