Reviews (2)

Great Learning Toy
Great for teaching the concept of 10's, adding, subtracting - in a fun way! Highly recommend.

Great Value
There are 10 wooden beads which slide across each of the 10 metal rods of the toy. The colors are bright and the frame is thick and durable. As should be expected, there are no instructions included with the abacus. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Super Value
This is a super value. It includes the four most popular puzzles that children like to play with most. This is a good way to teach children new words to things and to think logically.

Every child should own the best wooden puzzles, and this deal is very hard to beat.

Hours of Fun
I do not have the whole set, I have the number puzzle. However, I have often WISHED I had an alphabet one as well because the number puzzle is both fantastically educational and really fun. It was my daughter's most played with toy from the ages of 15 to 19 months. She learned all of her numbers from this puzzle, and how to turn pieces to fit them in (they fit a little loose so it doesn't have to be just right to go in). She would play by herself with this puzzle for long periods. It was the first thing she asked for in the morning and that is what she would do while I made breakfast. The pieces are very robust and have withstood an enormous amount of sucking and chewing without deteriorating. (The tops of the numbers are sealed in somehow with a shiny coating.) My daughter now adores both numbers and puzzles, and is far ahead of where she should be with both, largely because of her experience with this puzzle. It may look incredibly low-tech, but it has big, easy to handle pieces in bright colours and the pieces are things you hear about every day like 1-2-3. It's hard to beat. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

We LOVE this PUZZLE!
This puzzle has lived through three children! All of them have enjoyed playing, and learning with this toy. It is very durable, and easy to use. The letters fit in their places with ease. Good for little fingers, and bigger ones as well. The pictures behind the letters are clear, and easy to interpret. I highly recommend this puzzle! Your children will enjoy learning their ABCs with this toy.

Great Puzzle
I got this puzzle and the big knob geometric puzzle for my 21 month old twin daughters because their other 3 piece puzzles were no longer challenging, but they really liked them. This puzzle is good quality but not excellent quality. The letters do not have knobs, but they are not hard to get out because the places where they go are shallow. As a result, the letters fall out easily if the puzzle is tipped (which means cleaning them up a lot). The letters have pictures under them for each letter, though I would have chosen different words for some of them. My girls already knew all their letters before I bought this puzzle, but it is great for reinforcing them!! They can pick up a letter and name it. You can also do colors as well, though there are only 4 colors. If they chew on the letters, the colored coating will scratch off. It is great for fine motor skill as well and hand eye coordination -- trying to get the letters in the right way. I would recommend this puzzle. My girls have really enjoyed it.

Very Educational.....NOT DURABLE
My son received this puzzle as a gift when he was just 26 months. He loved it so much and played with it all the time. He knew all his letters when he received this toy, but it helped to reiforce them. Unfortunatley, even though this is a very educational toy, it has some big problems. The letters in the puzzle appear to be painted on, they are not! The letters have a sticker GLUED on, not painted as it appears in the picture. Needless to say after little hands play with them for a while, the sticker peels off and you are left with a bare piece of wood. Next, the wood is of very poor quality and has some jagged edges. The last point is not all pieces fit very well in their spot. It is such a shame because the concept is great and it is very educational just very, very poorly made. I would recommend taking a look at the puzzle in Toys r us first or any Imaginarium store to get a good look at the quality. Personally, we had to dispose of this puzzle and bought the Alphabet Art Puzzle from Lights Camera Interaction. Much Better.

Loved the puzzle!
At 18 months, my son knew his alphabet thanks to this puzzle. We have 4 other puzzles from this manufacturer and this is his favorite. He loves puzzles and quickly masters them so we keep buying them. We also let him watch Wheel of Fortune and he calls out letters as Vanna turns them. He spells out letters on books, cereal boxes and tee shirts. These real life examples demonstrates that he can distinguish the puzzle from the real world. We play mind challenging games with our son daily!

FIVE STARS PRODUCT !!
This puzzle is made of wood and the letters are very colorful that attracts my tot's attention. I brought it only 2 days ago and I start teaching him the alphabet. He already learned 2 letters as I am teaching him a letter a day. The beautiful part is you can use the letters independently without the board. Also, after removing a letter , you'll see a picture of an item which started with that letter. very educational ! Excellent teaching tool!! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great Puzzle!
For a pre-schooler needing to work on problem-solving skills, this puzzle was excellent! Not too big or too small, and the Noah's Ark theme was perfect. We had a blast pointing out all the different animals and making their sounds. The puzzle has held up well, and we'll continue to have fun with it.

