Ravensburger My First Pet XXL 200 Piece Jigsaw Review

Lara and Holly tend to do a lot of jigsaws or play a lot of board games after school these days but I had been starting to feel that they are both out-growing our collection of jigsaw puzzles; thankfully, Ravensburger have reminded me that jigsaws don't just have to be for tiny people to learn problem-solving skills, but are also a great source of fun challenge for older children and this 200 piece My First Pet jigsaw has really got Lara back into puzzles.

Over the past week Lara has been working on this puzzle a little bit at a time. It is a large puzzle about 40cm by 36cm when fully made. With 200 pieces and a fairly complex design, it took Lara about three evenings to complete.

The design was very much admired by both my girls so I often found Holly helping out her sister. They both quickly grasped that the blue and white gingham design wasn't just around the edges, but also throughout the jigsaw between each animal. The design features lots of different cute pets from a chincilla to a terrapin and a hedgehog to a pony. We particularly like the sleepy kitten.

Given the size and the length of time to construct, we got the girls to move the puzzle onto a board so that we could move it out of the way when needed - this is the first time they'd used a puzzle board and it worked really well. The finished design looks really grand on the board.

This My First Pet XXL Jigsaw jigsaw costs less than £10 on amazon and is of the same great quality that I'd expect from any Ravensburger puzzle. I'm expecting the girls to be constructing this one many many times over the coming years. It is recommended for children from 8 years old but I think an adventurous 5 year old like Holly would also enjoy it if they have the staying power!

Ravensburger Funky Owls 3D Puzzles Review

There are very few things we enjoy more on a rainy Sunday afternoon than a good old family jigsaw session.  Lara is at that funny age now where most of our kiddy jigsaws don't hold much entertainment value for her, but full-blown thousand-piece puzzles targeted at adults are too much like hard work.  The new range of 3D puzzles from Ravensburger are a great spot - they are designed for girls from around age 8 and when you've completed the puzzles you have a great ornament that you want to keep (or break down and build all over again..obviously!).

Lara has ABSOLUTELY LOVED building these puzzles. They've required hard work and concentration but she has completed them independently which gives her a sense of pride.  In the range you'll find a pencil holder, a jewellery tree, a vase and a vanity box.  Ravenburger make these 3D puzzles in both a unicorn design and this funky owls range which features bright bold colours, flowers and bumble bees.

The Funky Owls pencil holder is probably the simplest of the set of jigsaws to build. It has 54 pieces which are set into a purple plastic ring. The pieces are small but they are numbered to make it easier to identify them.  The jigsaw pieces are made from a hardened plastic with the design printed on one side and identifying marks on the back.  It took Lara about half an hour to build her first 3D jigsaw as she needed to get used to the way that the pieces fit together, stay upright and click into the purple ring that holds it all together.  Lara is really very proud of this one!

The 3D vanity box jigsaw was Lara's favourite because she has a real use for the thing she has built. As a rectangle, it was a relatively simple build even though it has 216 pieces but the end result is really impressive; it is a box designed for you to be able to store brushes, hair accessories and cosmetics - a place for you to store your own, grown-up "stuff".  The box itself comes with a shelf that sits on the top of the box in which you can place small pieces of jewellery or hair bands and clips. Its easy to see why young girls would love this puzzle!

Finally, the 3D vase puzzle ... gosh, this is a daunting one! We felt this was the most tricky 3D puzzle and made sure we read the instructions for this one. It is also 216 pieces but the shape means that it bulges out and then back in again.  The vase contains a plastic insert into which you place the water for the flowers (it really is a usable vase, not just for looking pretty); you build the jigsaw up and around this cylinder as you go.  This jigsaw is still work in progress and is a bit of a team effort but Lara is looking forward to placing it on her window ledge.

We thought that these 3D Ravensburger puzzles were targeted perfectly to girls aged 7-11 and would highly recommend them.

   

Lovably Me Wooden Jigsaw Review

Earlier this month I was introduced to the beautiful online children's gift boutique, Lovably Me who asked for our Mellow Mummy feedback on their gift ideas for kids. Lovably Me stock some gorgeous kids wall stickers, room decor and nursery decorations but my girls were most taken with the range of toys and games for children from birth to 8 years and upwards.

One of the brands of toys that really stood out to me when browsing Lovably Me was Vilac.  Vilac make traditional wooden toys such as role play food, dominoes, musical instruments and games.  We tried out this traditional wooden Vilac Pirate Puzzle which is suitable for children from about 4-7 years old.

Lara and Holly are both jigsaw addicts.  I haven't counted recently but I suspect the number of puzzles we own is approaching the three-figure mark and they all get regular use.  This Pirate Puzzle is one of the most advanced we own and I'm glad we've found a jigsaw puzzle that can challenge Lara but which is still fun.  The pieces on this Vilac jigsaw are quite small and the picture features several subtly different ships which Lara had to put quite some thought into in order to get it right.

Despite the challenge of the puzzle, Lara has already been back to it again so at least I know she doesn't feel defeated.

The Vilac Pirate Puzzle costs £15 from Lovably Me and comes in a fun, pirate-shaped presentation box which can be used for storing the puzzle pieces.  I think it would make a perfect gift for any pirate-mad (or puzzle-mad) child.