Skip to main content

Log Puzzles...aka Cookie Blocks



"If you build this puzzle you would get a log"


"No, it would be a tree!"

Last week was the city's annual spring brush clean up. The perfect time for curbside collectors to stock up on logs, sticks, and branches!!! Driving around, I simply could not resist stopping at a number of piles to investigate.



I found some trimmings from a soft maple tree and brought them up to my parent's house and my dad ran them through his ban saw. I thought about cutting them myself or with the children, but quickly realized that the logs would probably sit for a long time waiting for me to get to my "to do" list. I'm glad that I had that foresight, because the children absolutely love these new "cookies."


We have two boxes filled with various sized wooden cookies. For right now, we have them all inside, the children have been playing with them for hours. They can't quite seem to figure out how to get this crazy puzzle back together....

They sure are fun to build with!
 Do you have any natural cookie blocks?

If you don't have the equipment to make your own,wooden cookies like ours and are in the market for some great natural blocks.....

You might want to check out B&B Blocks. They are a local (U.P. of Michigan) couple of guys who recently started a business making blocks! Their website is brand new and under construction. But, you can find all kinds of information and their products on the B&B Blocks Facebook Page.

Comments

These are super cool! I want some:)
My 7 years old son took a plastic shopping bag from the cupboard and used a pair of scissors to cut two large rectangles from the bag. He wrapped them around on his feet, and used lots of adhesive tape to secure the plastic “ice-skates” in place. Yeah, he did ice-skating in our living room. Anyway, those wooden cookies are cute. A great idea for children's toy.

Popular posts from this blog

Our DIY Light Tables

There has been a lot of buzz about light tables over at Teach Preschool on Facebook . Deborah has collected some great ideas for light table play and has been experimenting with making her own table over on the Teach Preschool blog.   I thought I would share with you our two light tables and how we made them. This first table is one that we put together with some scrap wood pieces, an old plexi-glass door from an entertainment center, and a couple of aquarium lights. Total Cost = $0. (We had everything on hand.)  The table needs a little bit of tweaking. (It is on my to do list).  Basically, we made a frame of wood around the plexi-glass and placed the lights under it. Our DIY skills in putting this together were far from expert, so the frame has a couple of gaps (and the reused wood is warped). We plan to try a new frame and use some caulk to seal any gaps.  We also plan to attach the lights to the side of the frame instead of just placing them on the f...

A Few Ideas With Marker Caps (As Promised)

Yesterday, I hope I convinced you not to throw away your markers that "don't work." Today, I will share with you a few ideas for what to do with all of the caps. The possibilities are nearly endless, but here are a few of our recent creations: 1) A Leprechaun/Fairy Ladder/Rope Ladder: 2) #1 if not permanently secured can also double as a rope bridge: 3) #1/#2 can also be made into a train track for your homemade trains :). (No photo available) 4) You can use them as beads for a necklace: 5) You could make them into a wind chime. (No photo available). 6. You can use them as small manipulatives to count, sort, and make patterns with. (No photo available). 7) You could use them as playing pieces in your own homemade board game. (No photo available). 8) You could put them on a wire and glue them in place to make a twirling whirly-gig. 9) You could top them with a lid from a milk jug to make tiny tables or toadstools. 10) You could make them...

"The Markers Don't Work!"

How may times have you heard, "Ms. (fill your name in here), this marker doesn't work!" I know I hear it all the time. Sometimes it is because our little friends forget to replace the caps, and sometimes the markers have just been "all used up!" What do you do with all those markers that just don't work? Please don't tell me that you throw them out, try this instead: First, sort your markers out. Put the caps in one container ( save those too, I'll show you what you can do with them in tomorrow's post) and the markers in another. I have a box for the markers that "don't work" for the children to place them into every time they run across one. You can also have the children help you test the markers periodically to sort out the ones that need to be removed from the "working set." When it comes time to use "the markers that don't work," we use a small sponge paint roller to roll water onto our card...