Kid K'Nex Cookie Monster Building Set

Cookie Monster 15 piece construction set.

 

 

The cookie monster, a favorite Sesame Street character, is the star of this K'Nex construction set. Fifteen heavy-duty, smooth, brightly-colored plastic pieces and a guide for building five models come stored in a plastic blue container (see image above). The lid fits on the top, but does not snap on securely. Some of the K'Nex pieces are jointed, as you can see (left) at the elbows and knees, allowing for more dynamic play once the building is complete.

K'Nex is one of my favorite brands and they have many different sets, some based on well-known characters, but many with more common themes such as animals and vehicles. Most sets are a mix of generic models and have more pieces than this set.

 

Four of the models in this building guide, as in many of their guides, are shown already assembled. This is a more difficult build than if you are shown a piece or two at a time, such as with LEGO building guides. The individual will have to be able to look at a finished model and assess where to start building and how to proceed. Models range from five pieces to all 15 pieces. Below is a picture of the guide and a couple pieces.

Try this:

• Play with the pieces before constructing so the individual can see how they fit together.
• Use a white piece of paper to cover pieces (on the building guide) that you have not gotten to yet to reduce confusion and direct the building sequence.
• Encourage the use of two hands in building whenever possible.
• Set a piece at a time in front of the individual to cue him which piece to add next.
• Place pieces in a pile on the table before construction. Turn pieces upside-down, sideways, etc., burying parts of some, so that the individual will have to recognize the correct pieces in different orientations.
• Enjoy a real cookie with the cookie monster as you admire your handiwork.
• Work on visual discrimination, visual closure, visual form constancy, figure ground, eye-hand coordination, manual dexterity, coordinated use of both hands, in-hand manipulation, finger/hand strength, motor planning, executive function, sequencing, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
   
  
  In the container: 15 pieces, building guide
  

Tumble Jumble Pond Life Puzzle

Tumble Jumble Pond Life Puzzle - Use 10 four-sided rectangle pieces to create four puzzles.

Tumble Jumble puzzles are similar to jigsaw puzzles in that you follow a picture on a box, matching patterns and images to complete a scene. They are different in that the puzzle pieces are 4-sided rectangles instead of flat pieces with tabs and blanks. The pieces are very lightweight plastic and have a sticker that wraps around each piece so that there is a different image on each side.

Five of the rectangle pieces measure approximately 2 15/16" x 1" x 1", and five measure 1 15/16" x 1" x 1". There are four complete puzzle pictures that are printed on the back of the box. About 1/6 of two of the puzzles are not shown because the puzzle pictures overlap each other, so an additional wee opportunity for visual closure.

The back of the box showing the four puzzles you can make.

 

The front of the box says "Find the 4 tricky pictures", but I just assembled one and it only took me a few minutes. So they are not those difficult puzzles where the same piece can fit six different ways. However, each picture has some of the same images (koi, frogs, leaves, etc.) so you do have to look closely and rely on the image on the box to complete the puzzle. There is no frame to build in, so the pieces just sit next to each other on whatever flat surface you choose to work on. Tumble Jumble puzzles comes in a few different themes.

Check out other types of puzzles I have blogged about here:

Tips for Assembling Jigsaw Puzzles

Junior Princess Ball Puzzle - 96 pieces

Family Style Jigsaw Puzzles - 3 different sized pieces so everyone can help!

Progressive Puzzles - 9 board puzzles for beginners - 4 to 9 pieces each

Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles - A good place to start

Try this:

• Start with the puzzle with the turtle. It is quite large and there is only one whole turtle in all four pictures, so those pieces should be easier to separate out for a more likely chance for success on the first try.
• Turn the pieces in-hand as you search for the correct side.
• Place the pieces all right-side-up and in the correct orientation for an easier assemble.
• Assemble a puzzle beforehand and place it in the box so that you can take the pieces out and place them all right-side-up.
• Assemble the puzzle and leave out one piece. Give it to the player in the incorrect orientation and let him finish the puzzle. Then repeat, leaving out two pieces. Then three, then four, etc. until the person is assembling it alone.
• Work on spatial relations, visual closure, visual discrimination, visual form constancy, figure ground, visual scanning, focus and attention, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, leisure and play exploration and participation

In the box: 10 rectangle pieces