RAVENSBURGER PUZZLE Happy Days London

A 1000 piece puzzle, more the size I like.   Well coloured pieces, so easily sorted, especially with 2 big red buses!   Did like the little mini darting in and out of the traffic, just like they used to.   Obviously meant to be sixties or similar, although I didn’t wear my skirts quite that short until 1970.

I didn’t think the pieces fitted together quite so firmly as the last one but they were ok.   Its just that I like doing a section and then lifting it into place – not easy when they all fall apart!  

The only difficult bit was the dark tree on the right hand side where a lot of the pieces were quite similar colouring – more a question of finding the right shape to fit the space, rather than looking for patterns.

All in all, a nice puzzle to do and I shall pass it on to my friend again.

Frances Strange

This month's puzzles

This month will see our puzzlers reviewing Alphabet puzzle, London Children's Map puzzle with information sheet, and for the more advanced, the 1000 piece Happy Days London puzzle. 

I ♥ London puzzle

As our latest puzzle from Ravesnburger, we were sent through the 100 piece I ♥ London puzzle. There is 100 pieces which are XXL size, which is suitable for age 6+. Included is also a fantastic guide with facts about the different landmarks which are featured on the puzzle.

Starting the puzzle, the kids were keen to do the famous sights they love from London, for Brooke that was the London Eye, and for Jordan it was the taxi and bus!

Taking shape!

The kids loved pointing out the different sights!

and finally…

This was a great puzzle for both my 7 year old and 9 year old, it kept them amused and the high quality pieces meant that they easily slotted together and have no fear of tearing even with a boisterous 9 year old!

Check out more Ravensburger Puzzles at http://www.ravensburger.com/uk/start/index.html

You can buy online at Amazon

Review by Danielle at Blog by Baby

RAVENSBURGER PUZZLE Skyline London

A very good, compact puzzle for the less confident puzzler.   The pieces are approximately twice normal size so the puzzle would also be good for a younger person.  Easily sorted and put together, with well cut pieces that fit neatly together.   Very bright colouring which makes it easy to see which pieces fit where.

The subject matter would be interesting for someone who knew or would like to know London, as it shows, within a small compass, a very wide variety of the buildings that exist within the City. 

It would be possible to do the jigsaw with a map of London and see exactly where all the buildings and bridges that are shown geographically, giving an insight for a possible visit to all the places shown.

A nice puzzle, although, for me, too small as I do like the bigger puzzles.   I have passed it on to a friend who is looking forward to doing it as she likes this type.

Review by Frances Strange

Thomas & Friends Four Large Shaped Jigsaw Puzzles

The boys were recently sent their fifth puzzle from Ravensburger to review. This month they were sent the Thomas and Friends Four Large Shaped Jigsaw Puzzles.  There are four individual puzzles in the box and are of the characters, Percy, James, Charlie and Thomas. Both James and Nathan are huge Thomas fans so were really happy when they saw what we had been sent.

This month James asked to do the puzzle, it is the first time he has really shown an interest in doing a puzzle properly and as he is only a month off being three years old I thought that it would be good to see how he did. I wasn't really expecting him to be able to do the puzzles but he managed them really well with a little help from me (making sure they were the right way round mainly or making sure they belonged to the correct character). 

The puzzles are cut into 10, 12, 14 and 16 pieces and are colour co-ordinated, this makes it easier for a child to differentiate between the puzzles and the pieces within each of them. Nathan could easily pick out which pieces belonged in which puzzle, whereas James couldn't. But with a little help from myself and Nathan he did just fine.

The puzzles are suitable for children aged 3+ and priced at £8.99, they can be purchased from all good toy shops and retailers. We highly recommend Ravensburger puzzles, they are made from good quality materials and the pieces fit well together even when played with over and over. These are definitely puzzles made to last.

We can’t wait for our next puzzle to arrive.

Review by Louise at Here Comes Trouble

I Heart London Puzzle

There is so much patriotic memorabilia around at the moment, the whole country seems to be sporting Red, White and Blue at every opportunity and I love it!

