(Part 2) Best toy stacking block sets according to redditors
We found 54 Reddit comments discussing the best toy stacking block sets. We ranked the 38 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
YTA because there are tons of wood toys for babies. Sustainability can be tricky, but there is no reason you need to go for plastic.
Melissa and Doug Wooden Shape Sorter, $13 listed for age 24 months to 4 years.
Melissa and Doug Rolling Shape Sorter, $18 listed for age 12 months to 3 years.
HABA Wooden Zoo Sorter, $35 listed for 12 months and up
Hape Wooden Dog, $22 listed for age 12 months to 3 years.
Janod Forest Stacker, $15 listed for age 12 months to 3 years.
Grimm Fire Nesting Toy, $34 listed for age 12 months and up.
The number one thing my son (now 2.5) has played with from the age of about 18 months has, consistently for that whole time, been a big box of wooden blocks. The box has blocks like this and blocks like this. He also has a huge set of Duplo blocks, but the wooden blocks get significantly more playtime.
I am so sick of the damn blocks; currently he mostly likes building airports. But he's not....
Those are Pop-onz,
not sure the collection?Numbers and Shapes
Better picture
Preschool teacher here!
Expensive STEM stuff -- I've worked with all of them. If I had to get one, I'd probably do Osmo.
Bee bots
Dot and Dash
Cubetto
Osmo
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Other Manipulatives and Toys:
Reptangles - I found these at Savers and my students are super in to them right now.
Snap Circuits
Ikea Cars (not really stem but fun and high quality)
Mobilos -- can create cars but also so many other things
Marble runs of any style
"Pattern Play" Blocks -- We have these but I don't have the instructions, but kids still end up making fun designs out of them!
BIG Waffle Blocks
Architectural blocks sets -- for example
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I have a major soft spot for board games (and related) at this age. Here are a few I love.
Animal Upon Animal
The Little Orchard
Count Your Chickens
Snug as a Bug in a Rug
Snail's Pace Race
Rivers, Roads, and Rails
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Ultimately, though, your focus should be on having fun! Your 3 year old does not need to be reading and writing or doing basic math. He should be learning to play cooperatively, self regulate, and be independent. I would focus on language skills and his ability to communicate effectively and understand directions. I teach Pre-K (currently 5 year olds about to go into Kindergarten) and I do not care at all whether they can write their names or do simple math.
https://www.amazon.com/School-Specialty-249042-Plastic-Hollow/dp/B0042SR8C4/ref=sr_1_6
Not sure what it is, but it seems to be drawn by hand, I found a couple more variations here and here
Apparently it's from this set.
Also, there is one in this set and this one - I guess it's pretty popular.
Plain wooden blocks. I use them to lay out walls and the outlines of buildings. I dump them on the table to represent rubble or boulder strewn areas.
I use them to represent the dungeon by using them for the walls and rooms. I build platforms. I put flying creatures on top of a block (sometimes two or three to represent a lot of height).
Players love them because they make everything more solid than drawing lines on the mat. I like their flexibility.
I had one of these when I was that age. Kept me entertained for hours because of all the cards that come with it. Here is another one that I highly recommend.
Ikea has a bunch of dramatic play toys and a whole kitchen set that isn't terribly expensive! Most of the toys and activities I've utilized are kind of out of my price range, ones we had at the preschool, but I can make some recommendations: "Gears gears gears!" is an excellent manipulative for kids that are, mmm, 2 1/2 or older. A basic set is $20 most anywhere. Magnatiles are great, and a more expensive step up from that would be Tegu blocks. Grimm's makes a ton of good structural toys, like Leonardo building sticks for older kids, plus a lot of stackers and block sets. They make sooo many different ones. For babies, Haba is another good one, they make a lot of toys for infants.
This toy here was always super popular with the toddlers and the preschoolers: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0010VXSFM (The colors are a little more muted in person)
Mag-Blocks. At least, that's one name for the current product like that. There's also picasso tiles, and probably others. Source: I got kids.
http://www.amazon.com/Popular-Playthings-Mag-Blocks-48-piece-Play/dp/B000OZV550
Baby girl already has an extensive collection of stuffed animals, and I saw this and we must have it. Cute and functional! Though I don't know how comfy it would be... Oh, I love these awesome blocks, even though they look like they will break in a day.
http://www.amazon.com/Bristle-Blocks-Set-For-Kids/dp/B0010AHZSE
Bloco Toys - Marines Creatures https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000SR0CQC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_O4uXAbQSVNCEE
Your house is probably already full of rat toys galore!
