Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

4 Best Hoverboards for Kids

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best hoverboards for kids With summer looming ahead, many kids are requesting outdoor equipment that will keep them entertained while on a break from school. Hoverboards are a hot item, and many parents are concerned about the cost, safety, and which ones are going to be the most durable. Today, we explore four of the best hoverboards for kids. Note that all have been UL 2272 Certified for fire and electrical safety.

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How to Launch a 52-Week Money Challenge for Kids

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52-week money challenge for kidsAs you set your goals each year, it’s fun to include your children in the process. Involvement helps them learn to set goals of their own. In the interest of helping them develop strong savings habits, why not have them participate in a 52-week money challenge for kids?

Similar to the well-known 52-week money challenge for adults, the kids’ challenge helps kids to save more money by determining a set amount of cash to put into a savings account, and then increasing that amount each and every week.

How to Personalize Your Child’s 52-Week Money Challenge for Kids

Based on your child’s age and his or her ability to access money, you can pick the weekly money amount that works best for their particular situation.

Even with the smallest weekly contribution, the savings will add up. If your child is younger, you can start with a small amount – for example, a nickel – each week. Here’s how the challenge works:

  • $0.05 contribution – WEEK 1
  • $0.10 contribution – WEEK 2
  • $0.15 contribution – WEEK 3

And so on. If you choose to use a nickel for the challenge, your child simply increases each weekly savings contribution by one nickel. By the end of the 52 weeks, your child will have saved $68.90.

Here is a breakdown of other coin values and potential savings amounts:

  • Dime = Save $137.80 by the end of the 52 weeks.
  • Quarter = Save $344.50 by the end of the 52 weeks.
  • Dollar = Save $1,378 by the end of the 52 weeks.

Why Teaching Kids to Save is Important

We’re living in a time where it’s easy to not save money. Clever marketing and social pressures encourage kids to spend rather than save. Therefore, they start to believe they can have the latest and greatest of everything on the market – without the hard work of earning it.

Saving money is becoming less and less important to people as generations go by. America’s declining savings rate proves it. In May of 1975, the personal savings rate in the United States reached a high of 17%. At the end of 2016, it was 5.4%.

By teaching our children to develop a habit of saving money, we give them a head start on the road to financial responsibility.

Other Ways to Teach Kids to Save

Besides using a 52-week money challenge for kids, there are other ways you can teach your children to make saving money a consistent habit.

  • Require your kids to save a percentage of all money they earn or receive as a gift
  • Boost your child’s enthusiasm for saving by committing to match what they put into savings dollar for dollar
  • Create a savings contest between you and your child (or between your children) to see who can save the biggest percentage of their income for the year

The 52-week money challenge for kids is a great way to encourage children not just to save money, but to challenge themselves to save more than they initially thought was possible. So, give your kids the gift of making savings a habit starting today.

Bonus Reading: “6 Fun Money Games for Kids”

Would you ever do a 52-week money challenge with your child? Have ever done one on your own? Let us know in the comments below!

Image Credit: Nathaniel_U (Creative Commons)

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6 Fun Money Games for Kids

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money games for kidsMore and more parents are realizing how important it is to teach kids about money. But, how can we teach them in a way that’s both engaging and educational? There are several money games for kids designed just for that purpose. Here are some ideas for both online and offline money games.

6 Fun Money Games for Kids

Dollars and Dice

This is a simple money game that will have kids polishing their math skills without even realizing it. Using a single die and a variety of coins, kids roll the die to earn one of the following values:

1 = a penny

2 = a nickel

3 = a dime

4 = a quarter

5 = a coin of their choice

6 = lose a turn

The first person to collect exactly one dollar wins. If a player is close to hitting the dollar mark but goes over, they lose their turn.

Escape From Barter Island

This is a fun, interactive online game from the federal bank of Cleveland. The player has to learn how to barter his or her way to a new sail for their boat. Navigating through the signs, they learn how to trade up using items they already own. If they trade right, they’ll eventually get their new sail so they can get home.

Play Escape from Barter Island.

Hide and Seek

Yes, your kids can play hide and seek and learn about money at the same time!

