Engaging Entertainment without Electronics! {A Brain Blox Review}

Open-ended play. Brain teasers. A way to keep hands busy while listening ears tune into read alouds and audiobooks. We have appreciated Brain Blox Wooden Building Planks by Brain Blox as a way to enjoy all of these things and more since receiving an awesome 200 plank package of them for review. 

We've also gone straight to the ceiling with fun!

What Are Brain Blox?

Brain Blox, in a nut-shell, are child-safe and environmentally-friendly, open-ended blocks that use balance, friction and your creative brain to build structures, create designs, and solve puzzles.

More specifically, they are inviting New Zealand pine wood planks that are:

• 100% natural
• non-toxic
• free from stains, paints, dyes, and chemicals
• precision-cut
• sustainably-sourced
  
  
  
  
  

Plus , they require no magnets nor connectors of any kind and are just plain old fun!

Why Choose Brain Blox?

Brain Blox foster smiles, imagination, and learning as they provide countless hours of engaged play and STEM activities.

From our experience, Brain Blox encourage kids and adults alike to build towers...

ships...

 and more... 

With Brain Blox, you can create chain reactions, make mazes, meet challenges, and solve brain teasers... 

You can imagine something and, then, build it!

All the while, Brain Blox can help strengthen your brain's development by naturally incorporating hands-on math, physics, and engineering concepts into building while encouraging problem solving and reasoning abilities and improving dexterity and spatial awareness.

When you are using Brain Blox , you inevitably get creative, test ideas, experience cause and effect, strengthen perseverance, and let loose your imagination.

Plus, if you use Brain Blox with others, you tend to build cooperation and social skills while you're having fun!

So, yep, though seemingly simple, Brain Blox are brilliantly designed to encourage you to turn off screens and engage in hands-on, constructive, imaginative play and learning! 

What Did We Think of Brain Blox?

Since our Brain Blox arrived in our mailbox, they have taken up regular residence in our living room, and my children and I have been reaching for them regularly.

My oldest son, 13, said:

I enjoy Brain Blox. I think they are good for children of all ages, because they are enjoyable and can be used to create structures. I especially liked trying the brain teasers.

As you can see from the photo above, he also liked helping spot his baby brother as his brother tried experiments!

My 12-year-old daughter said:

I liked Brain Blox for playing when my mom was reading boring stuff and when we had Together Time. 

What did I do with them? I did a couple challenges, but mostly just built - even to the ceiling!

I like Brain Blox because they are sturdy, they are made of real wood, and they come with a bag to carry them.

You don't have to do a certain thing with them, but can use them for whatever you want.

I also like the pirate video that has one of my favorite pirate songs in it.

My youngest son, at nine, has a blast building. He said:

I liked Brain Blox because they are very good when you are listening to something being read or to just do something with your hands. 

I did challenges and built ships. I especially liked stacking them up high.  We touched the roof! 

I think children from ages 6 to 13 - like my older brother - would enjoy them. They would be safe for little kids, too, because it would be pretty hard to choke them. 

I will add that adults like Brain Blox, too.  At least I do!

I appreciate their simple yet inviting design, how they keep hands busy during read together times, and also, how they inspire imaginations during open-ended play.  

I also love how Brain Blox can be used for brain teasers with free ideas online.  

Further, I have found them quite handy to grab as an educational manipulative when reviewing multiplication and other concepts and love how they bring my kids together!
So, in summary, I'd say:

Brain Blox may seem like just a box of wood at first glance, but there is just something about the precision-cut planks that captures imagination, invites play, and encourages engagement. In a word, I think Brain Blox are brilliant! I'd recommend them to anyone.

At home, or out and about with the included carry bag, Brain Blox are loads of fun!

Learn More

If you ever run out of ideas for Brain Blox, there are loads of FREE PRINTABLES and ideas available to jump start you in continued fun!

Fifty-five Homeschool Review Crew families have been getting creative with Brain Blox. Find all of our reviews, including some video reviews.

You might also enjoy clicking over to the Brain Blox website, where you will find free kids' journal printables, videos, and freebies. You might also enjoy our recent review of another Brain Blox product: Fun Family Chess.

Also by Brain Blox

Plus, of course, you can connect on social media:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Combine STEM and ELA with a Full Year of Design Challenges {A Review}

If you're looking for an easy way to tie STEM and ELA together while offering your children a wide variety of creative problem-solving and design challenges, STEM Activities, Full Year of Challenges with Close Reading by Tied 2 Teaching could be just what you are looking for!

This handy resource - which my children have been tackling challenges from - offers a wide variety of activities to engage students of multiple ages and abilities.

What is STEM Activities, Full Year of Challenges with Close Reading?

STEM Activities, Full Year of Challenges with Close Reading is bundle of 70+ STEM challenges which dovetail purposefully with close reading activities and allow children to work literacy skills along with science, technology, engineering, and math ones.