Wood chews are really popular and help with dental care. You can get them in the small animal and/or bird section. I bought some beads at Amazon for $3 and my girls love to chew them up. They sell them in fun shapes and sizes--stuff like letter blocks or vegetables. So cute to see a rat running around with a wood chew in her mouth, especially when it's shaped like a stalk of broccoli. Give your girl(s) at least a couple of places to hide and nap! Check the pet store for plastic igloos (get the medium-sized one, or if you get a bigger cage, get the guinea pig one) or even a space pod to hang from the cage ceiling. You can also make fabric hammocks for them to lie in. It's adorable!!!
In addition to lab blocks for feeding (the Kaytee is in my opinion not good; I'd feed until it runs out, then switch to Oxbow), be sure to supplement your girl's diet with fresh veggies! Here is a good list of safe foods. Give fatty foods like nuts in moderation. Dark, leafy greens are a must! At first, your little one will be wary of new stuff, so be persistent in presenting it to her. She'll soon be eating everything in sight. :) Oh! Rarely, as in maaaybe once a month, you can give your rats a cooked chicken bone. (Assuming you eat meat; sorry for assuming!) They love it and it is good for their little teeth.
Was your girl alone in the cage at the pet store, or did she have some siblings with her? If you decide to bring another girl home, have another cage ready. The one you have is pretty small! If you're going to upgrade, this one is a good starter house for two rats. While you're going through the introductions for the new girl and the old girl, keep them separate. You can keep your little cage as a hospital cage once the girls are integrated, or use it as a travel cage for vet visits. If you have a bigger budget and space for a bigger cage, you can look for Critter Nation (if you're in the U.S.) or Savic Suite (outside U.S.) Martin's cages are great too. I got my Critter Nation from Craigslist for very cheap, so look out for deals secondhand. Just sterilize the cages you buy secondhand with a bleach/water solution and rinse it thoroughly, and you should be good. :)
Phew! Sorry if that's a lot of information! To answer your question, you got a fancy rat. Her coloring is called "black hooded." She's beautiful! Get her a sister and you'll have two beautiful little brats to spoil. Good luck. :D
My favourite one is when I was 8 on Christmas eve with a wood wire going in the fireplace and 'A Very Special Christmas' was on the record player. My dad and oldest brother were in the family room and I decided I would use these Little Tikes Waffle blocks to build a video camera so I could video-tape Santa coming down the chimney that night. Now, ignore the fact that the camera had no recording capabilities as it was just a bunch of blocks made into cubes that I could see through; I was really excited about it. I helped my brother build one too and we lined them up on the coffee table for the best view.
Then my mother came into the room with presents. She went over to the bar where the pen was and wrote on the label and put them under the tree and left the room. Being kids as soon as she left my brother and I raced to the tree to try an guess what they were. Being 8 I could read ok and saw that the label said "To: Peekman; From: Santa". I asked my mom why she wrote Santa on the label and she gave me some bullshit about being Santa's special helper and having to wrap and label his presents. I knew this was bullshit because elves did this. However, it made me suspect there was no Santa so I destroyed our 'video cameras' and made X-Wing Tie Fighters to fly around the family room instead.
This is one of my most vivid Christmas memories as a kid and the one where I think I figured out for sure my mom was a liar.
My favorite site to go to for gift lists seems to be down, but we used gift cards from family/friends to get some things for my toddler from it. If you have an idea what your friend's kid has already, maybe some of these will work:
Board books are also always welcome. Look for Dr. Seuss or other classic titles that you might've enjoyed as a kid (if you remember what you liked).
I went ahead and added these blocks as a replacement on the list, they're about the same price and block amount.
What sort of train accessories? Anything like item B00DYRKR40 on Amazon? These also seem to be Jumbo Blocks.