Patch Toys Review and Giveaway

~~The giveaway is now CLOSED~~

I believe that young children learn best through play rather than a formal academic process. I'm constantly on the lookout for toys that have both educational and entertainment values. Patch Products, a leading manufacturer of board games and puzzles, offer exactly the type of educational toys I've been looking for.  There are four brands in the Patch family: Patch, Lauri, Smethport and Überstix, each with a unique line of innovative products such as puzzles for kids, kids coloring books, magnetic games, and architectural building sets.

With 3D being such a huge hit in the entertainment industry, Patch Products has recently launched the Singin' Sea Creatures™ 3D Sneaky Puzzles® . I was lucky to be among the first to try out this new product. The puzzle contains 46 brightly colored pieces, along with a cutely shaped pair of 3D glasses. I was a bit surprised by the large size of each puzzle piece. The puzzle is intended for children aged 3 and above, but I don't think such large pieces would constitute any choking hazard for younger toddlers under proper parental supervision. As soon as we received the puzzle, my son and I started putting things together on the floor. It took us about 15 minutes to complete it without referring to the clues provided in the package. Take a look.

The finished puzzle is 2 x 3 feet big. It features a good variety of lovely sea creatures like fish, octopus, crab, and sea turtle. When we looked at the picture through the 3D glasses, the fish seemed to be swimming toward us. My son was totally amazed by this unique visual experience! But the fun doesn't stop there. Hidden in the picture are all the letters of the alphabet and numbers 0-9. That's why it's called "Sneaky Puzzles". Cool, isn't it? It's a fun and engaging way for my son to learn letters and numbers as well as creatures under the sea. This great product has an incredibly low price of $14.99! Patch Products will soon add two more 3D Puzzles to the collection, featuring a lightning bug theme and safari theme. You may stay informed of those new releases by following the company on Facebook and Twitter.

Another new product that's worth mentioning is 5 Second Rule®. Since I haven't personally played this game, I've copied the manufacturer's description below. You may have a chance to try out this game for free if you enter the giveaway that follows.

It should be easy to name 3 breeds of dogs - but can you do it under the pressure of 5 seconds twisting down, and with the other players staring at you, waiting for you to get flustered? Time's not on your side, so just say what comes to mind and risk ridiculous answers slipping out as time twirls down on the unique twisted timer! It's all in good fun with this fast-paced game where you have to Just Spit It Out!™ For 3 or More Players. Ages 10 to Adult. Price: $24.99

I also look forward to trying some of the Early Learning Centers developed by Patch Products. They include so many nice features that will sure make learning a lot more fun!

The Giveaway

Patch Products has generously offered to give one of my lucky readers a Singin' Sea Creatures 3D Sneaky Puzzles or 5 Second Rule Game! Winner's choice!

Required Entry: Visit Patch Products, and leave a comment telling me the name of your favorite product on their site aside from the ones being given away here. (Please leave a valid email address in your comment or make sure one is visible in your blogger profile).

Extra Entries (optional): please make sure you do the required entry first! Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry, i.e. 1 comment=1 entry.

• Like Patch Products on Facebook and leave your name (1 extra entry)
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• Follow my blog publicly (1 extra entry)
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• Follow Me on Twitter AND tweet the following message (1 extra entry per day) Yes! You may tweet once daily to increase your chances:

RT @luckytoddler #Toy #giveaway! Win @PatchProducts 3D Sneaky Puzzles or 5 Second Rule ! Play & Learn! http://bit.ly/pp3dp #games
Please leave the link to your tweet in your comment.

• Join Crowtap via this link and leave your registered name (1 extra entry)
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• Make a purchase at eShakti using discount code "icefairy123" (10 extra entries)
• Grab my button and tell me where to find it (1 extra entry)
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• Blog about this giveaway and link back to Patch Products and Me. Then leave the link in your comment (1 extra entry for mentioning this giveaway on your blog; 3 extra entries for a separate blog post).

Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm Central Time on 8/18/10

Open to US Residents Only

Winners will be chosen using random.org and will have 72 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Thanks for entering and good luck!

Disclosure: I received free product from Patch Products to facilitate my honest review. No monetary compensation was offered. Thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.