First, parents gather several coins of multiple values. If you have younger kids who are still learning to count, use pennies only. Then hide the coins in various places around the house. The kids are then set loose for a preset time period to find coins.

When the time is up (or when all coins are found – parents’ choice) kids count up their totals. The player with the highest number of coins (or the highest value total) wins!

Mad Money

The PBS Kids website has a great money game called “Mad Money”. The game starts out by giving players a choice of several items to save up for. Players are given a weekly allowance, but the allowance has to cover items on their shopping list.

Then, players go throughout the town, looking to find deals on what they need and working to earn more money.  They win if they have enough money to buy what they need and pay for what they want.

Play Mad Money.

Bonus Reading: “5 Apps That Teach Your Child a Cool Skill”

Net Worth

Similar to crazy eights, Net Worth is a card game that will help kids learn to manage money. The different cards allow players to pay off debt, collect assets and hinder other players’ finances. Players also learn to use strategy to protect themselves from financial setbacks such as job layoffs.

This game is a quick, easy play for kids age 8 or older, and very affordable.

Save Perry’s Pennies

This game from the U.S. Treasury has three skill levels in which players catch dropping coins for their piggy banks. But there’s a catch – players have to save the targeted savings amount within the specified time period. Be careful, though; if you accidently click on a falling hammer all of your savings could be lost!

Play Save Perry’s Pennies.

There are also several board games that can help kids learn how to save and manage money. The Game of Life, Monopoly, Payday, and Dave Ramsey’s ACT Your Wage are all games that teach players money skills. By using games to teach children healthy money skills we can help them become financially responsible adults.

For more financial fun, check out “4 Creative Money Challenges for Kids.”

Do you have any favorite money games for kids to share?

Image Credit: David Lofink (Creative Commons)

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4 Creative Money Challenges for Kids

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money challenges for kidsOne of the biggest – and most important – hurdles parents face is that of teaching their kids to save money. In today’s instant gratification world, kids are often led to believe that spending is more beneficial than saving. It’s our job as parents and caregivers to teach them the benefits of saving over spending. By utilizing these money challenges for kids you can help your child learn the importance of saving money.

4 Creative Money Challenges for Kids

The 365-Day Money Challenge

The 365-Day Money Challenge has flexibility in both the amount of money you can use and when you earn it. The first step is to print out a chart that has 365 days of money amounts on it, starting with $.01 up to $3.65. Then, post the chart somewhere where your child will see it every day. Each morning when your child gets up, they pay their piggy bank or money jar an amount from the chart. When they pick a money amount to save, they then cross that amount off on the chart. Each money amount can only be used once throughout the year. By the end of the year, they’ll have saved $667.95!

Wants some ideas for how to help your child earn money? Check out these chores here.

The Matching Money Challenge

This money challenge will involve parents and/or grandparents as well. The first step is to have your child decorate a jar with a lid, such as a large canning jar. They can also use their own piggy bank. Each week your child will put in their bank the money they’ve earned through different sources. Money earned for chores or allowance, or money received from gifts are some ideas for finding money to save.

After the jar is filled up, parent and child bring the jar to the bank to deposit the money. When the money is counted, parents or grandparents match the amount the child has saved. The final deposit into your child’s savings account will be double what they have saved!

The 52-Week Savings Challenge

Similar to the 365-day challenge, this challenge requires kids to save money on a regular basis. First, they print out this chart. Each week has a money amount – payable in quarters – listed on the chart.  Your child chooses which amount he or she wants to save each week, crossing that amount off as they go. By the end of the year, your child will have saved $344.50.

The Make-it-Your-Own Money Challenge

This challenge can be implemented in a number of different ways. The goal is to help kids improve their lives in some way or teach them that work produces income. The first step in this challenge is to determine a dollar amount payout. Parents can work with children to help decide how much they want to earn in a given time period. The challenge can be modified to work for every family’s budget and specific goals.

For instance, some kids may have a goal of earning $10 in a week.  Others might want to earn more over a longer time period. It also helps to determine with your child why he or she wants to save. Having a reason for saving helps motivate kids to save more.

