LEGO Build Up 40253

Lego Build Up 40253 - 24 small models, just right for a therapy session

If you've read my blog at all, you probably already know what a huge fan I am of Legos. I flipped through their Christmas catalog when it arrived, not intending to buy anything, until I saw this, the Lego Build Up 40253 set. I got a similar set last year and really liked it. However, according to the Lego catalog, this set is not available for purchase. You can get it free with a $99 purchase of other Lego sets. I'm a Lego fan, but I don't buy them in that quantity, so thought I was out of luck this year. However, thanks to third party sellers on Amazon, mine has just arrived. I paid $17 and change and I consider that a bargain for 254 pieces and 24 small models. Like last year, there is a variety of models and many of them can be used other times of the year, not just at Christmas. I could not find an "official" image of the models, so here is a photo from the instruction book and a rundown of what is included in this set:

1. Ship, 18 pieces
2. Peacock, 28 pieces
3. Reindeer, 20 pieces
4. Snowmobile, 10 pieces
5. Windmill, 21 pieces
6. Robot head, 21 pieces
7. Eagle, 11 pieces
8. Igloo, 24 pieces
9. Snowplow, 29 pieces
10. Fireplace, 17 pieces
11. Cabin, 26 pieces
12. Airplane, 11 pieces
13. Snowman head, 15 pieces
14. Lighthouse, 12 pieces
15. Street lamp, 16 pieces
16. Chicken, 27 pieces
17. Wreath, 17 pieces
18. Animal head, 17 pieces
19. Owl, 16 pieces
20. Cup of cocoa, 17 pieces
21. Snow plow, 17 pieces
22. I don't know, 14 pieces
23. Christmas tree, 29 pieces
24. Santa Claus, 34 pieces

Some of these are open to interpretation. The set also includes an orange tool that you can use to remove pieces. I will use this set throughout the month of December and into the new year. BTW - No, it is not an advent calendar, meaning there are enough Legos to make them all at once. You will have to take them apart as you go to build others. 

The instruction book shows which new pieces have been added at the top. This is great for beginners who might not be able to look at the picture alone and decide what has been added. There is one book this year instead of two and it is bound instead of just stapled.

A great activity that lends itself naturally to bilateral integration, in-hand manipulation and a bevy of fine motor and visual perceptual skills without a lot of set-up. 

If you're interested, you can read my post on how Legos stack up, in my opinion, to other construction sets by clicking this link. Building Skills with Construction Toys.

Try this with any LEGO set:

• Give a few minutes to look over the pieces at the beginning so that the person can examine the different shapes and how they snap together.
• Set the piece(s) for each step in front of the beginner until he has gotten used to identifying pieces. 
• Turn pieces on the table so that they can't be picked up by the child in the correct orientation. Ask him to turn each piece in-hand after picking it up.
• Place a piece in the individual's palm, or at the base of the fingers, in the incorrect orientation and ask him to bring it to the fingertips and turn it in-hand for placement.
• Give the beginner one piece at a time while building and point to the piece on the guide to show where it should go.
• Ask the child to pick up the model and hold it in one hand while adding pieces with the other hand so that both hands works together while adding pieces (instead of adding pieces while the model is on the table).
• Show the child how to hold the model with the non-dominant hand while "pinching" the new part on with the dominant hand.
• Place the pieces for each step on the non-dominant side so that the individual will have to cross midline to pick them up. Instruct him not to lean to the side as he reaches across.
• Ask "what is different" at each new step in the instruction guide to focus on where the new parts will go.
• Keep the unused pieces in a pile so that the child will have to search for each needed piece. Turn some of the pieces upside down or half cover them so they will look different from the picture.
• Advise the child to hold the model in the same orientation as the one in the picture to aid in orienting pieces.
• Catch mistakes as they happen, as an incorrectly placed piece may throw off the rest of the project. Tell the individual that his model does not look exactly like the picture and see if he can identify the mistake and correct it on his own before jumping in to help.
• Place the piece for the individual if he is having trouble orienting it on the model. Then take it off and hand it to the individual to place himself.
• Work on visual discrimination, visual closure, visual form constancy, spatial relations/position in space, visual memory, figure ground, eye-hand coordination, in-hand manipulation, manual dexterity, precise fine motor control, hand arch development, separation of sides of hand, using two hands together, finger strength, executive functioning skills, following directions, sequencing, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 254 LEGO pieces, instruction book

If you are interested in purchasing this item, or just want more information, click on the image below. 

3D Feel and Find World Icons

3D Feel and Find World Icons - 20 2-piece wooden sets.

I have already blogged about Feel & Find, made by the same company (Guide Craft), and 3D Feel and Find World Icons doesn't differ much. Two difference I can see immediately is that the original version has rectangle cut-out tiles and this one has round, and the cutouts on the original tiles are not colored like these are.

What you will receive with this World Icons version is a drawstring cloth bag and 20 wooden sets. A set consists of one shaped piece, such as a heart, and a wooden tile with a cut-out of the same shape. This set includes what they describe as world icons, which I thought might be the Eiffel Tower shape or a pagoda, etc. Nope, just means shapes that might be recognized around the world. Which is what you also got with the original versions - trees, animals, people, geometric shapes, etc. Shapes in this set include people, bird, apple, house, heart, turtle, tree and car. 

 

Game contents.

Try this:

• Start with deep pressure to the hands. For some, this may increase their ability to discern shapes without sight.
• Spend time concentrating on how to feel, practice carefully feeling the item for clues. Ask the individual to close his eyes and put one piece in his hand. Ask him to use two hands and tell you about the piece. Cue him to use words to describe characteristics of the pieces such as bumpy, pointed, round, corner, square, legs, head. Then try using just one hand.
• Close your eyes as above and let the individual put a piece in your palm. Model what you want him to do.
• Put the pieces in the bag one at a time, allowing the individual to feel each one. Talk about the shape and describe how it feels.
• If you want a more challenging activity, don't allow the person to see or feel the pieces beforehand. Lay the cut-out tiles on the table in plain view. Have him put his hand in the bag, pick up a piece, and without seeing the piece, find the matching tile on the table.
• Start slow by putting just one piece in the bag and placing two tiles in front of the individual. Ask him to put his hand in the bag and feel the piece without looking. Then choose the matching tile. Increase the difficulty by adding more pieces in the bag and more tiles on the table.
• Use as a simple matching game. Put out several or all of the tiles and give the individual the wood pieces to match to the tiles.
• Put one tile on the table. Give the individual 2, 3, or 4 pieces and ask him to find the piece that matches the tile.
• Scatter all the wooden pieces on the table. Give the individual one tile and ask him to scan the pieces to find the matching object, only stopping to look at the pieces that are the correct color.
• Scatter the pieces on the table when setting up the game, but make sure that some of them are upside-down, sideways, standing on their edge, partially covered, or in other incorrect orientations. Present the tiles and do the matching.
• Ask the individual to choose a tile and hold it in his non-dominant hand. Search for the matching piece and then place it on the tile.
• Place a wooden tile in front of the player. Place the matching shaped piece in the player's palm. Ask him to bring it to his fingertips and rotate it in-hand to orient it correctly for placement. Make sure you turn some of the pieces into incorrect orientations before placing them into the palm.
• Work on tactile discrimination, visual discrimination, visual form constancy, figure ground, spatial relations, eye-hand coordination, in-hand manipulation, manual dexterity, coordinated use of both hands, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
   
• In the bag: Cloth bag, 20 wooden pieces, 20 wooden matching tiles