Great fun, great quality at a great price!!
I got this puzzle for my daughter's Easter basket and she loves it! What realy sold me was the great quality of this puzzle. The pieces are all well cut out--no peeling paper or edges and they all fit perfectly. My daughter is three and a half and I help her with the puzzle until she gets good enough to do it on her own. She wants to break it up and start over as soon as she has finished it. The Noah's Ark artwork is beautiful--highly detailed and very interesting to look at.

I will keep Ravensbuger in mind for future puzzle purchases. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Friendly farm animals surround the barn and tractor in this handcraftedwooden puzzle. This is a terrific puzzle for the very young--it is made of sturdy wood,and each of the nine pieces features a grip knob to help maneuver the pieces into place.Each piece is approximately 1.5 by 3 inches and fits easily into its own hole; the identicalpicture in the hole makes finding "where it goes" easy. The farm animals pictured includea duck with chicks, a sheep, a horse, a cow, a rooster with hen and chicks, a pig withpiglets, and a goat. --Richard Farr ... Read more

Reviews (12)

High-Quality Starter Puzzle
This is a high-quality starter puzzle that depicts a traditional barnyard scene. Under the pieces are a cow, horse, dog, cat, pigs, sheep, ducks, and a farmer sleeping beneath a haystack. It's a great choice for one-year old and up because the pegs make the pieces easy to manipulate, and the varied shapes adds a bit more difficulty. Overall, though, this is definitely an easy puzzle.

I also appreciate the way that the animals are depicted in a realistic fashion--they look like real animals instead of the fake caricatures that you sometimes find with children's toys.

In general, I think it's nice to have a collection of puzzles with varied features...some with pegs, some wood, some foam, some inter-locking pieces, some that feature colors, shapes, animals, vehicles, etc. This puzzle is definitely tops for depicting a farm-yard scene.

Toddler Confidence-Booster
I searched high and low for high-quality wooden puzzles and found them with Lights, Camera, Interaction. My 21-month old son loves this puzzle and is so proud to show me where the dogs, ducks, or farmer is "hiding". The pictures are well-drawn and colorful, and the wood is sturdy. I believe this will be one of those toys that my son will be able to share with his children someday.

very good
Why can't this be shipped to countries other than US.Is there any Indian agents for this.If not I would like to be . send your feed back
regards
sudha

Loved it
I bought this and four other peg puzzles for our son and they were a great success. Our 10 month old loves playing with them. He can pull out the pieces, but cannot put them back yet. He likes the colours and imagery. They do wear a bit on the edges, especially when put in the mouth. But other than that we love them.

Puzzle Mania
I bought this and the geometric shapes puzzles for my daughter when she was 14 months old. Although she figured out how to complete them after a couple of weeks, she still finds amusement in dumping out the pieces and replacing them, now at 17 months. It is great stimulation for mathematical part of her brain and puzzles are now her favorite toys. The realistic pictures of the farm animals are educational and the pieces are odd shaped and challenging. I would suggest lowering the recommended age because I saw how quickly my 14-month-old enjoyed it. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Not Well Designed
I bought this toy because my daughter is really into sorting shapes right now. She has several shape sorters that work really well. This one, however, is not well designed. First of all, the lid cannot be fastened to stay down. When your child needs to turn it over to put in the different shapes they all fall out. Secondly, once you have a couple of shapes in the box they block the way for the others to go in. I have always loved Melissa and Doug toys up to this point but I would love to get my money back for this one.

This toy is frustrating, the lid does not stay on!
I bought this for my son and how the lid is made it does not stay on so that you may turn it to put the different shapes in. Also, when putting shapes in, it gets so full that other shapes will not fit in with out a fight. I would highly recommend tupperware's shape sorter before I would ever buy this one.

Challenging Shape Sorter, Great Toy, Manage the Frustration!
My 22 month old daughter plays with this toy, but there are 2 major sources of frustration.

1) The lid doesn't stay on well - whenever you try to put a shape into the side with the lid, the lid flips over. An older child could probably figure out that you have to hold the lid (or just drop the shape neatly into the hole without touching the lid) - but a younger toddler just isn't going to get that. It is very frustrating. Other people have pointed it out as well - perhaps the designers will respond in version 2. It's needlessly frustrating.

