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Posts Tagged ‘Wooden Case’

Melissa and Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards

February 28th, 2010

Melissa and Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards




These Pattern Blocks and Boards will keep children engaged for hours of rewarding play. They feature 10 simply designed, colorful patterns and over 100 pattern blocks in six different shapes and colors to replicate the pattern shown. Contents store neatly in durable wooden case. Develops shape recognition and spatial relations.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Pattern Blocks/Boards Melissa and Doug
I was searching for a product for a kindergartener who is easily bored, intelligent, and needs a challenge when I found this set of pattern blocks and boards. As a teacher’s aide, I know these blocks are educational as well as entertaining. I bought this set on sale, so I got a great bargain as well as a great item! The blocks and boards are durable and well made. I highly recommend this set. It will stand up to the test of time. . .and little kids!

3 Stars Needs some improvements
I loved pattern blocks as a kid. I remember playing with them in school and there were a ton of them. I never had a board or anything, just pushed them together, made designs.

We got this for my son when he was 4. It’s all right… but I see there is a bucket with twice as many blocks (plastic) available on Amazon for the same price. No boards. I think that would be the better way to go. More blocks would be more fun – the boards are OK but more blocks would be better.

What really bugs me about this set, though, is there’s no way to really keep it all together. It came with just a floppy flimsy plastic cover that didn’t stay on – it just laid over the box. So you have this solid wooden box with loose pattern tiles flopping around in one side. We got my niece the M&D cutting board & food set when she was 2 or so, and later bought the same for my son when he was 2 or 3. My nieces came with a heavy plexiglass sliding cover – my son’s came with no cover. I think that M&D have kind of cheaped out on packaging over the years. This should really have a heavy plastic sliding cover – it would make it so much nicer. We got rid of the flimsy plastic cover and I keep the tiles in a cloth drawstring bag – it’s really akward though. I guess if you have shelves for toys it’s not so bad but we tend to shove everything in drawers.

Anyway – all in all I guess this is just OK. I think you’re better off going for just the tiles, in a bigger assortment.

4 Stars good for pattern learning
I like this product for pattern learning. In addition to replicating the patterns on the boards, I can also start a linear repeating pattern and have the kids finish it, which is good for kindergarten readiness and one reason I chose this toy. My 3yo and 5yo both like it. I prefer it over a magnetic pattern board because I try to keep the magnetic toys to a minimum since my home frequently has small babies visit.

My major problem with this toy is that the lid for the box is a flimsy plastic lid that tore after just a day. This seems to be a repeated problem with the Melissa and Doug brand: we have the same problem with the playfood collection and the letterboard toy. Some of them come with no lid at all, while the lids on the others are so flimsy as to be useless. The consequence is that the toys are difficult to store, and the pieces get lost or separated, which decreases the usable lifetime of the toy and negates the advantage of buying wooden toys that are meant to be kept for years. I keep the small pieces in a ziploc bag but this really doesn’t work that well as the bag tends to get torn by the corners of the wooden pieces.

2 Stars Great fun, Problem with Product though

This is a fun game for 4 or 5 and older. The concept is easy for younger ones to learn, but the boards are slippery and too hard for a smaller child to deal with on their own. It comes with a box to hold everything, but no top, so it is really not a storage box since the small pieces can easily spill out. Also a few of the puzzle boards have buckled slightly since opening the box a month ago.

4 Stars good educational toy
This is a good educational toy.There were some number of pattern blocks missing,but the rest of the toy is good.The colour patterns could have been more distinct from each other,eg. when making patterns,the dark green has to be put alongside dark blue.But overall a good product.

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Melissa and Doug Primary Lacing Beads

January 3rd, 2010

Melissa and Doug Primary Lacing Beads




Keep busy for hours with this bright, vividly painted assortment of wooden beads. Each bead comes with oversized holes, and the included laces are longer for smaller hands.

This classic collection of beads and laces helps children with hand coordination, dexterity and color recognition — all while inspiring creativity. Convenient wooden case makes clean-up and storage a cinch. Comes with 30 painted beads. Case measures 8″ x 10″ x 2″.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Spectacular!
Use beads with typical and special needs children in regular and adapted form. Kids just love them (starting at age 2).

5 Stars More than lacing..
Purchased for my 2 year old…..we have not only used it as suggested but found many other ways to play with the beads. We roll them across the table to each other, separate them into color groups, shape groups, etc and we stack them.

5 Stars A classic for good reason
My two year old son loves everything Melissa and Doug and the lacing beads did not disappoint. This toy has many educational uses; he loves making patterns and stacking the beads like blocks. He is building his fine motor skills and working on problem solving (how to get the string through the hole without it falling out, which even led to a discussion on gravity.) The beads are well made and the wooden box they come in stores everything very neatly. A great product at a great price!

