Disclaimer: We were sent product in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are entirely our own - and the elementary school students' who tested this out for us. The product was then left at the school to be part of their "maker space". When I was a kid, I used to love building things. I remember my family used to buy me all manner of building blocks, Legos, and even Lincoln Logs to keep my hands busy. When I outgrew a set, there was always something new waiting for me, or I'd start finding things around the house to use instead. I used to live for empty boxes because I could deconstruct them and build virtually anything from them if I got creative enough. These days, well into my adult years, I've taken to creating all manner of DIY projects to keep busy, but my daughter inherited my love for putting things together, so I'm always on the hunt for toys that'll keep her hands occupied and her mind engaged. This is why, when I was allowed to partner with Lite Poppers, I jumped … [Read more...]

Remember in my FinFun post when I said that was the best thing to ever happen to me? Read the first line of the post if you forgot. Well, now forget that. No offense FinFun, but the Big Fat Notebook series by Workman Publishing beats you by a mile, partially that you can use them anywhere, where as FinFun you can only use in water. But don't worry FinFun, I still love you. The Big Fat Notebooks are Middle School textbooks that cover five major subjects: English, Math, American and World history, and (Cue the angelic music!) Science!(Thank you for the music, angels, but you can stop now.) Big Fat Notebooks cover the main topics and help the info sink in. They have mnemonics, phrases, doodles, and more to help you learn. I love them so much, I care for them like babies (That was a hyperbole, by the way.) The owners should get millions of dollars for these things, trust me, if you had one, you'd understand. They helped me with at-home projects, too. Nanometer conversions, … [Read more...]

The Brio World Family House is a great toy to kick start your child’s inner design star! It really lets kids play with different ways to build the house and let's them see all the options. Tiana loved having five different rooms that show could arrange together in multiple ways. These rooms can be built vertically and horizontally allowing an endless possibility of combinations. The walls, windows, and doors are also interchangeable which is nice when deciding how to build your home. Tiana only needed help a few times snapping the pieces together and she loved every minute of it! The interior details allow kids to choose what rooms will be, and some of the furniture also has multipurpose functions. For example, there is a little bookcase but if you flip it over it becomes a record player! The best part of this dollhouse is that it encourages creativity and problem solving skills while building the best home ever! This set would fit in nicely with other Brio World playsets … [Read more...]

K'Nex is a construction toy system invented by American Joel Glickman. It was first introduced in America in 1992. K'Nex is designed and produced by K'Nex Industries Inc. of Hatfield, Pennsylvania. K'Nex was purchased by Florida-based company Basic Fun! in 2018. They sent us the K'nex 3-in-1 Amusement Park for us to review and donate to the local elementary school for their maker space. I will tell you that this company was VERY generous with our maker space program and my Mom said she will be a lifelong fan of them. Their line includes: K'nex, Mighty Makers, Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toys. Not only are they made in the USA, but they replace broken pieces for free! K'nex 3-in-1 Amusement Park Now, let's see what the kids had to say: Bottom line? The kids really seemed to enjoy working with it and loved using the kit directions to make exactly what they showed how to do. After that? The sky was the limit as they created a lot of their very own ideas and contraptions with … [Read more...]

As parents we're always trying to find ways to engage our children and keep them busy. Sometimes it's simply to preserve our sanity but for the most part we realize how important it is to fuel imagination and foster creative abilities, so we constantly hunt for the latest and greatest toys that we think will accomplish these things. As a blogger, I get the opportunity to work with some amazing companies that create products that are specifically designed to entice the natural curiosity in children and empower them to embrace their own creativity. OgoSport is one such like-minded company. They're made up of a team of designers, but they don't just design products; they create toys for children that are meant to keep kids active and busy. Their products for all ages that keep both mind and body active, all while keeping the fun flowing. Founded in 2004, OgoSport operates under a certain formula that is applied to every product they create. Their aim is to encourage active play while … [Read more...]

Disclaimer: We were sent Lux Blocks product in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are entirely our own - and the elementary school students who tested this out for us. The product was then left at the school to be part of their "maker space". A new block for a new century. Lux blocks is the super high performance construction system that imitates nature - all of it. These identical modular construction elements imitate molecules, cells, waves, and all kids of structures and machines. They are the true universal construction system. It makes for a different kind of building set and lets the kids stretch their minds in slightly different ways than they are used to.  With Lux's patent-pending snap and lock hinge, builders are now freer than ever before to make structures that curve, bend, and move! I love how many sets they have, such a great variety of sizes and kits to choose from! So, here is what the kid's had to say about Lux Blocks... Other toys we … [Read more...]