2) Some of the shapes are very similar /complicated - it is frustrating for a young toddler. BUT!!!! my daughter is slightly younger than the recommended age, and, it is a learning toy - it isn't supposed to be immediately easy. Just know that for younger toddlers, you should play with them and help them select the right hole.

A bit of guided play is called for while they are learning and it will increase fun/decrease frustration. My daughter has learned some of the shapes on her own, and is getting 'closer' on some of the others, but I frequently play with her and talk to her about the shapes and help her find where they go.

All in all, it is a good toy. We have several Melissa & Doug toys, and have been pleased with them all. They are safe, high quality, and nice looking. And you can never have too many small, brightly colored pieces of wood underfoot. :)

SAFETY IN TOYS
THE WOODEN CABINET FOR THE BLOCKS IS HARD WOOD WITH SHARP CORNERS. IF IT WAS MADE OUT OF DURABLE PLASTIC, WITH CURVED CORNERS ITS WOULD BE SAFER AND JUST AS DURABLE.

So-so
I read these reviews before I bought this toy so I knew that the lid didn't stay on and I bought it anyway. Another problem about this is that the shapes don't all fit in the toy easily. You have to shake the toy (and hold the lid) to move the other shapes out of the way for the other ones to fit in properly. I would look for a different shape sorter if I were buying a new one. It IS very durable though. ... Read more

Editorial Review

This is a challenge that is sure to please future firefighters. This bold and colorful floor puzzle contains 24 jumbo extra-thick cardboard pieces that snap easily into place to create a high quality, yet simple picture of a fire truck ready for the alarm. This large, imaginative puzzle with an easy-clean surface has a finished layout of approximately 4 feet long. --Deb Oroszlan ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Big Enough For Two
Both of my kids (4 ½ and 22 Mos.)love fire trucks so this puzzle was a big hit. The large size (4 feet long) makes it a good size for use on a coffee table. t is also large enough that several kids can work on it without banging into each other.

The design is clear with strong colors and nice details (look for the dalmatian in the window). The pieces are durable for cardboard (my kids walk across the puzzle constantly and it has not been damaged).

My only fault with the puzzle is it is so popular I can never get it put away for more than a few minutes. Once taken apart, the kids want to put it together again.

Great puzzle
I bought this puzzle for my 2 1/2 year old son. He loves to point out everything on the puzzle. he is getting really good at putting it together.

The pieces are very large and thick so hard to bend.

DURABLE PUZZLE
It's great to see puzzles are becoming more and more durable. This one certainly can withstand toddler handling. Bright, colorful pieces. Great family fun too. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great for homes and classrooms!
As a teacher and a parent, I highly recommend this item. It's perfect for the classroom because it doesn't take up a ton of space, yet it holds twelve puzzles. It's also pretty inexpensive for a storage case, not to mention that the class actually likes to put the puzzles away with this case!

I'm buying one for my house, as well. It has tipped ends that won't scratch my hardwoods, which makes my husband happy, and it means that I can buy a couple of more puzzles because they store so easily, and more puzzles, of course, please my children. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

An average puzzle with above average pieces...
As far as puzzles go, the Farm Fuzzy Puzzle is average at best. With only four pieces, there is very little challenge for older kids (15 months +). But those 4 pieces are what makes is so special. As they title says, they're fuzzy! In my daughter's mind, fuzzy=fun. She loves petting the pig, chick, sheep and cow. She likes rubbing them against me and her dad. Because they feel "real", she tend to play with them more as individual toys instead of puzzle pieces.

What this puzzle lacks in supplying educational or long-lasting play, it makes up for in fostering imaginative, creative fun.

Love Melissa & Doug puzzles!!
I have not been dissappointed with ANY of Melissa & Doug puzzle...we have 7 now. This is the first for our youngest and I look forward to playing with the fuzzy farm pieces with him. A durable, safe edged puzzle that is colorful but not scary for little ones. My hat is off to Melissa & Doug once again.

cute puzzle to learn with
Our son received this as a gift for Easter this past year. He isn't much on puzzles but this one really caught on. He likes the fuzzy animals I think the best, but he has become quite good at putting them in their proper places. It's also been a good tool to teach him the animals and to *nicely* pet the animals. His favorite is the little duck as it ends up in is crib quite often. Very cute puzzle with the extra added bonus of the peices being soft. Puzzle and pieces are made of wood (except the fuzzy coats) so it holds up well and the price is reasonable.