2012 seems to be a great year for all things British, although the weather is classically British with rain not seeming to want to let up, and the recession making everyone somewhat gloomy, the thought of celebrations and national pride lifts the spirits slightly.

With the Olympics in London this year and the Queens Jubilee theres plenty of reasons to think about our country and teach the children a little more about the place we live.

So when Ravensburger sent us the London Puzzle to have a look at I was thrilled.

My children have never been to London, it is on our to do list, and this puzzle has a lovely design showing some of the most iconic symbols that represent Britains capital city.

With Big Ben, the London Eye, the 02 stadium Tower bridge and classics such as Black Cabs and Telephone boxes this puzzle really does have a very British feel to it.

Aimed at children aged 6 and above, with 100 pieces in the high ravensburger quality the puzzle is perfect for all school aged children, along with the beautifully illustrated puzzle you get a informative fact sheet, outlining some facts about the images, such as St Pauls Cathedral was designed by Sir Christopher Wren to replace a church destroyed in the Great Fire of London and there are about 21,000 back taxis on Londons streets, which makes this not only a lovely puzzle which is easy to complete with the bold colours and recognisable images but also an educational talking point, perfect for anyone who wants to encourage their children to learn alittle bit more about the amazing country we live in.

Be sure to check out the Ravensburger Puzzle Club blog to see other reviews, or follow them on Twitter to be kept updated with reviews and competitions! 

Review by Sarah at This is me Sarah Mum of 3

I Love London skyline puzzle

London is going to be an exciting place this year with the Queens Jubilee and the 2012 Olympic Games.

Ravensburger I Love London skyline puzzle is a timely launched 300 piece puzzle that maps out so many of the capitals famous landmarks, The London Eye, The National Gallery and Big Ben to name a few.

  I have to admit I thought a 300 piece puzzle would be easy and quick to complete especially as the puzzle piece size is bigger than the others I have seen in the Ravensburger range. I was wrong!  The puzzle itself measures 49.3 x 36.3 cm (approx) but the detailing on the picture makes it a challenge in itself.

Starting as we always do with finding and piecing together the edges of the puzzle was fairly quick especially as the bottom of the picture is a blue strip with an 'ode' to London:  'The City of architectural contrasts, the squares, the parks & the tree lined streets, the bridges & the embankments.  The history & rich cultural heritage, life & vitality, creativity & contrasts: People make London - celebrate & enjoy!'

 Once the edges formed the puzzles outline the best way we found to build up the puzzle was from the bottom up as it has such an array of buildings forming the skyline it seemed a logical (and easier) choice.  We were helped along with a handy leaflet showing the completed picture.

As the pieces were larger than I have seen before it was quite quick to see the picture take shape.  I loved the detailing, the tiny people walking along the paths, the buses on the bridge and the clouds in the sky above the many buildings:

 As with all of the Ravensburger range the I Love London puzzle uses 'Softclick' technology' which ensures the pieces fit and stay together very well.  I have reviewed many Ravensburger puzzles as part of the Puzzle Club and I have never seen a frayed edge on any piece as you may do on cheaper puzzles.  The pieces are a nice thickness and do not bend easily.

Within a day we had completed our I Love London puzzle and were happy to stand back and admire our creation.

Review by Louise at Bloggomy

I Love London

Sophie squealed with delight when she saw this month's puzzle from the Ravensburger Puzzle Club. Having French and English dual-nationality, she has a passion for both Paris and London and - I'm ashamed to say - she has yet to visit either of them. I've promised her that we will make a concerted effort to visit either or both over the summer, but in the meantime, she is getting really excited about the Jubilee and the Olympics.

Whether you're a patriotic Brit  organising your Union Jack-bedecked street party or a tourist looking for a fun souvenir of all things British, the 100 XL piece "I Love London" puzzle is perfect. The chunky pieces fit together cleanly and the finished picture is bright and colourful. It's a simple puzzle for youngish children to put together because there are so many easily identifiable, separate elements to work on.

