WINNERS!

Congrats to this round of winners!  You will all receive an email shortly.  Please see my Winner’s Policy for instructions and guidelines!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Bordens:  Valancia

Voskos:  Jackie

Hasbro Card Games: Tiffany

Step Stool:  Kara P.

SnuggStuff:  Chris T.

Constructive Playthings Interactive Map:  Debbie S.

Infiniti by Conair:  Nikki D.

Little Looster: Audra

First Impressions: Sara

Good Earth:  Donna B.

My Baby Clothes Boutique: Tara V.

Green Party Goods: A Kruse

Patriotic Pillow Pet:  Jana

Please claim your prize within 72 hours of receiving the email.  Prizes will be foreited after the deadline.

WINNERS

Lots of winners to pull today!  Thanks to everyone who participated!

Constructive Playthings gift card:  Joanna

Zhu Zhu Pets:  Laura

Nestle day 1:  Debbie S.

Nestle Day 2:  Nancy S.

Nestle Day 3: Sarah

Nestle Day 4:  Janet

Nestle Day 5:  Jennifer R.

V Reader: Andrea K.

Sunglass Warehouse:  Diane W.

Slix:  Gianna

Ice Box Bakery:  Peggy

Hersheys:  Karen G.

Chili’s:  Bacallsmom

Sleepjoy:  Diane R.

1800Flowers:  Geoff K.

Congrats to all the winners!  You will all be emailed shortly.  Please respond within 72 hours to claim your prize!

Constructive Playthings Interactive USA Map: Review and Giveaway

hypothesis The Interactive USA Map from Constructive Playthings will be a fun way to introduce my Kindergarten student to the geography of the United States.

materialsOne Interactive USA Map from Constructive Playthings (for ages 5 and over), my soon-to-be Kindergarten girl and a Dad who teaches Geography and History at a local high school.  About Constructive Playthings:

Constructive Playthings Parent / Family

“US Toy/Constructive Playthings is a family owned business serving loyal customers since 1953! We strive to inspire learning, creativity, and fun by offering a unique mix of high quality products with unparalleled play value for children. Our success can be attributed to strict adherence of the values and principles set forth by our company founders, like the commitment to forgo selling violent toys. We hope to continue providing both unique product offerings and top flight customer service for many years to come!

results For our July review from Constructive Playthings, we were asked to find an age appropriate learning toy for a child in our family.  Being that my husband is a teacher, he was ALL OVER this task!  He quickly looked through the site and decided on the Interactive USA Map (is it obvious that he teaches Geography?).

When it arrived, I wasn’t sure who was having more fun! My two daughters and my husband gathered on the sofa and started exploring.  Nearly an hour later, they were playing a game together.  One player selects a State and answers a trivia question, if answered correctly, they win the “vote” in that State.  If incorrect, the opponent wins the State.  The game continues until one player receives a majority and becomes President of the United States!

Some of the questions were easy and my five year old was able to win a few States!  I was impressed with how much she knew about our State (Louisiana) and the general geography of the States!  The questions did appear to become progressively harder and my husband even missed a few!

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My daughter loved the Interactive USA Map.  She still sits down and plays with my husband on a regular basis.  I don’t even think she realizes she is learning!  My husband also plans on taking this toy back to school with him in the Fall.  He thinks is would make a great learning tool and ice breaker in his classroom for the first lessons!

My only complaint is that this toy really could use a volume control or a headphone jack.  The narrator is a bit loud which makes this not the ideal toy for quiet settings.

hypothesis The Interactive USA Map can be purchased directly from Constructive Playthings for $38.95.  Don’t forget to click on the Constructive Moms button on my right sidebar to receive 15% off your total purchase.

GIVEAWAY

Would your child love to brush up on their knowledge of the USA?  Constructive Playthings has generously donated one Interactive USA Map to one lucky reader!

How to enter:

1. Visit Constructive Playthings and tell us about another toy you noticed would be a great learning tool for back to school!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog and Constructive Playthings (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) and (@ConstructiveMom) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and Constructive Playthings on Facebook.

5. Place my blog banner on your sidebar.

6. Subscribe to my Feed.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on August 10th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This product review is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy. Others may have a different experience. A product was provided to facilitate this review, but all opinions remain 100% mine.

Constructive Playthings New Toy Catalog Arrived!

Have you heard that I was chosen as an official Constructive Playthings Mom?  As a long time customer, I have watched my children learn and grow on these toys.  And now, I am happy to be able to share with you my picks and finds from this great company.

A few days ago, the new Constructive Playthings catalog arrived!  I was excited to look through the pages to see what was new.  But before I could, my daughter ran through and saw the art supplies on the front cover and took off running with the catalog.  When she reappeared, the catalog had been inked up with gift suggestions for the next three Christmases and Birthdays!

The front cover obviously appealed to my daughter, but I loved the next two pages which were filled with kitchen accessories.  My girls love pretend playing in their little kitchen and the Party Time Pottery Set, an exclusive of Constructive Playthings, would be perfect for them!  My attention was also drawn to the Creative Minds page which features bright colors and many different art supplies including a really cool Creativity Center.

