Toy Review: Arcobaleno by Learning Materials Workshop

We've been so happy to have been asked to do our first toy review! I was especially excited that it was Learning Materials Workshop who asked. I discovered their products in December when a blog I follow hosted one of their giveaways and I immediately swooned over their products. It was exciting to be allowed to choose any toy I thought would work well for Ty, and that there were no strings attached other than writing a review here on my blog. No one told me what to say or include in my review post at all! I figured that most toy reviews I read are a bit "controlled" in content. Interacting with this company has been nothing but pleasant.

After watching the videos they have on their site for each toy (so helpful to see each in action!) and some tough decision making, the toy I chose for Tyler was Arcobaleno. He needs more work with his visual-spatial development and I was intrigued by the creative possibilities of this toy! I was impressed that it had won a Dr. Toy Best Classic Toy Award as well as a Parent's Choice Award, though many of the toys they offer have won awards! Learning Materials Workshop's description of this toy states:

"Arcobaleno ("rainbow" in Italian) is a puzzle and a construction set rolled into one. Children nest the asymmetrical arches into a round tray; solve structural problems as they build an inverted cone or a double tunnel; and tap their imaginations to create bridges, domes, towers, spiral houses, tigers with red tails, and fascinating forms."

While there are many suggestions for use, I purposely didn't read them until writing this review. I wanted our own creativity to lead us where it would for a while!

From the moment we opened Arcobaleno I could tell that this is a toy that will last for generations. It's made of quality wood, the pieces fit perfectly, and even after some of the pieces were thrown in toddler excitement, dropped and all of the other things an overtired, hyper two year old can do to a toy, it hasn't dented or scratched the paint one bit.

The first thing we did was to take the pieces out and form circles, noticing big, medium and small. We of course noted the colors as well.

We then decided that the circles would be cute little homes for some of our animal figurines. We put one in each, which also worked on 1:1 correspondence.

Making the circles on his own without the wooden pie-like container was tricky. Arcobaleno is interesting enough that Ty has been driven to practice and figure it all out, encouraging him to strengthen skills he'd otherwise rather not bother with as they don't come easily.

Look at that! Our circles also made great holders for sorting our color chips!

Using Arcobaleno to make an array of colorful arches has probably been Tyler's favorite activity. I'm sure we'll be rolling cars through and using them as tunnels soon.

Okay, so I've had some fun myself too! Tyler is a bit young to make designs like these, but the beauty of this toy is that as he grows, he will be able to do more and more with it. Arcobaleno isn't going to be mastered in a month or two and cast aside for sure.

The most obvious use for Arcobaleno is as a puzzle! Ty needs help to complete this right now which I figured, but it's unique and attractive enough to make him want to try. Though this toy is recommended for ages 3 -8, I know some clever, puzzle-loving toddlers who could likely figure this one out! 

After watching me make a rainbow with the arches, Tyler had to try too. How wonderful for a little one to be able to create a rainbow just by judging sizes!

In the website video, the arches are laid on their sides and stacked. Tyler struggled with this. The focus, fine motor control and eye-hand coordination necessary for this task is beyond him now, but again, something for him to grow into later!

We also discovered that by lining-up the larger arches  we could roll a small ball through one side and out the other! I can just imagine a little game of indoor croquet with these someday! Tyler also discovered that if the ball knocks down one of the first arches that the rest fell like dominoes. Quite a delight for him and he wanted "more dominoes!" after that, so we started doing it on purpose.

With Tyler's math interest at full speed, I've started to show him fractions in real-life situations, such as taking a whole slice of bread and cutting it in half at lunch time. The smallest piece of this toy has worked perfectly for showing half and whole at any point in the day. He's been intrigued!

All in all (in case you couldn't tell) we have really enjoyed this toy so far. I'm sure that we'll continue to find even more creative uses for it as we go along as well as start using some of the suggestions provided by Learning Materials Workshop. I appreciate that are so many things for Tyler to learn with this toy. The growth potential is large! Though it's a bit of a pricey buy, I do think that it would be worth it in the long run. I truly feel like it's a toy that is classic and built well enough to pass down through the generations!