After you’ve determined how much to save and in what time period, parents create jobs or tasks with coordinating payouts. The “jobs” can consist of several different options, such as:

  • Doing chores around the house that are outside of normally assigned chores
  • Doing learning challenges such as reading books or completing math worksheets
  • Implementing healthy habits such as exercising or making healthy eating choices
  • Choosing to cut down on screen time in favor of reading or spending time with loved ones

The challenge can be customized to fit whatever goals your family or your child may have. As a bonus, your child will earn a reward them for achieving those goals.

Teaching kids to manage money well is just one of the things we can do to prepare them for independence. By helping our children develop a habit of saving money, we can prepare them to be financially responsible adults.

Got any money challenges for kids of your own to add? Drop it below!

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Costco LEGOs Q & A: The Best Deal In Town or Not Worth the Trip?

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Costco LEGOs

Costco can be so beneficial for families. You can often find quality products at a great price. Their various organic food selection is an example. But, what about something like toys? More specifically, what about Costco LEGOs?

Worth the trip to find a deal or keep on looking?

LEGOs have been one of the most popular toys for boys and girls since their start in 1932. The colorful, interlocking bricks give kids a chance to put down their screens, engage their minds, and unleash their imaginations.

Recommended Reading: “7 Screen-Free Activities for Preschoolers”

The problem is, buying new LEGOs can get expensive quickly. Sets that follow a certain theme, like Star Wars or Harry Potter, charge more than normal for the affiliation. If Costco is known for its competitive prices, then are Costco LEGOs the best deal?

Let’s do some Q & A and find out:

Costco LEGOs Q & A: Best Deal In Town or Not Worth the Trip?

Q: Does Costco sell LEGOs?

A. Yes. There is often an assortment of LEGO products available at Costco, although it does vary. You can also shop online at Costco.com. Overall, you will see considerably less variety than a place like Walmart, Target or Amazon.

Q: Why does Costco have less selection than other stores?

A: According to Costco’s Wholesale Disclosure:

Costco operates membership warehouses based on the concept that offering members very low prices on a limited selection of products will produce high sales volumes and rapid inventory turnover. This rapid inventory turnover, when combined with the operating efficiencies achieved by volume purchasing and reduced handling of merchandise enables Costco to operate profitably at significantly lower gross margins than traditional wholesalers.

Translation: Costco sells hand-picked, quality brands faster and with fewer employees than supermarkets.

After speaking with an administrative representative at my local Costco who declined being named for this interview, he explained that Costco doesn’t carry any particular product year-round. Their mission is to find the trend, buy it early, mark down the price considerably, and sell it at the peak season.

Q: How can I save the most money on LEGOs at Costco?

A: Knowledge is key. Costco’s LEGO selection is very limited during the first two-thirds of the year. Your best bet during those months is to glance at the selection online and keep in mind other options like Amazon or Walmart.

The best ways to save money in general at Costco are:

  1. Sign up for an Executive membership. By doing so, you’ll receive 2% cash back on every qualified purchase. At the end of year, you receive a check in the mail – redeemable only at Costco – for all the money you earned back.
  2. Browse your monthly Costco flier. It’ll come to you in the mail right before the beginning of a new month and includes every sale, including toys.
  3. Sign up for email offers. You’ll receive exclusive coupons and deal alerts from Costco via email.
  4. Follow deal hunting blogs like Krazy Coupon Lady to receive the most up-to-date information about Costco products. For example, KCL created this detailed post on every LEGO toy available during the Christmas shopping season of 2016. Many of the LEGO products were discounted significantly!

In Conclusion

Is Costco the best place to buy LEGOs? Not until the holidays, and not if you’re looking for a wide variety.

If you just want to buy some new LEGOs within your price range, then I suggest using some of the money-saving techniques mentioned above.   The great thing about Costco is that you can’t loose, their return policy is outstanding. If you find a better price on LEGOs, and want to return them at Costco, they’ll probably take them.  So, keep your eyes open for a deal, follow a blogger who’s going to do the leg work to keep you informed during the holidays, and go find yourself a great deal.

What’s your favorite thing to shop for at Costco?