While I do love the convenience of online shopping, I still love having a tangible catalog in hand to browse.  Constructive Playthings does a great job of grouping the toys which makes it easy to find exactly what you are looking for (looking for a great deal?  The SALE pages are marked with a red border).
if you would like to check out the toys at Constructive Playthings, please request your free toy catalog before the holidays arrive!  Also, make sure you are following on Twitter so you don’t miss any updates!

Constructive Playthings Clay Center: $50 Gift Card Giveaway

hypothesis The Clay Center with Play Doh from Constructive Playthings will be a great way for my daughters to develop their creative abilities while learning to play and work together.

materials

One Clay Center with Play Doh (a Constructive Playthings EXCLUSIVE!), two very excited little girls and a babysitter.  About Constructive Playthings:

Constructive Playthings Parent / Family

“US Toy/Constructive Playthings is a family owned business serving loyal customers since 1953! We strive to inspire learning, creativity, and fun by offering a unique mix of high quality products with unparalleled play value for children. Our success can be attributed to strict adherence of the values and principles set forth by our company founders, like the commitment to forgo selling violent toys. We hope to continue providing both unique product offerings and top flight customer service for many years to come!

results In case you missed my excited announcement, did you know that I was selected as a Constructive Playthings Mom!  Each month, I will get to review a toy and let you know exactly what my daughters and I think of it AND I get to give something away, too!  Pretty cool, huh?

playdohFor my very first review, we were given the task of selecting a Constructive Playthings Exclusive toy.  After checking out the options, I decided on the Clay Center with Play Doh, which can be purchased for $28.99 (or if you use my Constructive Mom Exclusive discount by clicking on the logo in my right sidebar or in this post, you will receive 15% off, this toy would only be $24.65)!  This toy is designed for children ages 3 and over and includes 74 pieces.  A little about the toy from the website:

Designing with Play-Doh® is fun and easy with this caseload of sturdy plastic tools: extruders, stampers, rollers, molds, cookie cutters, 4 figures and more. Set includes four 5 oz. tubs of Play-Doh® in a variety of colors.

One night last week, my husband and I had a much needed date night and asked my Mom to babysit the kids while we were away.  I thought this toy would be a great way to occupy the girls and involve my Mom in a fun activity.  While Play Doh is always a hit in my house, accessories are a must.  Without them, I can make……..well…..a snake.  With my Scientific brain, coming up with creative clay projects is quite difficult.  The 74 accessories allowed my girls to play with this set for HOURS without getting bored.

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As a Mom, I love that they used their imaginations while working together to play and create fun creatures, food products, houses and silly faces.  And what made it even better is that my Mom enjoyed it just as much as the girls did!  Isn’t Play Doh a timeless toy?  I would highly recommend this developmental toy from Constructive Playthings!

hypothesis My family had the great pleasure of testing out the Clay Center with Play Doh from Constructive Playthings, a great store with a huge selection of educational toys.  My daughters loved creating fun sculptures with the various accessories (their favorite was the rolling pin with stencils!) and played creatively for over an hour.  The low price (did I mention you can get a 15% discount by clicking on the Constructive Playthings logo on my right sidebar?) makes this a great gift for birthday parties or the holidays!

GIVEAWAY

Ready to get creative with Constructive Playthings?

I have one $50 gift card for one lucky reader right here on Experimental Mommy!

How to enter:

1. Visit Constructive Playthings and take a look around. Come back and tell me a toy you think your child would really enjoy. The toy mentioned in the review does not count.

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog and Constructive Playthings (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) and @ConstructiveMom on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and Constructive Playthings on Facebook.

5. Place my blog banner on your sidebar.

6. Subscribe to my Feed.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on July 16th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. and Canadian Residents only (Canadian website to launch soon!).

This product review is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy. Others may have a different experience. Constructive Playthings supplied me with samples for review, but all opinions are 100% mine.

I’m a Constructive Playthings Mom!

constructivemomsLast Christmas, I received many toy catalogs in the mail and one that really stood out was Constructive Playthings.  I ended up ordering quite a few things as gifts for not only my two daughters but my niece and nephew as well.  Because I was impressed with the quality, selection and customer service, I was so excited when Constructive Playthings announced the formation of a Mom Panel that will feature product reviews, giveaways and exclusive coupon codes!  I jumped at the chance to apply and am excited to tell you that I am now an Official Constructive Playthings Mom!

In the next few months, I will be able to bring you my first hand experiences with many toys featured on their site as well as awesome giveaways for my readers!  And rumor has it that I will be able to offer you a discount code, too!  Please help me welcome the great panel of Moms assembled by Lee from My Sentiment Exact Lee:

Lee @ My Sentiment Exactlee
Allie @ No Time for Flashcards
Karen @ 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires
Keri @ Toy Queen
Melissa @ Consumer Queen
Dwan @ Momma DJane
Jody @ Mommy Moment
Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting
Gina @ Wrestling Addicted Mommy
Bridgette @ Not So Blog
Kimberly @ Raising Olives

Don’t miss any of the action!  Follow @ConstructiveMom on Twitter!