Gearhead Mom

Two Piece Puzzles

Sy’s school has these puzzles from Lakeshore Learning and they are often one of her first stops when she arrives in her classroom.

Here’s why I like these puzzles.
Sy’s rounding the bend towards three years old and her old Melissa and Doug puzzles are becoming a little too simple for her. The bigger, eight to twelve piece puzzles are a still a little daunting, so we needed something in between. 

Memorable Mealtimes

I’ve been running this game by my friends because I just can’t decide if it’s lame or not. The Enchanted Table by Memorable Mealtimes has a series of cards with thoughtful conversation and contribution cards to enable interesting conversation at the dinner table. It also has a somewhat odd (and HUGE) illustrated table centerpiece with images from classic children’s stories. A conversation card sample: “If you could do something impossible, what would you do?” Contribution card sample: “Arrange the table in an unusual or fun way.” Jenny’s point was that most families don’t eat together anymore so it might actually be helpful. Other friends wondered why they couldn’t come up with those thoughts on their own. AJ’s family plays high/low - high point and low point of their days, it always brings up a new talking point.