Not your ordinary puzzle

If you're getting bored at home, but are not quite ready to end your isolation, a 3D puzzle will keep you and your family occupied and having fun for a while.  I received this 3D London Bus Puzzle from Ravensburger and it's so much fun putting it together!  This puzzle is recommended for ages 10+ and has a suggested retail price of $29.99. 

This isn't your ordinary puzzle.  When completed, it will form a 3D bus, not a flat picture of one.  The completed bus can be used as a desk accessory for holding pencils, scissors, etc. because it has openings in the top.  And there's no mess to worry about when constructing it because it's a puzzle...no glue is needed!

 
It comes with 260 high quality plastic puzzle pieces, 4 rotating wheels and instructions.  The puzzle pieces are shaped to fit together perfectly to create a realistic model of the iconic double decker bus in London.  Each puzzle piece is printed with a number on the back side, so you can choose whether you want to assemble the bus the old fashioned way (by eye) or just by following the numbers.  Personally, I wouldn't dream of following the numbers, because I think the fun of doing a puzzle is figuring our where each piece fits.  But that's just my own preference!

The wheels actually turn, which makes this not just a puzzle, but also a model vehicle.  Assembling this puzzle requires some hand-eye coordination, strategic planning, focus and lots of patience!  But you will love the end result.  You'll be proud of the highly detailed London bus that you built yourself!  And kids think it's amazing to start out with a puzzle and end up with a model vehicle that actually rolls!  It's fun for the whole family!

A doll that's made for the water

I was provided with this doll by Madame Alexander for this review.  

Little girls love dolls.  And they want to take them everywhere with them, even the bath tub.  But if the doll isn't designed for water, it can ruin them.  But the Splash and Play Mermaid is designed for time in the tub.  It's just as beautiful in the water as it is out of it.  And you can get one for your little girl for the MSRP of $49.95.

This doll is fully submersible and comes dressed in the cutest mermaid outfit.  She is wearing blue shorts with a fish scale pattern and a white t-shirt with pink sea shells made to look like a sea shell bra.  She also comes with a pink hooded mermaid towel with a green mermaid tail.  She has a bottle and a fish toy as well.  

 
At 12", this doll is the perfect size for a little girl to hold and cuddle.  Your daughter will love wrapping up in her own hooded towel, while she dries her doll with the mermaid towel.  She can even take her doll into a swimming pool with her, because everyone knows that mermaids love to swim!  

Splash and Play Mermaid is recommended for ages 2+ and will make a perfect summer companion to any little girl.  Being made for water play means that this doll will quickly become a favorite that is taken everywhere.  Bath time will be something that is looked forward to because your daughter will love exploring the underwater "mermaid kingdom" while she bathes.  And while you most likely won't have any trouble getting her into the bath tub, you will have trouble getting her out of it!

Colors, patterns and creativity...you get it all with this kaleidoscope!

If your kids are like mine, they are fascinated by colors and patterns.  That's why I was so happy when Elenco gave me this Smartivity Kaleidoscope to review.  This mesmerizing toy is recommended for ages 6+ and has a suggested retail price of $38.95.

This kaleidoscope is completely kid powered.  It doesn't need batteries, just a child's curiosity.  It lets you explore an infinite sequence of patterns and a dazzling world of colors!  First designed by Scotsman Sir David Brewster in 1816, a kaleidoscope is not just another toy.  It's a portal to a magical dimension where colors dance and wonders abound.  Because of the ever changing patterns, kaleidoscopes have been used as a source of inspiration by designers and artists.  It will inspire creativity and introduce children to the wonders of light, color and reflection as they peer into the fascinating world of patterns and designs.

But this isn't just an ordinary kaleidoscope!  Your child will actually get to build this one!  They will get to fill the drum with the colorful trinkets that are included in the kit.  This will give them a huge feeling of accomplishment as they peer into it and explore the wonders of light, color and changing patterns.  They can even decorate it with their own paints and markers to make it truly unique and personalized.

Building this kaleidoscope will help develop analytical skills, creativity, motor skills and practical skills.  It comes with easy to understand, illustrated instructions with experiments to ensure their understanding of concepts learned through play.  It's designed for learning the fundamental principles of STEM and STEAM.  Assembly is mess free - it uses rubber bands instead of glue - and it's made from high quality, re-engineered, laser cut wood.  And, like all Smartivity products, it is recyclable, safe, non toxic and sustainable.  So order one today and give your child a toy that they can both build and play with!

Just add sun

I received this awesome Solar Oven Science and Art Kit from Griddly Games for review.  You can do some really amazing things using only the sun for power.  With this kit, you can learn how the energy of the sun can be used to heat objects, as well as cooking food.

Just Add Sun ($29.00):  Use the sun's energy to heat up a tasty treat in this STEAM solar oven kit.  Melt s'mores, nachos or make your own crazy crayons with the power of the sun and the Just Add Sun Solar Science + Art Kit.  Introduce kids to eco friendly energy alternatives as they learn how solar energy works.  Experiment with sunlight, heat transfer, reflection and more!  Plus learn to upcycle items to create fantastic art!  And a portion of the proceeds from Just Add Sun is donated to Solar Cookers International.

