This puzzle is Sadie's latest obsession. It was a gift from her Godfather and his wife at Maggie's baptism part. She can spend an hour putting it together and taking it apart, over and over and over again. I marvel at her puzzle attention span. She finishes it, jumps up, runs around the room to give everyone high fives (including Maggie) and then runs back over to the puzzle, sits down and shouts "More!"
The puzzle craze is making Christmas shopping pretty easy this year. Thank goodness heavy duty wooden puzzles are pretty inexpensive. I found two wooden Cars puzzles for $2.50 each today while waiting with one of my friends to get a prescription filled at Walgreens. And Costco had a giant box with big beautiful wooden puzzles in it for $12.
I think my favorite part of the puzzle craze (other than the fact that Sadie loves them!) is that they're sturdy and educational and I have a feeling they'll be passed down pretty well when she outgrows them!
I loved puzzles when I was little. My grandpa always had a puzzle going on a large table in his living room when I was little and I remember marveling at the thousands of tiny pieces spread across the surface and sorted by color. We had a beautiful Christmas puzzle we did each year that became a family tradition (I'd love to continue that tradition!).
So I am enjoying Sadie's current obsession and think that picking up an inexpensive puzzle now and then for her to play with is almost as much fun as finding a great deal on a beautiful book!
I just placed my order for a wooden puzzle, among other items, for my nephew/godson's 1st Christmas. I have such fond memories of playing with those puzzles, offering gentle help, hour after hour, when my babies (now 17 - 26) were too young to do them themselves.
ReplyDeleteI ordered a "Melissa & Doug" puzzle - and I plan to order more for his Jan 9 1st birthday.
You are right - good quality puzzles lasted just fine through my 5, and are in a Rubbermaid, waiting for grandchildren.
When I was a little girl my favorite puzzle was a set of German puzzle blocks. I was mesmerized by the possibilities of how they worked. Strangely, this past summer my mother and I were strolling through an antique shop and we found the exact same puzzle I had (the stickers had long since pealed off mine and it was tossed). I couldn't believe I remembered what the puzzle looked like, I think I was 5 when I had it.
ReplyDeleteMelissa and Doug have their own version of puzzle blocks: http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Farm-Cube-Puzzle/dp/B000096QJQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291919544&sr=8-1
You get 6 puzzles in one go. I think your daughters would love them.