Do you remember playing with pipe cleaners when you were a child?
Brain Noodles is a
creative toy that is very similar, except the pieces are larger, sturdier, and plusher than the average pipe cleaners. This toy is like giving a child a ball of clay. The possibilities are only limited by the child's imagination and tactile abilities. Brain Noodles would be most enjoyable for children who are able to accept abstract representations of an idea. A child who expects more may be disappointed because "realism" is not a word I would associate with this toy.
This set of Brain Noodles contains 26 pieces . . . the majority are approximately 19" long and a handful are about 9" long. There are a variety of solid colors, with the exception of the black and white zebra striped pieces. The pieces come in a clear plastic box that looks like it would be perfect to store this toy in neatly. Unfortunately there is no way to open the package without destroying the box. If this packaging was reusable, it would give more value to this toy and would make it a little bit more environmentally friendly.
Brain Noodles are recommended for children ages 5 and up. Although it did take our nearly 4 year old twins awhile to figure out how to manipulate the pieces, they did eventually figure out how to connect two pieces without any assistance. Our nearly 7 year old son needed no assistance at all.
This set comes with a booklet with instructions to make the sculptures featured on the package. Strangely enough, my oldest had no interest in trying any of those projects. Instead, he preferred to just fiddle to see what he could come up with on his own. Many of the projects featured did show eyes, but there were none included in the box. Perhaps if there were eyes included, the projects in the booklet would be more appealing. I think that my son felt like he would not be able to finish the project, so why not create something else?
Our youngest son started putting together a chain and our oldest happily helped him to finish it. He also attempted to fashion some kind of Power Rangers gun, but it did not pan out. Even though there were some successful and some failed attempts, the whole process of manipulating these Brain Noodles was very enjoyable for our children, especially the oldest. The younger ones did get a little frustrated at first, but they only needed some patience. This is a wonderful toy for our preschoolers to practice making their circles, triangles, and squares.
As an adult, these Brain Noodles seem like they should be one ingredient to a larger project, but for our children, it is an enjoyable toy. It is sold by
The New Toy on
TheNewToy.com for $23.99 .
Thank you to The New Toy for sending us a complimentary sample product to base this review upon and for providing a second product for our contest prize.
What you can win:One lucky reader will receive
a 26pc Set of Brain Noodles.
Limitations:
This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.
How to Gain Entries:
Browse the selection of featured toys on The New Toy website. Then leave a comment telling me the name of the toy that appeals to you the most (aside from the toy reviewed in this article). You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest. Extra Entries:
1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.
2) For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.
3) For 10 extra entries, sign up for The New Toy weekly toy email (on the homepage). Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments telling me you did.
7) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.
8)
Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.
9)
10) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.
(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)
Random Drawing:
This contest will be closed on Thursday, December 16th, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.
Good luck in the drawing!
Do you remember playing with pipe cleaners when you were a child? Brain Noodles is a creative toy that is very similar, except the pieces are larger, sturdier, and plusher than the average pipe cleaners. This toy is like giving a child a ball of clay. The possibilities are only limited by the child's imagination and tactile abilities. Brain Noodles would be most enjoyable for children who are able to accept abstract representations of an idea. A child who expects more may be disappointed because "realism" is not a word I would associate with this toy.
