Finally! The Guidecraft Toy Box Giveaway & Review {CLOSED}

Congratulations comment number 240!

You already know how I am in love with all the wooden block we got from Guidecraft...now let me tell you about how much I love their Little Farm House Toy Box!  With all of the wooden blocks and other toys Avin has there was never any doubt that we would need a toy box, the question was just where to find a high quality, cute, functional toy box.  When I saw the Little Farm House Toy Box I fell in love!  I want to re-do Avin's bedroom from Precious Moments to a farm/John Deere theme and Guidecraft's Little Farm House line of furniture is perfect for that!  The line includes a table and chairs set, a rocking chair, a table lamp, a clothes tree, storage step-up, and of course the toy box. 

First things first... When the UPS man delivered this toy box he took pity on my and actually carried it in the house! The boxes were HUGE and heavy.  Each piece was well wrapped and there was no damage to any pieces of the toybox.  When my husband came home I asked him if he would put it together during Avin's nap time.  I headed off to school and fully expected that I would return home to an assembled toy box.  Turns out that I was way off base with that line of thinking!  Derek quit assembling the toy box halfway through! He said Avin woke up but I'm pretty sure he just didn't want to assemble it.  (Did I mention he'd rather be poked in the eye with a hot stick than assemble furniture?)  I am no carpenter but after looking at the directions I decided I could finish the toy box myself.  I jumped right in and finished everything but attaching the lid in just a few minutes.  You MUST have two people to attach the lid- one to hold the lid vertically in place and the other to screw in the 9 screws.  Derek said that the small screws included for assembly were very poor quality and that they rounded out before they were completely flush with the wood.  I bought a $1.97 bag of screws at Wal-Mart and 4 weeks later I finally managed to force Derek into holding the lid still while I put in the last of the screws.  All total the assembly time for us was 4 weeks, but if I had just done it all myself  from the beginning the assembly time would have been about 25 minutes.  Once it was assembled it was very strong and sturdy. 

The interior has 2 removable dividers so you can organize the toys.  The bottom of the toy box has casters so it makes it very easy to move from place to place.  I LOVE that the lid has special hinges that prevent it from falling closed!  You must push on the lid to close it and then it moves downward slowly.  The front of the toy box has a long shallow cut out that protects little fingers from being smashed when the lid closes.  I honestly don't think you could do damage to little fingers with the lid of this toy box if you tried! The exterior of the toy box is amazing! The toy box has a farm scene painted on it (it looks like it is done by hand).  The lid has farm animals carved and painted on it.  The only thing I didn't like about the appearance of this toy box was that the red barn was tiny compared to the animals on the lid.  Otherwise this toy box is just too cute! 

Within minutes of final assembly Derek had all of Avin's wooden blocks put away in the toybox.  It took Avin about 20 minutes to figure out how to open and close the lid.  After that he spent his evening opening and closing the lid.  It was so adorable to watch him open the lid and peer in at his toys.  He would reach in and rummage around until he found what he wanted then he would take it out and close the lid.  I think I might finally be able to store toys out of site but still within his reach! That could lead to the discovery of a living room floor again!

Guidecraft is providing one my lucky readers with a Little Farm House Toy Box! To enter to win you must visit Guidecraft and then come back here and tell me what your favorite furniture collection. 

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This giveaway ends May 29, 2010 at 11:00 PM.  It is open to US and APO addresses only.  Must be 18 to enter, void where prohibited.  One winner will be selected using random.org.  Please make sure your email address is in your comment so I can contact you if you win.  One entry = one comment.

Guidecraft Rainbow Block Giveaway & Review {CLOSED}

Congratulations to comment number 188!

I'll save you all from hearing once again about how I LOVE wooden toys and blocks and I'll just jump right into my thoughts on Guidecraft's Rainbow Blocks. (If you haven't read about my deep love of wooden toys please check out my previous reviews and giveaway!) Of all the toy reviews I have posted lately these are my personal favorite. They are cheerful, colorful blocks that work great with his unit block set. I like them because they come in a variety of colors so I can use them as an educational moment every time we play by discussing colors and shapes with Avin. Avin likes all of his wooden toys but when he is playing on his own he most often chooses the rainbow blocks. I think that is because they are colorful and light weight. The colored plexi material inside the block makes them very lightweight so they are super easy for Avin to pick up and hold on to. He seems to be drawn to the bright colors as well. It is so cute to see him dig through a pile of blocks to find the rainbow block! I wanted to post a picture of him playing with them but he's discovered his inner model and now when he sees the camera he drops what he's doing to come smile and pose.

Guidecraft has several different sets of blocks made like the rainbow blocks. Some of the options available include: Mirror Blocks, which have shiny mylar inside that mimics a mirror, Crystal Bead Blocks, which have small plastic colored beads inside, Sand Blocks, which are filled with colored sand, and Shimmering Water Blocks, which contain colored water and metalic flakes. These are all rated for kids ages 3+ (although Avin is only 10 months and loves his rainbow blocks!). These are high quality, well made blocks. Guidecraft assembles them with little ones in mind so they are all sanded buttery soft and all of the edges are rounded. I can see Avin using his rainbow blocks as stained glass windows in his wooden block castles one day.

Guidecraft is giving a 30 Piece Rainbow Block Set away to one of my lucky readers!!! That is a $60.00 value guys! All you have to do to enter is go to the Guidecraft website and pick out your favorite product then come back here leaving me a comment telling me what it is and why it is your favorite.

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Contest is open to US and APO addresses. You must be 18 to enter, void where prohibited. Please leave a separate comment for each entry. Please make sure to leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you if you win. Contest will end April 29, 2010 at 11:00 PM CST. Winner will be select by random.org and notified by email.

