Happy Earth Day fellow STEM Sparkers! There are so many great ways to celebrate our wonderful Earth, and here on STEM Spark we can't think of a better way to celebrate than by reviewing and giving away this awesome Melissa and Solar System Floor Puzzle!
Will your kids like it and/or will you hate it?
Jack not only likes this puzzle, he loves it. He kinds of loves all puzzles, but since he's been learning about the solar system recently, he was really excited to open this puzzle. I also like puzzles and working with Jack to complete puzzles is fun for me, most of the time-- we had one Ikea puzzle where every piece looked like the same, and I wanted to pull my hair out while helping Jack with it. But this Melissa and Doug Solar System puzzle has the right amount of pieces (48) for a four year old, and sorting out the pieces was straight forward for Jack; he didn't really need my help to solve it! I like that not only did Jack get to use his puzzle skills, he also got to use his solar system knowledge to complete it. I will note that it is a floor puzzle, so it's rather larger when out on the floor, but it breaks down into a reasonable sized box for storage. In summary, I think that the kids will like it, and the adults won't mind it.
How long will it keep them entertained?
It took Jack about 15-20 minutes to complete the solar system puzzle, but I know it's a puzzle he'll rebuild again and again for the next couple of years. So for us, it's going to provide many hours of entertainment.
Are they a good value?
I bought this puzzle on Amazon Prime Day, and I don't recall how much I spent, but checking Amazon just now, it looks like you can get this Melissa and Doug floor puzzle for under $13. I feel that is a good price for a floor puzzle that is also from a quality company and also teaches kids about the solar system.
Ninja-like STEM Skills
Puzzles enhance problem solving skills that are foundations for STEM, as well as build hand and eye coordination and strengthen cognitive skills. But this solar system floor puzzle takes the STEM skills even one step further by enhancing your child's science knowledge of the solar system. Bobby and I also read Hello World's Solar System book to Jack frequently, and it was cool to hear Jack sharing facts about the different plants as he built the puzzle (that he had learned from the book).
I admit I have a Melissa and Doug bias, but it's not my fault they make high quality toys that make me want to recommend everything they make! But Jack told me directly he "likes it a lot," and puzzles overall encourage development of STEM skills, so the Melissa and Doug Solar System Floor Puzzle nabs a 5 out 5 (using Amazon's rating system) from us!
And you'll have a chance to nab this puzzle for yourself by clicking on the different Rafflecopter entry options. Make sure to follow the instruction of the entry option, ie, if it says "Follow STEM Spark on Twitter" make sure you're following us on Twitter and then click that entry option! And if the Rafflecopter plug-in below isn't working for you, here's the direct link. Giveaway open to US residents only, thanks! And again, Happy Earth Day!
this looks so cool!
Awesome puzzle!!
I have always liked doing puzzles. I bought them for my kids when they were younger!
Haha, @theberrybusch! :D
This looks so cool!