A big thank you to Learning Materials Workshop for sharing such a fabulous toy with our family!

Ty Turns Two! Toy Reviews and a Trip to the Petting Zoo.

As you may know from my last post, Tyler celebrated his second birthday last week! I knew that I was going to want to go a bit overboard on presents, so I had a garage sale to sell his old stuff and took what didn't sell to consignment. I then used the money without guilt to buy him what I thought he could use to challenge him and keep him from being bored, as he continues to master and be done with things quickly. I have to admit that new toys, works and materials also keep me from being bored as well; it's a feeling that is truly uncomfortable for me. Plus, I'm a kid at heart and love to play too!


The following are the items that I purchased for Tyler from Amazon.com. I often buy (or don't buy) based on ratings, and also enjoy sharing great products that others may not be aware of (and items that I often wasn't hip to either until I spent way too many hours browsing the site). I am not asked or paid to talk about any of these.

I think it's safe to say that Tyler's absolute favorite gift from us were his  Fisher Price Grow-with-Me Roller Skates. He literally spent the first two days in them except for when we headed out for a doctor's check-up and when he slept! They have three different settings that help children learn to skate gradually. Right now he is in the walking phase, but we plan to try him with the second stage, which allows the skates to roll forwards but not backwards, very soon. My parents also bought him a NHL hockey goal, stick and ball set to go with this, and my ex-hockey player husband is in heaven!

Tyler's second favorite has been his Plan Toys Assorted Fruits and Vegetables. There are so many cutting fruit toys out there and I really wanted one that incorporated fruits and vegetables in the same set, as well as included a banana, apple and carrot (Ty's favorite produce). I also preferred something that was wooden. This set fit those requirements perfectly and he just adores it. The only issue we've encountered is that that neither the mushroom or banana cut, they are whole. This frustrates him at times, so I may cut and velcro them together myself.

I was really exited when I discovered this Melissa and Doug Farm Maze Wooden Puzzle. In one of my old Sesame Street Treasury books (which he loves!), there's a maze that I help him trace his finger through which he thinks is quite neat. It also seems like such a great toy for working small motor and wrist turning skills. He likes this, but I may put it away and take it out when he's a bit older. There are almost too many animals that get in the way of each other and he has a little trouble maneuvering them around the circle right now.

Another big hit has been Beach Stickers for the Tub. These are colorful, stick to the tub and tub wall easily and float so you can even stack them. The mesh bag with suction cups that they come in is really helpful. There are several different themed sets of these as well, one being farm animals.

Tyler often wants us to make his stuffed animals "talk" and sing, so buying him a puppet was an easy choice. This Lion Puppet from The World of Eric Carle is lovely and well-made. There's nothing "cheap" about it though it was quite inexpensive I thought. We're using this puppet as a fun way to teach social skills as well as to do the singing he loves. He thinks the whole idea is quite funny!

"Happy Halloween, Mittens" is a book in a easy reader series by Lola Schaefer that we found he really likes after borrowing one of the books from the library. My mother also got him a book in the series called "What's That, Mittens?" They are simple stories about a cute little kitten that he just adores, likely due to his huge love for felines!

"Llama Llama Misses Mama" is another series book by Anna Dewdney. We first discovered these adorable llama when borrowing "LLama, Llama Red Pajama" from the library (which we also bought him as it became a bed time favorite). We all love the fun rhymes, teaching moments and illustrations of these books. "Llama Llama Misses Mama" in particular is about llama's first day of  preschool. At first he is terribly sad, confused and feeling alone, but by the end he is happily playing. When his Mama arrives he discovers that he loves Mama AND school too. I can't read it without getting tears in my eyes. I'm getting teary-eyed just writing this in fact. Moving on...