The resource is designed for children at a grades 3-6 level, and, after using it, I would say that it hit the mark with the close reading activities but that the actual STEM challenges could easily adapt to a wider age range.

The challenge files, when I unzipped and downloaded them, showed up in an alphabetical order; however, they can also be grouped by month in order to correspond to holidays and seasonal themes.

January STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading

• 100th Day of School STEM Challenge – SPAGHETTI TOWER Design Challenge
• Marshmallow Snowman Challenge
• CIVIL RIGHTS MONUMENT Design Challenge
• Sled Design Challenge

February STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading

• Valentines Day STEM Challenge – Cupid’s Bow Design
• Groundhog Day STEM Challenge – Groundhog Burrow Design Challenge
• Valentines STEM Challenge – Love Bug Design Challenge
• Presidents Day STEM Challenge – Lincoln’s Cabin Challenge

March STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading

• St. Patrick’s Day STEM Challenge – Build a Leprechaun Trap
• Basketball Tower STEM Challenge
• St. Patrick’s Day STEM Challenge – Build a Rainbow Bridge
• New Hat for Cat Challenge Read Across America STEM

April STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading

• Jelly Bean Tower Challenge
• Easter STEM Challenge Design a Carrot Carriage
• Earth Day STEM Challenge – Design Something Useful
• Earth Day STEM Challenge – Upcycled Birdhouse

MAY STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading

• Design a New Droid
• Paper Airplane Design Challenge
• Pipe Cleaner Challenge
• Lighthouse Design Challenge

June STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading

• Foil Boat Design Challenge
• Giant Pyramid Challenge
• Steamboat Design Challenge
• Zip Line Design Activity

July STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading

• House of Cards Challenge
• Doghouse Design Challenge
• Alien Spacecraft Challenge
• Airplane Design Challenge

August STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading

• Building Block Tower Challenge
• Index Card Skyscraper Challenge
• Paper Table Challenge
  BONUS Building Block Challenge MEGA PACK

September STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading

• Apple Boat Challenge
• Pencil Tower Challenge
• Totem Pole Challenge
• Balloon Tower Challenge

October STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading

• Spider Web Design Challenge
• Witch’s Parachute Halloween STEM Challenge
• Sugar Cube Arch Challenge

November STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading

• Parade Balloon Challenge
• Thanksgiving Table Challenge
• Cranberry Tower Challenge
•  Pilgrim Shelter Challenge

December STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading

• Cardboard Reindeer Challenge
• Funky Christmas Ornament Challenge
• Straw Christmas Tree Challenge
• Christmas Tree Tower

ADDITIONAL STEM CHALLENGES

• 100th Day of School Glasses
• 100th Day of School Crayon Tower
• Kingdom Hearts Valentines Castle
• Candy Heart Tower
• Design a Candy Box

These groupings can make for fun calendar tie-ins. However, since  each challenge stands alone and the skills and knowledge explored in one do not consecutively build into the next, you can really approach the challenges in any order you wish. 

This is what we did - pulling challenges out based on interest, the supplies we had on hand, etc.

Does It Require a Ton of Supplies?

Because this resource is purchased online and delivered as a compressed zip file, you will, of course, need a computer to purchase, download, and save your bundle.

Then, you will also need a computer to read the challenges themselves along with the passages on Wonderopolis that are used for close reading.

If you prefer not to have your child onscreen, however, you can print out the Wonderopolis texts and select pages from the pdf challenge packets to print out, too. 

In each packet, there are about 18-20 pages, on average, but you need not print every page out. Rather, you can pick which of the differentiated pages will best suit your child and, then, print just those.

Besides a computer and printer, you will need different supplies for each different challenge, but, most of these things are things you'd already have around the house - tinfoil, playing cards, pennies, pencils, paper, books, recyclables, etc. - or things you can easily and inexpensively purchase - balloons, marshmallows, etc.

Some challenges do require a relatively more expensive item - plastic building bricks - but many homeschoolers have these, so, if you don't, you could always ask to borrow some, or you could purchase a knock off brand or the main brand secondhand. (Or, skip the challenges or use an alternate item to do an inspired challenge.)

Really, the supplies are not burdensome at all and, because the challenges promote creative problem-solving, in my opinion, if you don't have a specific suggested supply item, you can just swap out something else.

What Was It Like to Use?

We received STEM Activities, Full Year of Challenges with Close Reading as a link to download a compressed ZIP file or PDF files of each of the STEM challenge activities.

Inside each individual challenge activity file, we found a title and link to an online reading passage (with a QR link, too, but we don't know how to use those.)

That title/link took us to a page on a site called Wonderopolis where we could read more about the subject of the challenge. (The reading passage could also be printed from the Wonderopolis site, but we chose to read from the screen.)