Guidecraft Wooden Unit Block Giveaway & Review {CLOSED}

Congratulations comment #6~Have I mentioned I love wooden toys? I hope you guys don't get sick of hearing about my obsession because I LOVE wooden toys and plan to share reviews and giveaways about them as often as I can. Guidecraft provided me with a 34 Piece Unit Block Set to review (in addition to the Block Mates from my last giveaway). I first saw these blocks when I worked as a Daycare Director. We had them at the daycare and they were a huge hit with the kids. They never seemed to age or change any despite years and years of hard use. I loved watching the kids play with them because it was amazing to see what they came up with. I have seen the blocks turn into entire cities, roads, battle grounds, and more. I will warn you that at about the age of three they do become projectiles for awhile. They are the perfect size for a kid to send flying across the room in the middle of a fit.

Aside from being super durable and building imagination I love these blocks because they are made from rubber wood, a replenishable wood source. My husband and son couldn't care less about what they are made of they just know they like building things with them and knocking them down. Avin is still to young to build anything so his dad builds 'em and Avin knocks 'em down. Avin finds it hilarious to come through and knock down a tall tower of blocks. (Sorry the picture is a bit blurry, my camera isn't very good at taking action shots) It is great to watch my husband and son play together, although sometimes Derek is still building long after Avin has crawled off to a new adventure. Avin's 16 year old babysitter was here yesterday and she was playing with the blocks in the floor with Avin. After a few minutes she exclaimed "These blocks are so cool!" A few minutes later I turned around to see an elaborate building constructed from blocks. I really mean it when I say these blocks are fun for all ages.

The blocks themselves are very heavy because they are solid wood. I would use caution when letting very little ones play with them because they could cause bumps and bruises if they toppled over on them. With a 34 piece set you can build some fun structures but I recommend purchasing a larger set if you have multiple kids or a budding architect (or a husband like mine...) They go great with the other wooden block sets that Guidecraft offers like the rainbow blocks, sand blocks, mirror blocks, shimmering water blocks, and crystal bead blocks. (Review and giveaway coming on Rainbow blocks!)

Guidecraft is giving away a 34 piece Unit Block set to one of my awesome readers! Mandatory Entry: Visit the Guidecraft website and then come back here and leave a comment telling me which wooden toy you would like to see reviewed in the future.

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Contest is open to US and APO addresses. You must be 18 to enter, void where prohibited. Please leave a separate comment for each entry. Please make sure to leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you if you win. Contest will end April 25, 2010 at 11:00 PM CST. Winner will be select by random.org and notified by email.

Guidecraft Block Mates Safari Animals Giveaway & Review {CLOSED

Congratulations comment #54~
The toy that is getting the most play in my house right now is the Block Mates Safari Animals from Guidecraft. The Block Mates are plastic pieces that fit over a traditional size wooden block to create a very cool animal. You can let your imagination run wild and mix and match to make your own combination of animals. The set comes with the pieces to make a rhino, lion, alligator, elephant, and gorilla. My husband was very impressed that the Gorilla was designed so that its upper body is raised higher than its lower body---the way you would see them walking in the zoo.
The plastic pieces have a rubber piece on the inside that helps ensure a snug fit when you snap it onto the wooden block. When fully assembled each animal stands around 4 inches tall. My husband and son love playing with these animals. Instead of using one tradtional size wooden block my husband used two half size blocks for some of our animals. Since he used the half size blocks the two top pieces attached to one block and the two bottom pieces to another. Then he would mix and match the animals which just cracked Avin up. Honestly I'm not sure who had more fun playing with the block mates, my husband or Avin. They are well made and fun for all ages! We plan to add the Farm Animal and Dinosaur Block Mates to our collection soon.
Guidecraft is giving a set of Block Mates and a 5 Piece Unit Block Set away to one of my readers. To enter to win you must visit the Guidecraft website and then come back and leave me a comment telling me which Block Mate set you would most like to win.

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This giveaway is open to all US and APO addresses. Must be 18 to enter, void where prohibited. Winner will be selected via random.org. Contest ends on April 17, 2010 at 11:00 PM CST. Please make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry. Please leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you if you win.

Guidecraft Wooden Blocks and Block Mates Giveaways & Reviews

The boys in my house (that includes my husband and son) have been having a blast playing the last couple of weeks! Guidecraft provided me with some very awesome wooden blocks and play sets that have been a huge hit with my family! They also provided me with a wooden toy box to store it all in! I will be posting reviews on their 34 Piece Unit Block Set, their Safari Animal Block Mate Set, and Rainbow Block 30 Piece Set this week. I will posting a review on the toy box next week.

Guidecraft has been around since 1964 when it was started in a small woodshop, producing 10 items. It is still family owned but it now features over 580 educational toys and furnishings. According to their President, Jason Fein, their mission is to "stay true to the tradition of smart, beautifully crafted wood products, which allow children's minds and imaginations room to truly wonder and grow". I love that! You all know that wooden toys are my passion and I think they provide excellent opportunities for kids to build their imaginations. I am very excited to be sharing this company with you!

Guidecraft is giving my readers the same set of toys they gave me! That means that I will get to share these wonderful products with 4 lucky readers. One reader will receive the 34 Piece Unit Block Set, Safari Animal Block Mate Set and 5 Piece Unit Block Set, one reader will win Rainbow Block 30 Piece Set, and one reader will win a wooden toy box from their favorite collection!

There will be lots more great products coming from Guidecraft in the future. Take a minute to check out their website www.guidecraft.com and then leave me a comment letting me know what you would like so see reviewed in the future! If your product is chosen for a giveaway in the future you will get 10 extra entries into that giveaway!