          
The really cool thing about this kit is that the box functions as a solar oven, thanks to the special reflective lining that you can see in the photo above.  Your kids will be fascinated by this!

The kit comes with one Solar Oven Box, one 4" x 4" Canvas, one 100ml Clear Bottle, one 100ml Black Bottle, one Mini Funnel Cutout, two Black Balloons, two Clear Balloons, eight Was Crayons, one Pipette, one Clear Straw, Wax Paper, one Magnifying Glass, two Bottles of Food Coloring and one Pair of Rubber Gloves.

Activities include Balloon Blow, Mystery Pop Balloon, Melting Ice, Solar Oven, Build a Thermometer, Sundial, Ice Hands & Food Coloring, Wax Paper Sun Catcher and Painting with Wax.

Kids will enjoy learning Science lessons such as freezing and melting points, light absorption and reflections and heat transfer.  And they will absolutely love creating delicious treats that they can eat.  You will have to provide the food ingredients, but the sun will do the rest!  Let them make treats for the whole family to enjoy!

Get Creative with Pix Brix!

These products that I received from Pix Brix for review will give your kids a new way to express their creativity.  Create stunning masterpieces with these little building blocks.  And the possibilities are endless because Pix Brix are compatible with all major bricks brands! 

The 1500 piece Mixed Color Series boxes are the perfect starters for all new Pix Brix artists.  There are 3 different color varieties for you to choose from - Dark, Medium and Light.  Each set has a retail price of $14.95.  Each color series comes with an assorted amount of colored bricks in the following colors:  Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Pink, Beige, Brown and Gray.  The Dark Series comes with 11 assorted dark colors and is the only mixed series that comes with Black.  The Medium Series comes with 10 assorted medium colors and does not include White or Black.  The Light Series comes with 11 assorted light colors and is the only mixed series that includes white.  If you purchase all 3 mixed series boxes, you can start pixelating with the full 32 color palette.  

You can create your own designs, but there is also a free Photo Pixelator on their website that will let you upload any photo of your choice and it will create a design template for it so you can create a Pix Brix version of it.  There is also an app that you can download, if you prefer.

    
There is also an official Pix Brix Tool that makes it much easier to build and take apart your creations.  It has a retail price of $4.95.  The PB Tool has 3 functions for adding and removing Pix Brix.  The tip of the tool can be used to pick up and insert bricks together, giving you the feeling of coloring with Pix Brix.  You can also use this tip to push bricks out in specific spots to create 2D builds.

The tool comes with a removable wedge piece inserted in the tip.  This wedge piece can be used to separate layers of builds by pushing it into small openings or corners.

And finally, the top of the tool gives you leverage for removing layers of bricks.  Just connect the top of the tool with the brick you want to remove and tilt the tool back.  The brick will lift up and separate from the layer.

Your kids will love Pix Brix, and you will find yourself enjoying them as well.  It's a perfect activity for rainy days when going outside isn't an option.  And the whole family can get involved!  Create a family masterpiece!

Fun games to play with your kids!

It's always great to have games that you can play with your kids.  Family game night is something my family enjoys.  These games that I was given by Bananagrams for review are fun for the whole family!  They are a great way to spend quality time together, and everyone will have a blast!

BANANAGRAMS Party Edition ($14.99):  The Re Gifter, The Thief, Switcheroo, Pouch Head...these are just some of the names of the 14 chaos inducing Party Power tiles in BANANAGRAMS Party edition.  Each tile holds its own special action, allowing the receiving player to bestow chaos on the victim of his or her choice!  Whether it's taking a lap around the game table or demolishing another player's grid, no one is safe! 

Party Power tiles add chaos to the sneakiest, cheekiest BANANAGRAMS ever!  

BANANAGRAMS Party Edition comes with 144 single letter tiles, 14 party tiles and instructions.  It can be played with 1-7 players and is recommended for ages 14+.  It takes an average of 30 minutes or less to play a game. 
 

This game plays in a similar way to Classic BANANAGRAMS, with the object to be the first to use up all of your letters.  Start by showing everyone the 14 party tiles to switch up game play, then, mix them face down into the bunch.  When you draw a party tile from the BUNCH, you MUST use it immediately.  With all but two party tiles, you pick another player to carry out the action.  Some tiles have one off actions, while others continue until the end of the hand.  When an action is complete, put the tile to the side of your grid, out of play.

If the BUNCH has fewer tiles than there are players when you put the last letter in your grid, you don’t say “PEEL”, you say “BANANAS!”  Other players now inspect your grid.  If it contains a misspelled word, proper noun, abbreviation or other unacceptable word, the others call out “ROTTEN BANANA!” and you’re out of the game.  ALL of a Rotten Banana’s letters and party tiles are returned to the BUNCH face down.   Play now continues for everyone else until the BUNCH again depletes, and someone else calls out “BANANAS!”  When someone says “BANANAS!” and has an acceptable grid, they become TOP BANANA, and win! 