Of all of the books Tyler received for his birthday, The Goodnight Train by June Sobel seems to be his favorite. The rhymes are cute, the illustrations lovely and full of hidden jokes if you look closely, and Tyler enjoys trains so it's been a great fit. The story consists of a few children who bathe, play and eventually fall sleep in their little train car beds as it rolls through interesting scenery. It instantly become Tyler's new bed time favorite.

As Tyler likes to nest objects and occasionally still likes to stack, especially if it's something new, I figured the Wedgits Starter Set would be ideal for him. They can be used to build and create in so many different ways and I have to say I really enjoy playing with them too! Tyler liked them immediately, then later got frustrated a couple times because the same color/size squares of course don't stack or nest with each other and it made him mad. Now he doesn't want to play with them at all. Ahhh toddlers! I'm likely putting them away for a while so he can hopefully forget about his grudge and have fun with them again as he did initially.

Tyler is really over the whole drawing with crayons thing, or colored pencils for the matter. All he wants to use are markers, which is fine, but I thought mixing it up with some Finger Crayons may be fun for him. They are also fun because they stack! He isn't too into them other than using them for stacking. Fun, new version of the crayon not, he just wants his markers at the moment. I really love them because they seem quite indestructible. I don't think I could break them if I tried which is great as I have a whole pencil bag full of broken crayons right now!

Gifts that I don't have links for but have really been enjoyed are:

This Huffy tricycle that I spotted at a consignment store. Though he is over the 90th percentile for height, he needs to be a couple inches taller to use the pedals comfortably. Though he slouches low and gets it at times, he mostly likes to let me help him pedal and enjoys walking it around the driveway.

One of the many things my parents purchased for him was a triangle from First Note. It makes a tone like nothing else in his instrument collection and we all enjoy it!

His Uncle and Aunt sent him various instruments and books from Kindermusik (which can be purchased in their online store), including a finger drum and rhythm sticks. He just adores these and plays them several times a day. Yay for a growing music center!

The classic Memory game was also gifted to Tyler. We haven't used in the usual way just yet due to a lack of time, but it is giving me lots of other activity ideas as well.

A Golden Book called "Big Fred's Fire Truck", which goes through a day of a firefighter, is a favorite of Ty's right now as well.

A "Dino Adventure Rig" by Sprig was given to Tyler from our fabulous neighbors. I love that it's safe and eco-friendly and Ty especially adores the dinos and human figure it came with.

A gift certificate to Hobby Lobby was given by a friend. This is really a gift for both of us! I can't wait to choose some fun things for him next week! I'll likely roam the store for a good hour before I can even decide!

It seems a bit awkward to move on to the little trip we took him on for his birthday now, but I just had to share the rest of his birthday events with a few cute photos! Tyler enjoyed feeding, and occasionally touching, the animals at a nearby petting zoo. Though there were animals like zebras, camels and reindeer on our trip last year, this part of the zoo was closed off, likely because it was getting near the end of their day when we finally made it there.

This last photo is a favorite. Tyler thinks biting into this carrot is gross, but the cute little llama sneaking up from behind seems to think differently!

New Materials

Yay for new materials (and a free moment to finally blog about them)! My order from Kid Advance Montessori arrived a while ago and Ty has had mixed reactions. I've found some are just too difficult for him right now and some he doesn't yet care for. I was overall pleased with the transaction and shipping time with this company and was delighted in a low (for Montessori stores) $10 shipping rate.

His favorite has been the cylinders, as I assumed. He stopped playing with the cylinder work that I made for him as it was too easy, so I knew he needed the next step up.This is a small set (very small) of Mini Cylinders that vary in diameter and height (four works total). I am somewhat pleased with them. They cylinders don't fit perfectly so I did have to sand them just a bit. Also, the cylinders that fit by height shouldn't also be different diameters as far as I am aware, so that was a bit odd and I should have noticed that in the photo online. Though their are four works, two are exactly the same as well.

It is quite a challenge for Ty to use the pincer grasp to place and remove the cylinders correctly (by the knobs) because of their itty-bitty size. They serve a purpose for sure, but I will be more excited to purchase the true, full-size cylinders as a second birthday present in August.