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My #1 Brand of Choice for Long-Lasting Toys for Toddlers

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My #1 brand of choice for long-lasting toys for toddlersWhat do toddlers love? Getting into EVERYTHING. That’s why I want my money to go toward products that will inspire my curious kids, entertain them, and last longer than three days. Therefore, here is my all-time favorite brand of long-lasting toys for toddlers.

My #1 Brand of Choice for Long-Lasting Toys for Toddlers

When my kids receive an invite to a birthday party (especially if they’re toddlers), I head straight toward one particular section in the toy department first:

Melissa & Doug.

Why I Recommend Melissa & Doug Toys Above the Competition

I can’t help it; their products win me over time and time again. Here is a breakdown of my top reasons why:

  • They’re well made. The durable craftsmanship of each toy and the use of wood and metal instead of plastic ensures that these are long-lasting toys for toddlers and older.
  • They teach a skill. Each toy or activity I’ve come across in the Melissa & Doug line inspire the child to use her imagination, explore her problem-solving skills, or improve hand-eye coordination.
  • They’re better for the environment. With the longer lifespan of each toy and the use of natural products instead of plastic, the carbon signature is greatly reduced.
  • They help kids focus. My go-to toys for road trips, waiting rooms, or long lines at the grocery store are Melissa & Doug. With their colorful and creative designs, they hold children’s attention spans. That drew me since I know how important it is to teach children to focus at a young age.
  • They help kids have fun without using a screen. No technology. No flashing lights. No batteries. I love that my kids can enjoy toys like these for hours each day without seeing any of the side effects of too much screen time.

If you’ve never shopped for Melissa & Doug toys before, here a few great toys to try first. I’ve seen positive results with each of my children, and even their friends when they come over to play. Whether they’re in the car, playing right beside me, or alone in quiet time, these toys are a continual source of fun in our home.

Long-Lasting Toys for Toddlers – Ages 1 to 2 Years

  1. Chunky Puzzles. The great thing about these early learning puzzles is that little fingers can grasp the pieces easily and figure out where they go. Both of my children learned the art of puzzling first from a Melissa & Doug 8-piece Chunky Puzzle (and they still play with it).
  2. Activity Boards. Like puzzles, these sturdy and colorful activity boards offer toddlers a chance to buckle, bolt, snap, lock, and latch as fast as their tiny hands can manage it. This is an exceptional activity to promote hand-eye coordination and, if you’re like me, you’ll find yourself tempted to put the activity board together, too, when no one’s watching. ::cough:: So that’s just me, then?…

Long-Lasting Toys for Toddlers – Ages 2 to 3 Years

  1. No-Mess Painting Craft. Did I mention how much I love taking Melissa & Doug products on road trips? The kids love painting with these Melissa & Doug On the Go Water Activity Books. They simply use a brush with water inside and the colors appear on the pages. After a few minutes, the colors fade and the children can paint on them again. This has been great for my 3-year-old who can write her alphabet and numbers, largely in thanks to the ABC and 123 Water Activity Books we own.
  2. “Make-Believe Play” Toys. My niece recently received a Melissa & Doug Christmas Cookie set. I watched throughout the rest of the night as she walked around the room offering each family member a wooden Christmas cookie with a huge grin on her face. It’s so fun to make believe and to do so with such adorable toys. For example, if you’re a coffee drinker, your child might like to become a little barista with this Melissa & Doug Wooden Brew & Serve Coffee Set.

These are only a few options of things your children might enjoy. I shared them because they are the ones my own children have enjoyed. Now, I encourage you to browse around and try one out for your own toddler. I bet he or she will have a lot of fun with it for a long time.

What long-lasting toys for toddlers have you found? Share them in the comments below!

Image Credit: Tiffany Terry (Creative Commons)

This post contains affiliate links.

The Learning Tower, a Review

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The Learning Tower Kitchen HelperI have been running this site for nearly a year and for some strange reason it has taken me all this time to review one of my wife’s favorite items: The Learning Tower.

I used to be a regular attendee to Toy Fair in New York for the eCommerce company I work for.  It’s an event for anyone in the toy industry (sellers, buyers, reporters, etc…) and my wife would typically take off for a few days and come with me.  She would help me navigate the huge convention hall, take notes, and just act as my assistant.   In the evening, I would take her out to a nice dinner and we would enjoy the city.  It was always a great couple of days for both of us.

