Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 30
 A GREAT educational toy! July 31, 2003
Dorothy Gellai (Tucson, AZ USA)
21 out of 23 found this review helpful
My 3 year old son spotted this puzzle while we went browsing in the store. He wanted it SO badly even though it was rated for older children. Within 3 days of playing with this puzzle, he quickly mastered all 50 states, knew exactly where they all go at a moment's notice. Then in a few days, he is able to clearly identify and pronounce each state accurately. He can read a little bit, and I had to show him North and South so he could place the Dakotas in their places. We had moved to Arizona from California a few months earlier, so he understood that his "small house" was in CA and that we now live in AZ. Two weeks after playing this puzzle, we went to California to visit our old friends and favorite places. Upon returning home, he demonstrated he really understood the map even more and even knows Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean and several cities. Because he has 2 other USA maps, he has said several times that "Michigan is a mistake! They forgot to cut out Upper Peninsula (Upper Michigann)"!!!! I was originally from Michigan and know that Michigan has 2 parts. What I'd like to see in this puzzle is 50 individual pieces, even though they may be small and that their cutouts reflect more accurate shapes (maybe make the states a bit bigger!). My parents still have the wooden puzzle from late 1960's with all 50 pieces. Now, where can I find wooden maps of other places: Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia, showing pictures of the countries, along with capital cities and other information? My son is already learning a few countries in Europe and is so eager and so ready to absorb more information in geography! We play the USA map puzzle practically every evening before he goes to bed! He's already map-literate far ahead of his peers and even amazed his summer camp teacher! Who says a 3 year old can't learn geography?! ;-)
Sturdy, Fun December 20, 2002
Trivimp (Warrensburg, MO USA)
19 out of 21 found this review helpful
I know it's meant for younger kids, but I bought it for my 10-year-old daughter when she just wasn't getting US geography in school. She had all the capitols down within a fortnight. I don't know why it's so much more fun for the kids to learn from a puzzle map than to read a map in a book, but hey, I'm not arguing with it. Now her younger brother (5) is playing with it & he's got a lot of the states learned by heart too. The thick, sturdy wooden pieces mean it'll last a good long time. Yup, mine are fanatics about never losing a piece too!
Great Puzzle November 15, 2001
Sheila Bailey (Palmer, AK USA)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
I agree with the other reviewers, but I just had to voice my one complaint. Alaska has the polar bear on the side of the state, so you can't tell what it is really supposed to look like. We live in Alaska, so my 4 year-old son is great about recognizing the state, but had trouble with this puzzle because of the polar bear. That said, I highly recommend this puzzle. My kids love it and it is a great learning tool!
Great learning puzzle September 4, 2002
aj (Mansfield, Texas United States)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
My 5 year old son loves this puzzle. It is well made and the pieces are very sturdy. This is a great educational toy.
Good learning puzzle October 17, 2005
R.B. (Arlington Heights, IL)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I ordered this U.S. puzzle to keep at my house to use when my five grandchildren come over. We work on a few of the states each time they come. It's nice because under each piece is the capitol of the state so it can be used to learn those or just the state locations. I have found it quite useful, and the kids look forward to our little "game".
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