Creative Challenges with Brain Blox Wooden Building Planks {A Homeschool Review Crew Review}

Yesterday I shared my review of Fun Family Chess, which is a game from Brain Blox, a family-owned company. However, we were also given another product for review. They have some really cool building blocks called Brain Blox Wooden Building Planks. And today I will be sharing about those.

These natural wooden building planks come in packages of 100, 200, or 300 planks, plus they all include a free drawstring canvas backpack and a full-color Building Ideas booklet. We received the box of 200.

These 100% all-natural planks are all the same size, being approximately 4 3/4 inches long, 1 inch wide, and 1/4 inch thick. They are made from premium New Zealand Pine and are "Earth Friendly," meaning they are made with renewable resources. They are recommended for ages 4-104. I mean, who doesn't enjoy building and taking up challenges? However, they can be a choking hazard for children younger than 4 years old, so you should make sure to keep them away from younger children.

The children were excited when they arrived. 

I think Tabitha was excited as well, she just doesn't like her picture taken these days. 

There are a couple of ways that we used these building planks. We used them to build, utilizing the ideas booklet and the free download from the Brain Blox site, and we used them to figure out the different brain challenges that are available. 

The majority of the time, the children used the planks to build while I was reading our daily history and science readings. 

I love the wide variety of things they are building.

They have mainly been using the idea booklet, though I'm sure others would have a blast creating their own designs. 

I like that the booklet tells you how many planks are needed and gives tips and challenges. 

Tabitha chose to attempt the dock. This time it wasn't schooltime, so she worked at the table.

And then she figured it needed a boat to go with it.

The simple sailboat is one of the projects available as a free download from the Free Resources section of the website. There are over 70 ideas spanning eight levels of difficulty.

See, I can convince her to let me take her picture on occasion.

She then decided to try some more designs.

She decided to make a really tall tower.

It was tall alright!

She had to stand on the chair to complete it.

Her challenge to herself. . . use every plank.

And she did!

Additionally, we have been trying out the brain challenges that are available on both YouTube (a link to their channel can be found in the Free Resources section) and right on the site.

Here is a challenge that stumped us for a while last night.

Stumped

Stumped

Stumped

Stumped

Then mommy figured it out and I gave some hints to Tabitha. I finally had to show her the secret.

Amelia then wanted to try again, and she figured it out on her own.

Here's a challenge we tried today. Can you figure out how to move just one plank to change the donkey's direction?

As you can see, we've been having a lot of fun with these Brain Blox Wooden Building Planks. From the 7 year old to the 40-some year old mom, we have all been entertained. So, I can definitely agree that these planks will be enjoyed by a wide range of ages. Younger children can choose to build whatever they want or use the easier levels of the challenge cards. As children get older, they can build the harder designs. Of course, even younger children can challenge themselves. And the Brain Teasers are great for getting the brain working. Even for those who aren't fans of building. 

These wooden building planks are a great hands-on product to help children work on different concepts, such as math and engineering (can you say STEM?). They can help your child(ren) and even you work on problem solving skills. Not just with the Brain Challenges, but with trying to figure out the correct way to build the pictured designs. And they can help develop creativity in children who would rather not use the included ideas, but come up with their own designs. 

These are definitely a product I highly recommend. How would you use them in your home? 

You can find Brain Blox on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, yesterday I posted my review of Fun Family Chess from Brain Blox. This is a wonderful way to be able to play chess with younger children. 

Don't forget to click on the banner below to see how my fellow Crew Mates used the Brain Blox Wooden Building Planks in their home and what their thoughts are.