Cardboard Block Fun
Written: Nov 22 '08 (Updated Nov 23 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: lots of imaginative play
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: These are fun blocks for my son to play with!
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| goldjay's Full Review: Creative Learner Large Bricks |
My son was probably too young when I first gave him these blocks. He didn't play with them and didn't even really seem to know what to do with them. He'd knock a few down if I built them up but that was it. He'd be done after knocking down a few towers and would have moved on to something else. That was when he was about a year and a half old. Now, he is almost three years old and these blocks are across my floor just about every day. He does the most imaginative things with these blocks and I am considering a second set for even more fun.
Description
These blocks are made out of heavy cardboard. When you receive them, they are all flat pieces of cardboard and you have to fold and assemble them. This is not really a very hard task once you figure out which ways to fold. My husband and I folded and assembled them all in about 15 minutes. There is no tape nor glue or anything else necessary for assembly. Once folded correctly, they simply stay together and are quite sturdy!
This set has all rectangular shaped blocks. They are decorated to look like bricks with rectangles of color separated by white "mortar" between the color. The blocks come in yellow, green, blue, and red. Each block is nine inches by four inches by two inches.
Our Experiences
My son does all kinds of things with these blocks now. Sometimes, he builds blocks one on top of each other to see how high he can build before the blocks fall. Other times, he builds structures and puts his cars or other little toys inside as if it were a house of sorts.
But, his favorite thing, by far, to do with these blocks is to build roads. He will build long roads and roads that go around corners. Then, he will drive his cars along the roads as happily as can be. Sometimes, the roads turn into train tracks and the trains ride on them. This was something that he totally thought up on his own and has a lot of fun doing.
I remember when I was teaching in preschool, the kids would use these blocks to make walkways. They would make a long "road" and then walk down it. My son has only tried this a few times but would rather drive the cars on his roads. At preschool, we also built structures around a kid and then the kid would "break out." We don't have quite enough blocks here to do that which is one reason I am considering a second set.
Storage
I'll be the first to admit that storage can be a bit of a challenge, especially if you have a small room or limited stoage space. We have solved the problem by simply stacking the blocks against a wall near the toy box. Each night, my son helps his sister stack the blocks so it's sort of a game between them to see who gets the highest stack first. Two stacks of blocks, side by side take care of storage and then we usually park some of hte bigger trucks in front of the stacks so it works out pretty well for us. I can see where it might be a challenge for some though!
Durability
We have had these blocks for a year and a half now but they have probably only been played with for 9 months now. But during that 9 months, they have been played with virtually every day. The blocks have some small marks on them from the car wheels but this does not affect their use at all. Even when walking on these blocks, they don't smoosh up or get ruined. I would consider them pretty durable.
I like that these blocks are a creative outlet for my son. He uses them in so many creative ways it is fun to see what he will come up with next! There are no batteries to distract his play nor replace constantly. These blocks are just plain fun!
Recommendations
I would recommend these blocks to anyone with a toddler or preschooler. They are a lot of fun and are relatively inexpensive, particularly if you consider the amount of play time they get! I think that these are a great toy!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 15
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
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Epinions.com ID:
goldjay
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 in Kids & Family |
 - Top 500 |
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Member: Allyson
Location: Maryland
Reviews written: 1017
Trusted by: 274 members
About Me:
Back from our DISNEY WORLD Vacation!! Had a BLAST!!
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