Within the file there was also a printable with questions pertaining to the Wonderopolis article, which, with the first two challenges we did, I encouraged my children to complete. In doing so, I noted two things:

1. The close reading questions were varied and well written - with some that just pointed toward direct comprehension and some that required a bit more thinking (depending on a child's level).
2. Worksheets like this are NOT my children's style, but are still a good exercise for them every once in a while, and, I know, would be just up the alley of some other children I know.

So, with these things in mind, even though part of the initial appeal of this resource for me was the way it marries ELA and STEM skills, I decided, for the sake of sanity and interest level in my home, to forego "requiring" the Wonderopolis passages and close reading worksheets after the first two challenges we did, but am still happy to have them as they can inspire discussion and also be cycled back into life and learning at another time.

Then, after completing the close reading pages during our first two challenges, we read the challenge pages and picked at least one design challenge printable for each child to fill out.  

Unfortunately, we chose the house of cards challenge for our first challenge, but I did not realize our cards were simply too laminated and new for the houses to be built with ease.

That made for some frustrating challenge time - but also got creative thinking flowing.

The frustration with slippery cards then led to less than best attitudes with filling out the design challenge forms.

Oops!  Mama fail!  Seriously, MAMA's - not the products. The actual challenge was well written and could be fun!

How do I know?

On another day, my daughter asked if she could challenge friends to an impromptu redo of one of the challenges we'd done at home, and, when she described them to a friend's mom, that mom got some older playing cards out and the kids went to town.

Hoorah!  

Victory!

The second challenge we chose was to make a table out of newspaper.  However, since I had no newspaper on hand, we just used recycled paper.

Again, my children were not as interested in the reading or the filling out of worksheets as some other children might be - although I still asked them to do so to honor our review commitment - but they did enjoy the challenge.

Some of them tried to make tall tables:

Other shorter ones:

And one super short one:

But strong, too!

In fact, my daughter then decided to extend the activity to see how many books she could stack on her table before the table completely folded in, allowing a book to touch the real table beneath.

I love when natural inquiry flows like this!

And, with that in mind, I decided to let natural inquiry take over for future challenges.  

Instead of me requiring reading, writing, etc., I am opting to let my children browse the challenge files themselves and to explore as they will with them from there.

That's what happened with the tinfoil boat and penny challenge!

One son saw a picture of the challenge and asked if he could do it - right then and there. 

Then, another child asked to join in.

Both had fun and kept exploring!

Later, my children asked if we could try more challenges with friends - competing with them in a friendly way.  Of course, I said we can look into it, but, I also explained that we cannot share the actual bundle we have due to permissions.  We can certainly recommend it to others, though!

Do We Recommend It?

STEM Activities, Full Year of Challenges with Close Reading by Tied 2 Teaching is a well-thought and presented resource that adapts easily for different ages, abilities, and interests while encouraging children to get hands and minds busy with STEM and ELA.

As written, it would be ideal for students who use a traditional approach to learning - with readings and worksheets - but who also benefit from breaking outside the typical box to do some hands-on creative problem solving.

It also can work well for more interest-led or relaxed learning styles - like those in my home.

Besides the physical supplies for each challenge (like tinfoil, pennies, balloons, etc.) everything you need for each reading, writing, thinking, doing, AND reflecting lesson is right there - printable or accessible on computer - so you do not need to do any planning or prep beyond picking a challenge, gathering supplies, and printing whatever pages you wish to.

Also, as I already noted, the challenges are designed to align with specific holidays and seasons, so there are easy tie-ins built in - or, like us, you can pick challenges based on interest or what supplies you have at home.

Within the challenge files there are photos for the creations other children have made, too, so you will have ideas to work from or can show your children the ideas if they get stuck or want to compare their own ideas with someone else's.

So, with this resource, you "get it all" I'd say:

• specific, well-designed curricula for those that like that

• flexibility for those that like to pick, choose, and adapt

• STEM and ELA focus

• "book" (or rather computer, printable, and pencil) learning opps

• experiential/hands-on learning opps

• the ability to use and re-use materials at your child's different ages and stages

• creativity, fun, and inspiration
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With all this in mind, I wholeheartedly recommend STEM Activities, Full Year of Challenges with Close Reading by Tied 2 Teaching to anyone who wants a clearly designed, easy to use set of design challenges to inspire fun and learning!

Learn More

I was looking at the STEM Activities, Full Year of Challenges with Close Reading page when preparing for writing this review and noticed the bundle is currently half off, so if you are thinking about purchasing it, now is the time!

You can connect with Tied 2 Teaching at:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tied2teaching/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tied2teaching/
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tied2teaching/

Find the reviews.

Would you like to see a larger sampling of the challenges offered?  Take a peak at reviews from 70 Homeschool Review Crew families.