Excellent First Puzzle
I got this for my daughter just before her first birthday, and she loved it--I think probably because the fuzzy pieces are as much like toys as anything else. They are among the first farm animals that children learn the names of, and she enjoyed repeating their names and making their sounds. The other puzzles she got were just puzzles, but it was as though this one had a personality that made it a toy as well. I don't think it's a good puzzle for an older toddler, but at one year most children's "shape-fitting" skills are pretty limited. I think a puzzle with a few, simple pieces that can double as toys is a great first puzzle for the 12-month old set.

don't know why he had no interest
My son is and always has been a puzzle nut, and he loved storybooks with animals, and storybooks with texture, and storybooks with textured animals, so this seemed like a natural puzzle to get him. It was the one puzzle he never had any interest in playing with. I thought it was really odd, but his occupational therapist, who had the same puzzle, said she'd experienced the same thing--for some reasons the kids she worked with just HATED this puzzle but would play with other fuzzy puzzles. Go figure. I think it's darling. Maybe the fact that the animals don't have pegs so it's harder to remove them factors in somewhat? ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Each to his own.
I do not own this specific brand so I cannot coment on its durability and fitness. However I gave it five stars seeing as none of the other reviewers had enything against it and it hasent got any pieces sticking out that can easily fall. On my make of this toy some of the colerfull covers fell off but the toy works Just as well without them and you can glue them back on easily. Even with that fualt this toy seems to be diferently bilt so that this is not a problem.
I am 12 years old and I love brain teasers.
On the fun side - this toy lets your Imagination take over and each person can do whatever they want to do with this toy.
This toy is not exactly griping and you wont be hurrying home from school just to play with it but when you are bored you can certinlly please yourself with this toy.
This gimic is also light weghit and compact and theirfore sutiable for travel.
you can hold competitions on hwo can make the nicest shape with others and when by yourself you can try discovering new ways to play with it.
I also gave this toy five stars for "Educational value" seeing as unlike video games this toy helps your imagination flow.
Also, I am peswaded that as soon as my dad sees us playing with it he will start teeching us how many diferent combinations you can make with it and more.
My three year old brother, my parents, my other brothers and me all enjoy this toy.
I think every family should try this toy.

We don't travel without this toy!
I have four children and even my 3 year old finds it entertaining. It stretches their imagination and they spend countless hours trying to come up with the most creative creatures. I've decided to purchase a second one so they can race to see who can make the desired shape the fastest. It's durable, compact, quiet and best of all, it's one of the few toys we own that requires no batteries!

Fun for everyone
This toy has been around for years, which should tell you how good it is. I don't know why children under 8 would not be able to play with it. This puzzle is made of 20 connected red and white triangles that rotate to make many things. It requires imagination and dexterity to be able to use it. A great toy for when you are bored and/or on the road.

Great toy!
This Rubik's Snake is great! It is very fun to play with when you are bored. There are an unlimited amount of possible shapes you can twist and turn this snake into! I recommend this toy to anyone who likes Rubik's cubes or anything like that. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Fantastic Party Game - Everyone Plays Every Round!
This is a fantastic party game. With so many different card categories and some many questions, we play it time and time agian. The game definitely has staying power, especially at parties. Playing board games at parties can sometimes get stale when people have to wait their turn. Mystify allows every player (except the card reader - which rotates) to play every round. Once the timer is turned, players race against eachother to solve the scramble. Whoever answers correctly advances on the board. Each question comes with a clue and it depends on the card category as to what the clue is. This keeps the game extremely interesting. The most fun of all is when two players blurt out an answer at the same time. This is a challenging, fun and educational game - We definitely reccomend it! I really love this game!

Good Fun.
We played Mystify at our recent game night with friends and family. Here is the scoop. Mystify is a game based around word and number scrambles. The object of the game is to be the first to solve the word or number scramble. There are 5 different card categories and for each category hints are given as to what the scramble might be. For instance, hints might be - Literary Figure; Popular First Name; Brand Name Product; Popular 70's Movie; Living Creature; Part of a human body, etc. The card reader reads out the letters or numbers (which are scrambled) and players race against each other to solve the scramble. Whoever blurts out the answer first wins the round and is able to advance on the board. The great thing about this game is that everyone plays every round. This keeps all players interested and with a vested interest in paying attention at all times. Since everyone plays at the same time this is a fantastic party game. You really can't go wrong if you want an all inclusive game to play at your game nights!

