We recently received this toy from CSN Stores’
online toys site, and boy, was it a hit with both myself and M! It’s perfect for developing his sense of touch as well as a sense of size and space.
I have to be honest, there are not a lot of pictures to go with this post, which is a little disappointing because I’d love to share with you how much fun we had with this. However, it is something M needed assistance with, and it’s hard to hold a bag with a 3 year old’s crazy hand in it, and take a picture at the same time. :)
First of all, I love the look of the toy’s pieces – all the shapes are made from wood and painted in bright colors. There are 20 shapes in all and 20 wooden tiles to match them to. Everything seems to be very well constructed! The wooden tiles have the shapes cut into them and the recessed area (and backing for the wood) is textured hardboard. A cloth drawstring bag is included for playing “Feel and Find”.
However, I just knew at first look that there would be
many great possibilities for playing with this toy.
First we set the tiles out in rows and M matched the shapes to them:
As you can see there are several animal shapes and several geometric shapes; there are also two people shapes (one is a bit more “robust” than the other) and two tree shapes (a narrow one and a wide one).
We talked about each shape and identified the animals and other shapes by name.
Then we began playing with the wooden shapes in the drawstring bag and the tiles in a stack. He picked a tile from the top, then reached into the bag to see if he could *feel* the correct shape. M was very, very excited about playing the game and eager to get everything perfect. However, with 20 fairly unfamiliar shapes in the bag, it was a pretty challenging game for him (which is a
good thing, since it means we will get a lot of use out of this as his skills develop!). So, remembering to
set him up for success, I decided to change things up a bit before any discouragement or frustration set in, by sorting the pieces into three groups of shapes and tiles.
We grouped all the animals together, the two people and two trees were grouped together, and the third group was all of the geometric shapes.
Then, beginning with the small group of trees and people, we took time to look at each one and note the different characteristics. Then we stacked the tiles, put the 4 shapes into the bag and proceeded to play “Feel and Find”. :) M did a
fabulous job! And his confidence soared! We continued the same way with the other two groups and handed out high fives each time he found the right shape. We were laughing, M was excited, and we were having a great time. We spent about 45 minutes total with this our first time, and it felt like time flew by. We’ve played several fun games since then!
Once he is familiar with the toy and knows all the shapes, I want to play a game with him using just the tiles. Since they are
textured, I’d like to have him close his eyes while I set a tile in front of him. Then, using just his fingers (eyes still closed or possibly blindfolded), I’ll have him feel the textured area and see if he can guess which shape it is. This is only one of my ideas for extension activities with this toy. :) It’s such a great way to get a good sensory workout.
And, the wooden shapes all stand up on their own, and would be fun for creative play time too – I’m thinking of
building block play or adding them to
sensory tub playtime. As his fine motor skills develop they’d also be great to use for tracing around and then drawing in details. (You knew I’d find something artsy to use them for, didn’t you?)
Oh my goodness, I have a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot of this toy in our Tot School posts! ;)
Ok, thanks for reading such a long post… but here’s what you are really waiting for… the GIVEAWAY portion. ;) CSN Stores is graciously giving away an
award-winning Guidecraft “Feel and Find” toy to one of my readers!
This giveaway contest will begin now and end at midnight (CST) on Thursday, and is open only to US and Canadian readers. On New Year’s Day I’ll announce the winner! Be sure to check back here to see if it’s you! If I don’t hear from the winner within 24 hours of posting, I’ll pick someone else.
Rules for entries:
1. Mandatory first entry – go to CSN Stores’
online toys site and pick your favorite game, puzzle, or creative play toy, then come back here and let me know what it is in a comment.
2. For an extra entry, write a post on your blog about this giveaway and link to this post as well as to the
online toys site (and leave another comment).
3. For another extra entry, if you are a follower or subscriber to Tired, Need Sleep, let me know (and leave another comment!). You can subscribe or follow now, but please only if you really like me, hee hee. I don’t want to buy any friends with a giveaway. :)
Good luck, everyone!!
Have a beautiful day! :)
That’s just one little door. Why take pictures of every. single. window. in the house if they all look like this? Just think – 11 upstairs window + 1 mirror all prettied up! You just run out and buy some window crayons for your little ones now and your house can be pretty like mine. :)
As you can see there are several animal shapes and several geometric shapes; there are also two people shapes (one is a bit more “robust” than the other) and two tree shapes (a narrow one and a wide one).