Eco-Friendly Puzzles from Guidecraft

As a Guidecraft educator, I have the opportunity to review different educational products each month. The best part is that each month you also have a chance to win the same products on one of the Guidecraft educators blogs. Last month the Guidecraft educators reviewed the Nordic Rocker, this month we are reviewing the Guidecraft line of Eco-friendly puzzles.

Product Moment:

Sun Sorter:

Explore patterns, fractals, shape-sorting and sequencing. Features 12 wooden pieces and circular tray. Can be used with the tray or as an independent shape and color-matching
manipulative. Develops fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination. (ARV $25)

Fraction Cups:

Four fun wooden cups with 10 large wooden pieces help teach fractions. Explore whole, half, third and quarter concepts. Develops fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. (ARV $25)

Fraction Pairs:

Explore fractions, shapes and patterns with the Fraction Pairs. Eight chunky pieces are perfect for little hands, with a matching sorting tray. Develops fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination. (ARV $25)

Gradient Sorter:

Nesting wooden pieces stack to create unique shapes: circle, square, oval and triangle. Teaches color and shape-sorting skills and reinforces hand-eye coordination. Includes 12 beautiful shapes and wooden tray. (ARV $30)

Fraction Action Board:

Children explore sorting, sequencing and fraction skills with the Fraction Action Board. Reinforces shape-recognition and color-matching and develops fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Includes 18 large pieces and the storage tray. (ARV $25)

One to Four Sorter:

Sixteen large pieces to help build early counting and sorting skills. Matching shapes to the coordinating pegs reinforces early learning math and counting activities. Develops fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination. (ARV $25)

Shape and Color Sorter:

Children will love sorting and matching the 9 chunky shapes to their matching locations on the Shape and Color Sorter. Large pieces are easy to grasp and feature rounded corners and edges. Develops fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination. (ARV $25)

Mommy Moment:

As I have mentioned before, Montessori classrooms stress the importance of beautiful and welcoming items. Even at home I prefer to purchase items that are well made and that can be used through a variety of stages.

These Eco-Friendly Puzzles from Guidecraft are beautiful. They are all made from Eco-friendly rubberwood and stained with low VOC aniline dyes. I love that each puzzle has an activity booklet included with it. The little activity book has examples of different activities you can do with the puzzle.

Since the basic uses for these puzzle is somewhat obvious I will give you a few examples of how these puzzles can be used for children who are a bit older.  Our youngest daughter Jane uses the puzzles as a basic puzzle and our oldest daughter who will be entering grade one this fall uses these puzzle for extension activities. For example: Jane (who just turned 3) will use the Shape and Color Sorter as a puzzle saying the shape and color as she works. Kate will use the same puzzle to trace the shapes, color the shapes and cut out the shapes.

Another extension activity that Kate enjoys uses the One to Four sorter to teach some basic multiplication skills. She takes each piece of the puzzle and places them on a mat on the floor. She places a little bead in the hole on each piece. Next she says “there are 4 triangle pieces, each triangle has 3 beads, when I count the beads there are 12, so I know that 4 x 3 = 12“. Although she is counting the beads, she is beginning to understanding what multiplication is.

I have included a video of how Kate uses the Fraction Cups to match with fraction cards.

Giveaway Moment:

Want to win this whole set of Eco-friendly puzzles from Guidecraft? The giveaway is open to US & Canada and is valued at approximately $175.00!!

This month you can enter to win these puzzles on Deborah’s blog at Teach Preschool. The giveaway ENDS midnight (12:00am est) on September 6th, 2011, so HURRY!

Be sure to come back next month to see another great Guidecraft product reviewed on Mommy Moment. Good Luck to all of you who enter!