Sophie loved seeing how many of the iconic London landmarks she could recognise - the London Underground, Big Ben, the black cab, red phone box and Tower Bridge didn't cause a second's hesitation but she did need a bit of help to name The Gherkin, St Paul's Cathedral and Buckingham Palace, all of which she'd heard of but didn't recognise. We made it into a bit of a learning experience and went online to have a look at all of the monuments and do some virtual travelling around London looking at pictures and videos on internet. After we'd done all this, Sophie discovered that there is actually an informative fact sheet included with the puzzle !

Sophie debated keeping this puzzle whole and putting it on the wall in a frame because she loves it so much, then decided she wanted to keep it as a puzzle so she could make it again. She has got the box standing up on her shelf so it acts as a decorative object though !

star rating : 5/5

RRP : £7.99

Review by Cheryl at Madhouse Family Reviews

Thomas and Friends 4 Large Shaped Puzzle from Ravensburger

As the weather has been very gloomy this week it was the perfect excuse to light the fire and stay indoors and do some puzzles. Little Bird loves doing Jigsaw Puzzles, he takes after his mum. So when the Thomas and Friends puzzle arrived from Ravensburger he couldn’t wait to do it.

Thomas and Friends by Ravensburger has 4 Large Shaped Puzzles for children. Its brilliantly made and again you cannot fault the quality of the Ravensburger puzzle pieces. They make them that little bit thicker making them sturdy and easy to put into place. Little Bird loves doing this puzzle, he was really excited to see that one of the engines has the same name as him and he had to do that one first.

This Puzzle set is designed for children ages 3 years old +. There are four puzzles in the box, they are built so the puzzles can continue to be used as your child grows in ability and confidence. The four puzzles are cut into 10, 12, 14 and 16 pieces and are colour co-ordinated making it easy for them to sort the pieces. The puzzle pieces are made of strong, sturdy card and the pieces fit together really well and do not lift up and pop out like some puzzles we have done in the past.

Ravensburger definitely make the best puzzle, you cannot beat the quality. You can buy this puzzle for around £8.99 but prices may vary depending on where you shop.

Review by Donna at Mummy Bird

Ravensburger Puzzle Club-I Love London (6+) review

The latest puzzle sent to us as Puzzle Club reviewers was the I Love London puzzle.

It was a perfect choice for my children as they love London and with the Jubilee and Olympics later this year the focus is very much on our capital city.

This 100 piece XXL puzzle consists of a colourful picture composed of some of London's most famous landmarks and other iconic images including the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, The Gherkin, a London Taxi, Tube Train, St Paul's Cathedral and more.

Middle took the puzzle round to his grandparent's house yesterday as he wanted to make it with his Grandad but it was easy enough for him to do by himself.

It was dismantled and done again by Middle & Girl today and I think this has to be one of their favourite puzzles to date.

I really liked the inclusion of an informative fact sheet about some of the objects/landmarks on the puzzle.

As with all Ravensburger puzzles that we've had this is of great quality

Review by Heidi at Him Me & Three

Ravensburger Thomas & Friends Puzzles 4 large shaped puzzles.

Elizabeth loves puzzles and she also loves Thomas so he was the first puzzle she wanted to do before she opened the box. Only being 3 she doesn’t have much patience and she wanted to make the puzzle straight away, on opening the box we found that all the puzzle pieces were mixed together. I was trying to find an easy way to separate the four puzzles and this is where the background colours really came in handy until we found these two pieces.

There was nothing to distinguish which puzzle these belonged too so it was case of wait and see. Elizabeth didn’t really like this and would have preferred to have been able to place them in one of the piles that she had created. I would recommend printing some type of pattern on the back of the jigsaws when they are placed in multipacks like this so it is easy to distinguish which puzzle each piece belongs too. Apart from that these puzzles were made really well and they slotted together easily. The pieces were thick enough to be sturdy but thin enough to be easy to use. Elizabeth loved putting them together and enjoyed learning the names and recognising the letters.

Review by Laura at Tired Mummy of Two