Don't miss this one.
We love word games, but all word games are based around forming words -- this game changes all that. The premise of the game is based around solving word scrambles and number scrambles. There is a clue provided with each category so that the players know what direction to look in. I highly recommend this game.

I lover racing for the answer!
This is a party game if I ever did see one. Everyone plays every round so nobody is bored waiting for their turn. The board is a simple race track and sometimes we leave the baord at home and play this in the car. All players race to solve the scramble and the categories provide not only different subject areas but varying levels of difficulty. The 'numbers' category is an interesting twist. Good, old fashion fun and a refreshing change to some of the mindless game out there -- I recommend it. I love word games and this is one of the best.

Great Party Game! Everyone Can Play!
This is a party game if I ever did see one. Everyone plays every round so nobody is bored waiting for their turn. The board is a simple race track and sometimes we leave the baord at home and play this in the car. All players race to solve the scramble and the categories provide not only different subject areas but varying levels of difficulty. The 'numbers' category is an interesting twist. Good, old fashion fun and a refreshing change - I recommend it. I love word games and this is one of the best. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Like well-illustrated books, Tell-A-Story offers worlds forchildren to enter. In this game, 50 picture cards teach memory, reading,and storytelling skills as children invent stories to match thepictures. Whenever a player collects five cards with the same character,he or she arranges the cards to create and tell a story. Parents mayneed to help little ones lay out the cards, but once they're launched,kids will want to return to the same story over and over again.--Lynne Sampson ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A bit confused
I tried playing with this game, but I couldn't figure out how to get the spiral game to work. That is the only one I have tried sp far and I've only been trying for about a half hour, but it gave me a head ache, so i gave up. But other than that, the game was a ton of fun and is sure to keep me busy for a long time.

An Uncle who bought a cool gift
I bought the Harry Potter Magic Puzzles for my nieces and I scored some major brownie points. They loved this at first because it was about their hero, Harry Potter, however, they play with it for hours on end. Putting the puzzles together is fun in itself, but then there are the cool magic tricks and the VERY COOL optical illusion using the spiral disk too. This is great for any kid interested in magic, as well jigsaw puzzles and Harry! A big thumbs up!

?
This game is cool.
anybody can play this game.

The Best
It works perfectly and it is so cool!!! I LOVE IT!!!

Harry Potter game
This was ok i guess.

I'm a British fan though and it said Sorcerers in stead of Philosophers stone but it doesn't matter that much.

I would say this game is pretty good, but you've gotta be a Potter lover to play. If your not or have never read the books you could find it very confusing.

I'm 12 and I understood it though, but the instructions were very confusing and it took ages to work them all out, i spent about 4 hours trying to work out how you caught the snitches!

It was quite durable but hadly educational

Thankyou for allowing me to show my personal opinions of this truly athentic game with you Americans! ... . ... Read more

Reviews (1)

hours of fun for my 3 year old
I got this puzzle for my daughter for her third birthday and she just loves the bright colors and the vivid images of the bugs and flowers. The first time it was completed she was so amazed by how pretty it looked and insisted on using it as a napping pad! Each piece is distinct enough to tell apart, and the adjacent pieces usually share some common feature (such as a bright-colored pedal or a wing of a dragonfly), so that even though she is challenged, she can complete it by herself after some time. In that sense the puzzle is great for fostering patience and building confidence. It's been two months and she still plays with it. Recently I brought it to my office and now we can both have our "quiet time" when she visits. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

great toy
We bought this puzzle for our 10 year old daughter. 600 pieces seems to be the magic number. She gets frustrated with 1,000 piece puzzles, but anything under 500 is boring because she can finish it in 10 minutes. This is a great educational toy and you can't beat the price.

Nieces and Nephew Loved It
I recently bought this puzzle for my nieces and nephews. Not only did they love the puzzle, but the whole family learned how little we knew about World Geography. Now I actually know that Cameroon is in South Africa. I recommend this for any young student or adult who desires to learn about the world we live in. ... Read more