Toy Fair is massive and there are things hidden away in aisles where you wouldn’t typically expect to find them so we would hit every aisle and every booth to make sure we didn’t miss anything.  That may not sound difficult but Toy Fair is HUGE!!!  It takes up the entire Javits Center in Manhattan as well as several other buildings down town.  The business I am in sells licensed and pop culture items so it’s actually a pretty small segment of the overall toy market but part of the fun was the challenge of hitting everything to make sure we didn’t miss anything.

The first time we went, my wife was pregnant with my oldest son, Harrison.  We had a lot of fun going through the baby and little kids sections even though it had nothing to do with why we were there.  We got to see stuff we might want for our son before a lot of it was released to the market.  Also, we got to see stuff that was already on the market that companies were trying to push to new buyers.  It’s a unique situation where you get to talk directly to the company and in the case of smaller companies, directly to the owner/creator.

What is the Learning Tower

One of the items that really interested us was the Learning Tower by Little Partners.  The product had been around for a year or so before we ran into it at Toy Fair but our excitement was fresh as we had never seen it before.  The Learning Tower is the perfect kitchen companion for anyone that likes to cook with their children.  It’s not just for the kitchen but that seems to be it’s most popular application.  It’s the ultimate step stool that brings your children up to counter height and keeps them there safely and securely.

Nothing at Toy Fair is for sale to the the general public, meaning, you can’t walk through, hand your card to someone and walk out with it.  Buyers can put in orders for their companies but the products are shipped to the company/store they were bought for and not available to walk out with.  I tell you this simply because if it was possible for us to leave with a Learning Tower that day, we would have.

The Learning Tower

Why We Love the Learning Tower

My wife LOVES to cook and bake and always fantasized about cooking with our children.  In addition to loving to cook, she is also a safety professional.   Her job is to make sure the workers at the company she works at, work safely.  The need to keep everyone safe is a big part of who she is and one of the things I love about her.  The Learning Tower appealed to her need to keep her soon to be born child safe and her desire to have our little one active and in the kitchen helping Mom cook.

It’s so much more than a step stool, it’s an adjustable platform that safely brings your child up to counter height. The most popular application is in the kitchen but it can be used anywhere. It’s very well constructed and the platform can be adjusted so it continues to become useful as your child grows.  It can hold over 200 lbs and has plenty of room for a second little one if you have more than one child.  My 5 year old and 3 year old share it with no problems.

But Wait There’s More

What makes this item even better is you can buy accessories that make it more functional.  You can get a kit that turns it into a puppet theater in minutes or a chalk board that hangs off the side for arts and crafts.  It comes in 9 different finishes so there is sure to be a design that matches your decor.

At nearly $200, it’s not cheap but we believe it’s a great investment.  We have had ours for 4 yeas now and it gets used all the time.  It’s very common for used Learning Towers to sell on eBay and Craigslist for $100 so it holds it’s value really well.  When our boys outgrow our Learning Tower we plan on selling it on Craigslist to recoup part of the expense of buying it but even if we didn’t do that, we have have more than gotten our moneys worth with this item.

For activities to do with your children that would include using the learning tower, check out this other great articles.

8 Simple Rainy Day Activities For Kids
7 Screen-Free Activities for Preschoolers
3 Life Skills Every Child Needs To Learn

We recommend the Learning Tower if you are looking to buy one.

The Learning Tower got some media attention a few years ago when it was featured on the Rachael Ray show. Check out the video below

Have you ever heard of the Learning Tower? What do you think of it?

 

Pop the Pig Game: A Review

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Pop the PigMy kids, ages 8 and 5, had seen the ad for Pop the Pig by Goliath at least a half dozen times before Christmas. Thinking that it would be an entertaining family game for the four of us, I picked it up at Toys ‘R Us for about $20.00 (that’s not cheap, either, in my book) and gave it to them before the holidays even came around. The kids were excited to play it and as we opened up the baggie of little plastic hamburgers, we all exclaimed, “Awwww!” because they were so cute. We were off to a good start. I consulted the directions to make sure we were setting things up correctly and we began a game.

