Brain Blox Wooden Building Planks~ Imagination in a Bag! {Product Review}

We are a hands-on family. We love anything that involves getting involved with a full sensory experience. We also love building blocks and anything the boys can manipulate into their imaginary world of construction and farming. We recently were given the Brain Blox Wooden Building Planks from Brain Blox to review—as soon as I saw the product, I had a feeling these were going to bring hours of enjoyment.

About the Product

Brain Blox Wooden Building Planks are 100% natural wooden building planks made from New Zealand pine wood. Because they are chemical-free, they are also non-toxic! This means that even the youngest and smallest in the family can safely enjoy these planks. The wooden planks are precision cut, thus making them the perfect building toy providing hours of endless enjoyment.

10 Brain Engaging Gifts Under $25 for Children {Gift Guide 2018}

It's just one week before Thanksgiving (Yikes!), and that means it's one week before all those wonderful sales kick in gear! There are so many toy ideas for kids, but let's be honest...do we really want to buy our kids MORE toys like dolls, trucks, video games, ect? LOL. If I'm going to buy a gift for a child, I'd prefer buying something that will engage their mind with critical thinking or gearing up their imagination! Today I'm going to share 10 Gifts Under $25 for Children which aren't your typical toys, but are still a lot of fun--in fact, our family owns and plays with several of them regularly!

Ten Under $20 Gift Ideas for Children {2017 Gift Guide Series}

I know that for many of you, it's the time of year when you are grabbing gifts for family and friends--and you are hoping to find great gifts that won't break the bank. Whether it comes to shopping for kids, sometimes the best gifts are the ones you don't have to spend a lot of money on. In fact, I know that with my boys, they would rather get several smaller things than just a single big thing! So today, I'm going to share 10 Ideas for Children's Gifts that are under $20 as part of my Gift Guide Series.

The links on this blog and in the posts may be affiliate links.  Please see my disclosure policy for full details and thank you for your support!

*Note: All pricing current as of the date of this post 12/6/2017*

1. Magic Stix 12-pk Washable Markers (retails $9.99)
New from the makers of Kwik Stix comes Magic Stix! Washable markers with a 7 day cap off guarantee! Seriously. These should be musts for the kiddos. We have gone 3 days already with the cap off on purpose--still works! Let's not forget they are also washable and non-toxic! And they come in a handy clear snap case. My son is loving having them for church and I love that even if he decides to get creative on his fingers, I can easily wash it off!

Maker Studio: Propellers Set~ Become An Engineer! {Product Review}

My boys love to build. They love tinkering with stuff and are big time LEGO fans. I was eager to turn them loose on the Maker Studio: Propellers Set I received to review from ThinkFun to see what they thought about it!

The links on this blog and in the posts may be affiliate links.  Please see my disclosure policy for full details and thank you for your support!

Product Summary

Maker Studio is a line products from ThinkFun designed to ignite imagination, and foster a love of engineering. Designed by engineers, these fun sets are the ideal toy for budding engineers. 

Maker Studio~ Propellers Set, contains all you need to turn a simple empty pop bottle or chips can into a helicopter, biplane, windmill and more! 

For each build, you are even given engineering challenges--ways to engage your brain to experiment as you come up with a solution. You can follow the designs included, or explore and create your own!

This set is geared for ages 7 to adult and retails on Amazon for $19.99.

How Did We Use This Product?

The boys knew that this product was coming, and when it arrived, they fought over who was going to open the box first. I got them set up at the table and let Little Britches dive in with Baby Britches looking on. 

Diving into the build

Checking out the different designs

Little Britches analyzed all the pieces as they were revealed...while I snagged the directions to see what was supposed to happen. The directions gives you a complete list of parts/inventory, extra things that will be needed, and simple steps for getting started. There is also a parts explanation listing how each part can be used. 

Also included with the set is a ringed card set called Engineering Challenges & Tips. These are extra engineering challenges to do after the building of the designs. There are two for each build, plus two bonus challenges. These are fun extras like making the helicopter's tail propeller turn, or making the two plane props spin at the same time.

After we opened everything up, Little Britches flipped through the book and decided to go for the windmill as his first design since it was the only one that worked with a toilet paper tube. We didn't have the suggested chips canister. He worked through the design directions and was able to figure everything out!

He loved working through the building plans...though he didn't want to try the engineering challenges. He decided to take it apart and build his own creation for his second go!

A double prop helicopter

Baby Britches enjoying flying the new creation

What Are Our Thoughts on This Product?

Little Britches (Age 9) really enjoyed using the Propellers Set and was able to follow the design plans. The only thing he said was confusing was that he got a little confused on following the red lines to where the placement of each part was supposed to go. He had to take apart things a few times before he got it right.

Like these design plans

I liked watching Little Britches mind work as he analyzed how everything went together. I liked that it was simple to just open and go...as long as we had the right base--like the toilet paper roll. I plan on scrounging up some small Pringles cans and pop bottles for him to play with and see how he does with other designs. I think the pieces of the set were well made out of heavy duty plastic and Little Britches never felt like he was going break them as he was working them.

I absolutely think that we will be using this set in the future. I know the boys will be looking for ways to build more things out of these. 

I am now very interested in checking out the Maker Studio: Gears Set and Maker Studio: Winches Set because I know the boys would love playing and building with those too. I also like that it appears the set can be mixed and matched which takes them to another level!