Cheeky Butts ($14.99):  Cheeky Butts is a hot potato style family game of spot and match, where players race to pick up animal cards and place them in their matching landing trays before the randomized timer goes off.  If they’re the one holding a card when the timer stops, they lose a token.  When a player loses all three tokens, they’re out of the game!  The last player with tokens wins!  The perfect new addition to family game night.

 

Cheeky Butts comes with 60 cards, 12 trays, 18 tokens, electric timer and instructions.  It can be played with 2-6 players and is recommended for ages 6+.  It takes an average of 15 minutes to play a game.

 

It's easy to play!  To start, each player takes 3 Chance tokens and the correct number of trays (2-6 each, depending on number of players).  Everyone lines up their trays in front of them, animal side up!  Place the stack of Cheeky Cards face down in the center of the table.  Start the timer!  Once the timer starts, the first player takes a Cheeky Card from the pile, turns it over, and quickly places it into the tray with the matching animal.  If you place the card in one of your own trays, go again!  If you place the card in another player‘s tray, they now become the active player.  Continue playing until the timer goes off.  If you are the active player when the timer goes off, you lose a Chance Token!
After each round, all players shift one of their Cheeky Trays, along with the cards inside, clockwise.  That way, animals are always changing!  When a player loses all 3 of their Chance Tokens, they’re out of the game.  The remaining players then redistribute that players trays.

The last player with Chance Tokens wins the game and is the Cheekiest Cheeky Butts Champion!

Cobra Paw ($14.99):  Ninja like know how steals the game! 


Ninja like reflexes, sharp recognition skills, and mental fortitude steals the game in our new tile snatching challenge known as Cobra Paw!  Players take turns rolling the dice (featuring 6 unique symbols), spotting the tile with the matching pattern, then grabbing it before their opponents.  The first player to snatch up 6 tiles wins the game and bestows great honor to the Grand Shidoshi, Master Meow!

Cobra Paw comes with 21 tiles, 2 dice and instructions.  It can be played with 2-6 players and is recommended for ages 6+.  

This is a very fast paced games as each player rushes to snatch up the tiles before the others.  There will be lots of laughter as everyone tries to grab the same tile.  My family loved this one so much that they didn't want to stop when bedtime came around!

Fun Games and Activities to Banish Boredom!

If you're looking for ways to banish boredom, look no further!  Check out these products that I was given by PlayMonster to review.  These products will provide hours of fun for your little ones and hours of peace for you!

Stacktopus ($17.99):  Slip on the silly sea fingers to become a stacking octopus...a Stacktopus!  Stacking these cups should be easy, but when you're wearing octopus arms on your fingers, it becomes silly, competitive fun!  Race to match your stack of cups to the card shown to win!  It's great fun for kids, buy also for families.  Wearing the silly sea fingers levels the playing field for kids and adults.  Kids have a blast trying to stack the cups while wearing the octopus tentacles on their fingers.  And they think it's even funnier to see their parents trying to do it!  This is a 2-3 player game and is recommended for ages 5 and up.  Each game comes with 9 Silly Sea Fingers, 18 Cups, 27 Cards and Rules. 

     
Face Paintoos Magical Pack ($11.99):  Face Paintoos are a face paint revolution - temporary play tattoos that make the magic of face painting a fun and easy activity for everyone!  It's easy to achieve perfect, long lasting results every time, without the need for a professional face painter.  Each fun design is easily removed using the included wipes.  They're great for parties, dressing up and role play.  Kids' face painting can be expensive, and unless you hire a professional, it can look really bad.  It's messy and is easily smudged, which is a big problem for kids who love to touch their faces!  But with Face Paintoos, face painting is fun, easy and long lasting!  And you don't need to hire a professional!  You just apply the design like you would a temporary tattoo.  Removal is equally easy when you use the included remover wipes.  Face Paintoos are available in several different design packs.  Each pack contains 5 Face Paintoos (in the Magical Pack that I received, the designs are Unicorn, Mermaid, Dolphin, Butterfly and Fairy), 10 Tattoo Remover Wipes and Instructions.  Face Paintoos are recommended for ages 4+ and are perfect for parties. 

       
Fuzzikins Fuzzi Babies ($5.99):  A fun craft that's also a toy!  Fuzzikins are 3D adorable, fuzzy animals.  They are covered in white flocking, and come with special washable markers that children use to design, color and decorate their new animal friends.  

Children love creating toys that look like their own pets or favorite animals, and using their imagination to make colorful and unique animals.  The creativity with Fuzzikins is endless because the color easily rinses off when the character is placed under running water.  Once it's dry, children can start a new creation.

 
Fuzzi Babies are available in your choice of Lamb, Monkey or Hamster.  Each Fuzzikin Baby Figure comes with a Fuzzikins Teddy Bear, Bed, 3 Washable Markers, Sticker Sheet and Instructions.  Recommended for ages 4+.