Brain Blox Wooden Building Planks

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Anyone who knows our family knows that we thrive on hands-on learning in our house. I am a huge supporter of learning through play, and this review is perfect for our style of education. I know I review a lot of curricula, but when people ask me what to use specifically with their preschool and kindergarten-aged kids, I always tell them to let them play! The benefits of playing--especially during the younger years--are so vital. You know the old proverb about teaching a man to fish? That doesn't apply to only adults. Let kids learn by doing.  

Brain Blox is a family-owned company with that same belief. Their mission is to create products that encourage intentional and meaningful play as it nurtures brain development and confidence. I already explained about their Fun Family Chess, a new version that teaches the game with a gentle new approach but can also be used as a traditional set. Today, I'm talking about their Brain Blox Wooden Building Planks.

We first played with building planks like these at a science center years ago. My kids were quickly drawn to them as the planks appeal to their engineering minds. They spend time every day building something--anything--with Lego bricks and other building mediums. One thing that's different about these planks though is that there is no snapping of pieces together. Like blocks, these are used simply by stacking and are held in place by gravity and friction.

Another thing that's different about these planks is that the pieces are all the same shape ad size. Each building plank is approximately 4.75" x 1" x .25" solid New Zealand pine. They are precision-cut, chemical-free, and non-toxic, making them a perfect option for kids.  All of the edges on our planks are smooth with no worries of producing splinters. A red, canvas, drawstring backpack-style bag is included to store the pieces.

The building possibilities with these are endless! Truly, if you can think it, you can build it. I have been impressed with the creations my kids have made: pirate ship, table and chairs, army tank, houses, bridges, and countless towers of various designs, to name a few. Some of the builds were born out of their imaginations, but others were inspired by the Ideas Booklet that is included with the set. It features 15 building ideas by showing a pictures, how many planks are needed, and a tip or challenge for each one. No other instructions are given, requiring the user to depend on visual cues and thinking skills.

You can find many more suggestions in the free Idea Cards download. There are over 70 picture cards that cover 8 levels of difficulty starting with simple two-dimensional designs to complicated three-dimensional creations. Even my 4-year-old is doing well with the higher levels.

The company is currently creating free curriculum instructions that focus on reading, math, physics, and more that you can use intentionally in your lesson plans. The activities teach concepts such as the ability to perceive a 3D rendering from a 2D image, manipulation of spatial information, linear thinking, fine motor skills, and more. If you're just looking for a quick learning activity to sharpen thinking skills, there is a collection of brain puzzles using the planks that include the directions, hints, and the solution. These are one of my personal favorite aspects of the set. I love watching my kids use their brains to figure out the puzzles!  

If you're looking for even more ideas, Brain Blox has also put together a a World eBook filled with additional design ideas from walls and fences to planes, trains, and automobiles and many other things. There are also suggestions for creating characters on the planks and the collection of brain puzzles. They offer tons of options to ignite creativity and learning. 

To say that my kids (ages 13, 11, 9, 7, 4) like these is an understatement. As soon as one of them dumps the bag out on the floor, the others are right there grabbing planks to start building. We have the 200-piece set, but we've already been eyeing the larger one. After all, Christmas will be here soon, and adding more of these fun and versatile building planks would be a fantastic gift. My kids love to show off their creations and enjoy building when their friends come over. Their current obsession is using the planks for contraptions for a Rube Goldberg machine. We've been having so much fun applying engineering, problem-solving, critical thinking, and cause-and-effect skills.

The Brain Blox Wooden Building Planks are a fantastic resource for everyone! Whether you're looking for intentional play, specific learning, or just a relaxing activity, these building planks are perfect. They are well-made, versatile, and loved by all.

You can connect with Brain Blox on the following social media sites:

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Make sure to head over to the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog to see more amazing creations using Brain Blox Wooden Building Planks.

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Make It Monday: Tangram Creations

If there's one thing that my kids like best, it's building. They love creating with their hands anything that their minds can imagine. In a room full of toys, they will gravitate toward Legos, Trios, blocks, Automoblox, K'nex, Magnetix, a stack of cups, a pile of rubber bands, or a bunch of cardboard boxes. Every single time.

I recently won a bag of 250 tangram wooden blocks from Homeschool Mosaics, a large group of  wonderful women that have joined together to offer support to other homeschooling families. My kids were ecstatic when the box arrived. They had no idea what was inside, but they know that box mail is always fun! We opened it up and dived right in.

There are many sites where you can find tangram templates to print. Some (like this set that we own) have each specific shape shown and you just have to match the correct blocks to the picture. Others have a solid black shape and you have to figure out which blocks are needed to construct it. Instead of having them recreate those predetermined pictures, I allowed their inventive minds to have free reign of the blocks.