5 Stars Lacing beads
The lacing beads can be used to improve sequencing skills, to promote recognition of colors and shapes and to increase fine motor coordination skills. Is an excellent investment for everyone!

5 Stars Engaging, Simple Toy – But NOT for Under 2’s!
I love this toy – and my 22-month-old twins do as well. I would just caution that the two smallest beads, while the size of very small plums, are still just small enough that they could get lodged in your toddler’s mouth if they were inclined to try to get the whole thing in. I wouldn’t trust my kids with this toy unsupervised for at least a few months yet (or will only let them play with the half of the beads that are substantially larger.

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Melissa and Doug Beginner Pattern Blocks

October 22nd, 2009

Melissa and Doug Beginner Pattern Blocks




Little ones can now have a set of pattern blocks of their own. Featuring 10 brightly-painted wooden patterns and 30 colorful shape pieces, this set of blocks helps with the development of color, shape, and matching skills. Contains one fish, dog, butterfly, flowers, bird, and fire engine block. Stores away neatly in a durable wooden case.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars My girls LOVE this!
I love Melissa and Doug. They have come up with some of the most creative toys around. My girls, age 3 and 2 both love this toy. The 2 year old is learning her colors and shapes, and the 3 year old likes to see how many she can do before she runs out of pieces. I would buy this again in a heart beat!

5 Stars fun and educational toy for 3-yr-old
My 3-yr-old nephew loved playing with this since he was 2. Learned shapes and colors, and his almost 2 yr old brother is learning fine motor skills with this toy as well.

5 Stars Great toy
I bought this for my son’s second birthday. He loved it and took to it right away. He spent over an hour on it the first time. He’s had it for a few weeks now and he sometimes pulls it out and asks to “make pictures”. He is so proud of himself when he fits the pieces in and when he completes a puzzle, he claps and cheers for himself. I had been wanting to get him a puzzle that is made up of basic shapes so this works well. I call out the names of the shapes as he puts them in and he repeats them. It’s also good for teaching colours. The only thing he sometimes has a problem with is the triangles, because they are not equilateral, so he has to turn them to fit them in. Sometimes he gets a little frustrated but I think it’s good he has a bit of a challenge – he’s learning to turn them so it’s an accomplishment when he fits them in. I love Melissa and Doug products. This as usual, is durable and attractive. There are more interesting puzzles in the box than what the picture shows – there is a train, fire truck, house, flowers, butterfly, dog, etc. I’m really glad I got this for him.

5 Stars A great puzzle for little ones
My 2 1/2 year plays with this alot. I love that it all stores nicely in the box it comes with. She knows all her shapes and I am sure this toy has helped.

5 Stars Great Educational Toy
I love this toy! We bought it for my oldest son for Christmas over 3 years ago, and now our youngest son loves it just as much. It is extremely durable~ well it has to be to survive 2 boys. A little paint has come off the edges of a few pieces, but that’s it. My oldest started learning shapes and colors while playing with this puzzle, and I am using it to reinforce what my other son has already learned. We have several peg/shaped puzzles, but this is the one that my youngest reaches for first.

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Melissa and Doug Primary Lacing Beads

April 30th, 2009

Melissa and Doug Primary Lacing Beads




Keep busy for hours with this bright, vividly painted assortment of wooden beads. Each bead comes with oversized holes, and the included laces are longer for smaller hands.

This classic collection of beads and laces helps children with hand coordination, dexterity and color recognition — all while inspiring creativity. Convenient wooden case makes clean-up and storage a cinch. Comes with 30 painted beads. Case measures 8″ x 10″ x 2″.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars A classic for good reason
My two year old son loves everything Melissa and Doug and the lacing beads did not disappoint. This toy has many educational uses; he loves making patterns and stacking the beads like blocks. He is building his fine motor skills and working on problem solving (how to get the string through the hole without it falling out, which even led to a discussion on gravity.) The beads are well made and the wooden box they come in stores everything very neatly. A great product at a great price!

5 Stars Spectacular!
Use beads with typical and special needs children in regular and adapted form. Kids just love them (starting at age 2).

5 Stars Mother of 4
This is great quality and very durable. My son has had a lot of fun using it.

5 Stars Simple toy for young children
This toy is great for young toddlers, large bright colored pieces. Can be used to teach colors, shapes and stringing different pieces together. A good way to entertain an youngster.

4 Stars Great learning toy
My two year old grandson loves these beads. They are great for working on eye/hand coordination. A couple of the smallest beads could be a choking hazard, as is the string, but we just watch him closely while he uses them.

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