Pattern Play (Puzzle & Game) Review & Giveaway!

I'm re-posting this due to low entries.  Please share with your friends!

Mindware kindly sent me this Pattern Play game/ puzzle to review & give one away!

Mindware sells educational toys for kids of all ages.  It's the type of online store I wish was around (or known about) when I was younger.  It has something for everyone.  Those that love to take things apart, build, play games, cook and experiment can all find something fun.  You can shop by age or category, and even create a wishlist.

The nitty gritty...

What's in the box:
40 Wood blocks
Wooden building tray
40 Pattern cards
Storage bag

The purpose is to replicate the pattern cards using the blocks on the building tray.  While doing this it builds spatial and artistic skills.

Labeled as age 3 and up.

My experiences and opinions...

C was excited to know that something came in the mail for him.  He wanted to open it right away.

Inside the box was a book of brain teasers.  I was wondering if this was a shipping error, but it wasn't.  It's a complementary sample of their "activity books" for older children.  This book had about 2-4 of each type such as, analogy challenges, perplexors, extreme dot to dot, word winks, and logic links.

I might find some enjoyment in these!

This past Christmas my nephews received the extreme dot to dots from their parents.  They're serious dot to dots going up to 1,000 and it looks like there's just a bunch of dots on the page until you complete the picture.  They're very nice, kept the kids busy and happy, and they were learning.  How can you go wrong?

These would be great for older children and adults who are hard to shop for, have everything, or simply enjoy brain teasers.  They would also be inexpensive items to ship overseas or out of state to family members, considering their magazine type size.

Back to Pattern Play.
As soon as I took it out of the packaging I noticed the weight.  It's real wood and has some weight to it.  I love a quality toy!

I proceeded to show C the pattern cards and explain that we need to follow the card to make the pattern.

Here's our first one. It was really a poor choice.

C and I worked together on this one.  Eventually he got the idea.  However, this was challenging for many reasons.

1) I think this was the first time C created something from a pattern that was smaller than what you were actually creating.  C's done Pattern Blocks for a few years.  But it's a different concept.
2) This pattern proved challenging- even for me.  I couldn't quite figure it out as the blocks have diagonal cuts.  This pattern had none.

So, I was constantly rotating and moving blocks to fit and C was confused with the concept, because even I seemed confused.  Blocks seemed like they had to hang over the edge to work.

See the pattern here.

Finished product (I kind of gave up).

Even with the first pattern proving a challenge, C wanted to continue with another.  

You can see the pattern card in the corner.

For this one C pretty much wanted to do the green

 and all that came out from it and have me do the pink.

At first he was trying to put the pieces together in the opposite direction (as seem above with the yellow blocks), but quickly learned how they fit together.

And another in the works.

C naturally found his groove.  He liked starting from a corner, side, or top and bottom.  Above, he was trying to work from top and bottom, but was only looking at the bottom of the pattern card.  I realized through this entire activity that it's really teaching their eye along with spatial skills.

He continued to work on various patterns most of the late afternoon, and returning to it after supper.  It was even his first pick in the morning the next day while Daddy showered. (It's been a rule since C was little that he be in the bathroom playing while we shower so he is close.  I used to put him in a lounger, then lug the kitchen chair with his booster in every am, and later he could play as he chose.  This also allowed me shower time!)

I can't end this review without talking about the storage bag.  At first I was wondering why it was included since everything fit nicely in the box.  I quickly learned that C likes to dump his patterns as soon as they're completed.  Thus, hard to fit nicely in the box.  In comes the bag.  Just throw everything in (or just the blocks) and you have everything kept together.

This is such a nicely made toy that it seems they thought of everything.  Well, all but one thing.  The pattern cards could be made much more durable.  I'm tempted to laminate them myself so I know they'll last.

Pattern Play came out for a third day, so I'd say it's a hit with C.

I love it as a mom too and it's engaging for me as well.  I also see it being engaging for older kids too.  Young and old could work on it together, or even the very young could simply do their own thing with the blocks.  Had I not received this for review, it would have been on C's Christmas list for sure.  It's one of those toys that will be kept for many generations.

For more information, you can view a video on Pattern Play.

I must apologize for the very poor photo quality.  I had to capture photos as it was happening and unfortunately it was the one cloudy, rainy day we've had in over a month.  The little bit of light was pretty much non-existent and in and out of clouds later on.

Win It!
Simply comment below with another item on Mindware's site you'd love to try and why you think you'd love Pattern Play.

Be sure you leave me a way to contact you (through your profile or in your comment).

Contest open to US residents only (sorry to my other readers).

Entrance closed September 10, 2012, 11:59CST.  Winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email.  If winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Winner will be announced no later than September 18, 2012.


Spread the word, share with your friends.  And if you have any questions feel free to ask!

Disclosure: Mindware provided me with a complementary game to review on my blog.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  All opinions are my own and have not been influenced by the company or product provided.