 

We had so much fun creating 2-dimensional pictures. Can you find the snake and the rocket? How about the fishy?

 We also made some 3-D formations, like this pizza. Blue mushrooms, anyone?

Then, Zac and I used the blocks to practice pattern matching. I set the arrangement in the first line, and he copied it in the second.

The older kids and I worked on a little geometry. They were amazed to see how to make hexagons using different shapes.
 


While the tangram puzzles are fun and educational (you can also use these to teach little ones colors and shapes), the blocks themselves can be used for far more things. If you don't already own some, I suggest you pick up a set. Soon.   

And then let your kids just have fun building.

Make It Monday: Pirate Ships

One of the ways in which Jacob is just like his daddy is that he loves to build and design. He will sit down with a pile of Legos or Trios and construct for hours. I'm always amazed by his creativity. I've said many times that Jake has Leighton's engineering mind.  (Leighton originally wanted to go into architectural engineering, but God called him to Bible college. I find it ironic that he is currently working in demolition.) They both enjoy finding a solution to a problem or figuring out the best way of doing something. They love understanding how and why things work. They like getting their hands dirty and building things. Jake gets his creativity from his daddy. Just last night Leighton said, "One of these days that boy will invent something." And Leighton will be right there helping him.

Jake, Alyssa, and I played with the Trios while Zac was napping. I can't make the intricate designs that Leighton can, but we have a pretty good time in spite of it. 

Construction is very messy work. (So is demolition for that matter. Trust me, I wash some pretty nasty work clothes every week!) It is completely necessary to dump out the entire bin of Trios to make sure you have the prime pieces.

After much grueling and intense labor, our structure was finished. It was complete with an anchor, cannon, crow's nest, plank, and working wheel. 

I'd like to take credit for the creativity of this ship . . . but I can't. Jake designed a lot of the details. I love how he used stairs for the flag. 

Arr, these pirates be ready to plunder the seas. They searched long and hard to find treasure. On the voyage, they captured an enemy pirate. He broke the code of conduct and refused parley. 

He be forced to walk the plank.

Ho, be that the giant sea monster lurking in the cool, murky water? He be awaitin' his next meal.

But wait - what be that? Sail ho!

Aye, another cog has come to rescue the captured pirate.

That cannon be pointin' right at 'em.

Fire in the hole!

Shiver me timbers! A direct hit starboard!

The ship be a sinkin'. Grab the loot!

Time to make use of that there jolly boat in the back. Row!



We played for hours, varying the scenario each time. Such fun and imaginative play!

Theory Thursday - Electronics 101

Well this week it was my turn for Theory Thursday. For Christmas Erika got me a couple of gifts specifically for me to do with the kids. (I know, it's March, but yes I said Christmas.) This week we pulled out the Thames and Kosmos electronics workshop_1. Now remember this is for kids ten and up but Jake likes the idea and his daddy is more than willing to mess with wires and circuitry. Some may have had a kit like this as a child, I did. You know the project board with all the insert-able components to build circuits. They make great learning in electronics, at least for some.

Of course the kit isn't as much fun unless you get to assemble the whole thing. As we cracked it open Jake told Erika that we had to be careful since we were working with, "all these dangerous things."

Get it all out of the box.

Break all the plastic parts out of the molding trees.

These were fun. A lot of little metal clips to insert in a lot of little plastic holes. They are what makes the kit like a breadboard for the projects.

We even had to bend our own jumper wires!

Now I am not as good as Erika so I didn't get all the pictures of assembly because some of it had to be done by me. Let's see you try to get a five-year-old to screw in a slotted screw that is only a few millimeters long and wide. For our first project we made a circuit with a couple of timers that made a pair of LEDs blink on and off. The book follows a story with characters to tell you what to do, but the kids were only interested in getting the "robot" built. So we left the story line on the page and followed the pictures. As we went I tried to explain to Jake what each of the different components were and what they did, but with all of them rhyming he got lost in their names. Alyssa, on the other hand, was in her own little world once we finished the assembly and didn't return until the lights starting blinking.

They were rather impressed with the blinking lights. And were in complete awe in the fact that if we pulled out a capacitor the LED would light solid instead of blinking. As I said I tried to teach Jake what each of the components did but he can't seem to keep them in order. He can remember what each does but can't match what it does with the proper name. Maybe if we keep it up he'll start to get it straight. Alyssa? Well, when we finished the whole thing I asked her if she learned anything and she very flatly replied, "no."