I am so honored for my blog to have been chosen as a 2016 Timberdoodle Official reviewer and blogger for Timberdoodle Homeschool Curriculum!! If you have never shopped at Timberdoodle for your homeschool needs, you are in for a treat. They have the best of the best products and make learning so much fun.
The first product we were able to review is this 4D Cityscape USA History Over Time puzzle. This is part of their sixth-grade Timberdoodle curriculum kit. Of course - you don't have to be a sixth grader to enjoy it!
But having a cute puppy to enjoy it with you sure helps!
Boo was so excited when it arrived in the mail that she quickly dumped it on the floor ready to put it all together. It only took a moment to realize this was going to be quite a project. I think even Bentley the dog felt a bit overwhelmed.
The website states this puzzle is for ages 8+ but the box states 14+. We definitely agreed with the suggested age on the box.
We called dad in for reinforcements...
We quickly realized this needed to be moved to the table because it might take a while and also because Bentley decided the puzzle pieces made nice chew toys.
What makes this puzzle so fun and unique is that it has so many layers. While dad was working on the 806 piece (!) base layer which represented the original 13 colonies, Boo got to work on the floor with the second layer which is a nice 65 piece foam puzzle with much larger pieces. This layer represented the USA as it looks today. It was a quick and fun layer to put together which a 10-year-old could easily do on her own. Bentley provided moral support. :)
The puzzle is very detailed and shows the simulated elevation of the Rocky Mountains.
The base layer became a family project that took about a week to complete, mostly being worked on by Boo during read-aloud times and by dad in the evenings. This was what he looked like many evenings during the week! The teenager in the house would occasionally give it some attention as well. Mom has zero patience for puzzles so she was just the photographer. I know when our college girl comes home, she will be in love with this one. Most of our family loves a good puzzle and this one was quite a challenge. Each piece is shaped very similar to the next which made it extra challenging.
Throughout the week, it slowly began to take shape.
The day dad placed the last piece into the base layer was quite a celebration!
Then it was time to move on to the third layer - the Historical Buildings and Monuments. The puzzle came with a time line diagram that showed the historical chronological order that the important buildings and monuments were built. You could actually build them in order to replicate history.
After punching out each monument, we looked for the number printed on the bottom of each one and found the corresponding place in the foam second layer of the puzzle which had a small insert to punch out and place the monument into.
What a fun way to learn about our nations buildings and monuments!
We were SOO excited when that very last piece was placed! We did it! It wasn't easy, but what a fun family activity that was very educational. We learned not only about our country, but that persistence and perseverance really does pay off, no matter what you are doing! Now I'm not sure we will ever want to take it apart again.
I was sent this product to review as a member of Timberdoodle's blog team. All opinions are strictly my own.
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