How The Game Works

Here is how the game is supposed to work: with each turn, players roll the die, feed the pig a burger and then press down on his chef’s hat the number of times shown on the bottom of the selected burger. The pig’s stomach (which actually has a balloon-type device underneath it) is supposed to get bigger and bigger with each press of his hat, until he finally “pops,” causing his belt to open. My kids thought this concept was hysterical and could not wait to see the pig “pop.”

“Popping” The Pig

Unfortunately, there were a few problems with getting the pig to pop, the first of which is that his hat is very difficult to press down, especially for my little one. But with two hands, he was finally able to do this. I can’t imagine any child younger than 5 is strong enough to pull this off. The second problem is that the growth of the pig’s stomach is so negligible that it is hardly noticeable at all. We kept peering and peering at Pig’s stomach, thinking we may have detected a slight change, only to wonder if we were just imagining it! Eventually, we were able to get Pig’s belt to pop open but the stomach never really got big at all. “Are you guys sure the belly is supposed to get big?” I asked. “Look at the picture,” they said. And sure enough, the image on the front of the box shows good ole Pig with a big, inflated stomach. “This game is stupid,” my daughter said. “It’s junk,” my son said. Obviously, neither of my kids have a tendency to mince words.

What Others Are Saying

“Maybe ours is defective,” I said, opening up my laptop to check the reviews on Amazon. While some reviews were positive, many echoed our same concerns. The average rating was 2 ½ stars out of 5 (with 73 customer reviews). Some said the hat was too hard for their children to push down (we agree). Others said the stomach never grew (yup). One pointed out that the big explosion their child was waiting for was first just the belt opening with a click (our experience too) and that after a few games the “explosion” became reduced to clicks only with no belt popping at all. I guess we should be happy that our belt does manage to pop open. The bottom line? This game is nothing like what it looks like on the television commercial and while the concept is charming, Pop the Pig fails to deliver “pops” or laughs.

Have you played this game?  What has been your experience?

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Review of Large Building Blocks from Smart Monkey Toys

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Review of Smark Monkey Toys large blocksThe other day we received a 16pc large red building block set, in the mail for a product review. These are by Smart Monkey Toys and I have got to tell you; even before I started assembling the blocks, I could tell they were going to be a hit with my boys.

16 pc Large Red Blocks by Smart Monkey Toys
Price: $25 – $36

When the kids saw the picture of the blocks on the packaging, they got super excited and immediately asked if they could play with them. I wasn’t crazy about trying to put the blocks together with two very impatient 3 year old boys, buzzing around me like a swarm of bees.

Assembling the blocks

Anyhow, they were really keyed up and kept saying “please Mommy” in a cute non-whiney kind of way, so of course I had to finally concede. I’ve got to say, the first block took me a little bit to figure out — but once I decided to pull out the helpful and easy to follow instructions that were enclosed, it was a piece of cake. I was able to put all 16 large building blocks together in about 15-20 minutes. That is record time for getting anything done while my children are awake.

Kid tested, mother approved

As soon I was finished, the boys immediately began playing. They worked together to build a large firehouse. Then they decided to see how tall they could stack the building blocks. I was very impressed with how flush, the blocks fit together. We have an older, cheaper set, by a different company and those blocks always tip over before the stack gets too high. The blocks from Smart Monkey Toys are also much sturdier than the others we have. I know this, because the boys later decided to use them as ice skates.

They are made of lightweight corrugated cardboard so if they fall over, or if – and this would probably never happen – one brother accidentally flung a block in the direction of the other brother, no one would really get hurt. Nice!  Despite the fact that they are light, they are very well engineered and will hold a lot more weight than you might expect.

Another thing you can absolutely love about these blocks, is that they are made of recycled materials.

So, in case you haven’t figured it out already — YES; I would definitely recommend these blocks. They are wonderful!

These blocks are available from these fine retailers.  The prices listed below are what they were being sold at when we wrote this review

Have you seen these blocks? What do you think of them? Would you buy them for your children?