Featured Company:

Giant USA Map Puzzle

Today's shopping tips: "Be wise in purchasing ..... find best value one"

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Manufacturer: CHENILLE KRAFT COMPANY, THE
Brand: Chenille Kraft
List Price: $38.84
Our Price: $23.46
You Save: $ 15.38 ( 40% )
(prices subject to change)

Average Ratings:

Learn geography the entertaining and interactive way with this 2-sided, giant foam puzzle. Includes all 50 states plus 16 punch-out landmarks and 5 great lakes. Teaches recognition by size and shape, and notes the state capital on the back of each piece. Includes fun-facts activity guide. Measures 2 1/2


DESCRIPTION:

Binding: Toy
Brand: Chenille Kraft
EAN: 0021196043770
Feature: Global Product Type - Foam Kits
Label: CHENILLE KRAFT COMPANY, THE
Manufacturer: CHENILLE KRAFT COMPANY, THE
Manufacturer Minimum Age: 120
Model: 4377
Number Of Items: 73
Publisher: CHENILLE KRAFT COMPANY, THE
Studio: CHENILLE KRAFT COMPANY, THE


FEATURES:

• Global Product Type - Foam Kits
• Post-Consumer Recycled Content Percent - 0 %
• Pre-Consumer Recycled Content Percent - 0 %
• Total Recycled Content Percent - 0 %
• UOM from Inventory Unit Code - PK



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CUSTOMER REVIEWS:

Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Puzzle!
Comment: My 2.5 yr old loves this puzzle. We can put it together on our carpet and even when he walks on it, it doesn't come apart.

We love that each state has its own piece (except RI). I do think that some of the landmarks are a little odd, but they are still good to know.

We have not had an issue with ink smudging at all. However, make sure it comes with all the pieces before giving this as a gift. Ours came with 4 missing pieces. The company was really good about sending a replacement, so don't let that deter you. The puzzle is worth it to us.


Customer Rating:
Summary: Serious quality issues
Comment: My daughter received this puzzle as a gift. Since I had an awesome wooden USA puzzle as a child, I was excited for her to play with this and learn from it. While it's a great concept to use foam, I'm extremely under-impressed with the quality of this puzzle. The black wording and drawings were completely smudged all over when we first opened the sealed box. So the whole puzzle looks dingy and dirty and it's continuing to smudge on itself and on our hands. Also, some states are made from thicker foam than others, so the whole thing isn't smooth when you put it together. Some of the inset little puzzle pictures the designers chose are odd to me - for example, there's no Grand Canyon but they've included Montezuma's Castle. And more states could have insets, too, in my opinion. Then the real kicker is our sealed box was missing two pieces. Since it was a gift I don't know what store it came from, so I emailed the manufacturer asking for the two pieces or a new set. After several attempts, I've still received no response. I'm very disappointed all around.

Customer Rating:
Summary: A great toy for learning the States
Comment: I read reviews for many giant maps of the US before deciding on this one, and it was a GREAT choice! I have a 6 year old and a 4 year old and their dad travels a lot for work. I wanted to have a great hands-on tool to help them connect with his travels better and this has worked wonderfully. They love putting the puzzle together over and over and over! The foam pieces are nice because they are more durable than cardboard pieces for repeated use. It also makes it easy to trace the states onto a seperate paper in order to learn about "where Daddy is today". I like that each state is it's own piece - it allows the kids to learn the shape and placement of the State better without being impossible to solve.I also like that some of the states have cutout pictures on them. My 6 year old has actually remembered some of the states by what picture is on it...when dad was in Colorado, he said "oh I remember, that is the one with the mountains on it". All around a great investment!

Customer Rating:
Summary: Great map for learning states
Comment: This is generally a great puzzle. I love the fact that almost every state is its own piece (exception: Connecticut and Rhode Island are together in one), and it's a great size for doing on the floor or on the kitchen table. My home-schooled kids have loved it!

A couple of things I noticed right away that concerned me. First, the lettering started smudging almost immediately; it was getting on the faces of the pieces as well as on the kids' fingers. I had read previous reviews about names smudging completely off, so I wanted to prevent that. I got a spray-on fixative in the craft section of the store, and that seems to have done the trick. At least, I haven't noticed any more significant smudges.

Also, Michigan may have problems later, given the fact that it's a split state. The makers of this puzzle put the two pieces together as one, tenuously connected by a very thin segment of the foam. I'm constantly worried that it will tear apart, and I'm sure it will at some point.

Those are the reasons I am not giving this puzzle the best rating. But it is a great concept, and is the best puzzle map I've found of the US.

Customer Rating:
Summary: A big hit with our twins!
Comment: $40 may sound like a lot for a foam floor puzzle, but our 2.5yr-old boys got this for Christmas and its become their favorite toy. One boy already knows his states better than his mom, "No mama, New Jersey goes right here!" Unlike most other floor puzzles, each piece is shaped like a state, instead of the ubiquitous "puzzle" shape. There are also some inset shapes within a state, our favorite is the "arch" in Missouri. In my opinion, these more varied shapes allow for fun learning, whereas the common "puzzle" shapes are more of a trial and error exercise.

Unfortunately, the ink labelling each state has started to rub off. I can't tell the Great Lakes apart anymore, not that I really could before. But, we called the company and they have offered to ship us a whole new replacement puzzle. That's pretty impressive.

We're starting to look around for more puzzles like this. I'd love to find one of the world or even just other countries. A great idea and a great buy.

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