Another purchase was a Twist and Sort. He isn't too thrilled with this yet. He expected to be able to simply fit the piece onto the dowel and let it drop, not to have to turn the piece twice. After the first twist down he's had enough and finds something else to do. He tends to have preconcieved notions about things that are similar and this just doesn't fit what he expects. I'll introduce it again after a while.

This Airplane Puzzle by Guidecraft is expecptinally nice and he loves that it's an airplane, but it's too advanced for him right now. I admit to making an impulse purchase with this one and not really looking at it closely enough. It will be a great puzzle to pull out of the closet for him down the road a bit.

I bought him his first Dressing Frame (large buttons) in this order as well. I haven't really sat down with him to demonstrate this yet, but think he may take to it when I do. The fabric was very tight and even I had to struggle a bit to button, so I needed stretch the material a bit, which lukily wasn't difficult. I will likely make my own dressing frames for him in the future, but I wanted to see exactly how they're created first. This has given me a good reference point.

The Pink Tower has fast become one of his favorite things to do right now. With all of the pieces laid out randomly on the rug last week, I watched him walk into the room and stack them in the correct order, self-correcting and completing it in no time. Wow Ty! So glad my camera was close by!

Ty has had a bit of what my husband and I are calling a "brain spurt" the last several days and he shockingly isn't into stacking much anymore, but has moved onto other things of interest. He still enjoys the tower very much, but instead likes to lay them horizontally and have me talk about big and small while he points them out. Yesterday he took five blocks out of the box, lay them horizontally by size and seemed to give me a silent demonstration, sweeping his hand from big to small, pointing at each and looking at me as if to say "do you understand, Mama?". It was incredibly cute and rewarding!

Miscellaneous Activities and Adventures!

Before I blog about Tyler's introduction to the Pink Tower yesterday, I'm forcing myself to finally get this miscellaneous blog out there! These are some of the random, mostly non-Montessori things that we've been up to lately that may be of interest.

Experimenting with an air-filled balloon on a windy day. I tied yarn to the balloon and tied that to an old baby link so it was easy for Tyler to hold onto. He really enjoyed this! We then tied it down with a pinwheel and observed both the pinwheel and balloon's movements.

I introduced this puzzle from Kid-O a couple months ago but he had no interest. He found it a while ago and has surprised me by completing it several times. I figured once a piece fit, even if it was too small, he may place a few incorrectly and be satisfied. I believe due to the cylinder work, he understands self-correction, each piece having a correct place, and has the focus needed to often work until the puzzle is completed.

We used pencils in the parmesan cheese container after the pipe cleaners became boring, an idea given to me by one of my readers (thank you!). We also used dollar store Easter egg picks which Tyler especially enjoyed.

I found small, decorative woodchips in the clearance section of Walmart which Tyler enjoyed putting into containers last month, along with his puffballs. They circular chips varied in size from less than pea-sized to grape size and he had to figure out which may fit, or not fit, in each different sized container openings. It was also fun to dump them back out of course!

Tyler has been using a child-sized trowel and garden hand-rake (both metal and purchased at Hobby Lobby) in a pile of woodchips from a ground tree stump that he enjoys playing in. He enjoyed scooping the woodchips and transferring them into containers. I would let him dig around in the garden if I weren't so paranoid about black widows! This and his sandbox will have to do until we move back North someday...

I showed Tyler how to place his stuffed animals on a blanket and pull them around the house. After a while, this always leads to Tyler wanting a ride himself. Very fun!

Some new favorite toys around our home have been Matchbox cars, a larger car, Matchbox airplanes and a mini-slinky.

We visited our city zoo for the first time since Tyler's birthday last August. Knowing how much Ty enjoys making connections between books and real-life objects, we brought along some books with zoo animals as well as his safari animal figures so that he could match them. His favorite animals are giraffes and he was especially in awe of them!

We also visited our Museum and Science Center for the first time and had a blast! Tyler especially enjoyed the kid's area with water play, building materials and hands-on objects. I was surprised how many of the adult interactive activities intrigued him as well.

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