Dupity Duplos!
December 6th, 2009This is a compensated review from BlogHer and LEGO® DUPLO®.
We LOVE LEGO bricks in our house. Doesn’t everybody? Big, little…they’re all good! I can’t think of a single thing not to love about LEGO except maybe stepping on a stray one in the middle of the night. I have lots of memories of playing with LEGO with my younger brother. In fact, I think that might be the one and only toy we actually agreed on. Now that I have my own kid, I hope to spend just as many hours playing LEGO with her. Because really, do you ever grow out of Lego? I don’t think so.
However, there is a point when you grow into LEGO. And that is where DUPLO comes in. DUPLO bricks are nice and big and easy for little fingers to put together and take apart. The little Lego bricks can be a bit tricky for little fingers. They are still lots of fun for sorting and stacking but getting them unstuck can be a source of great frustration. And by frustration I’m referring to the frustrated mother who has to stop whatever she is doing to rescue the poor three-year-old who can’t get the orange brick off the green brick right-this-very-minute!!!! (Let me please add that this drama is probably more due to our personalities than how difficult the bricks are to pry from each other.)
We recently received the firehouse set from DUPLO to review and I have to say it was quite a hit when it arrived. Opening the big mystery box that came in the mail on an unexpected Monday afternoon was like Christmas. You should have heard the squeals of delight as I untaped and opened the box. Who says firehouses and trucks are for boys? The girls in this house were beyond excited.
I had to put it together for her (as she has yet to develop the patience needed for even pictorial directions) but once it was all set up and ready, this little firehouse set the stage for many play-acting scenarios.
Like a lengthy discussion about which fireman was going to make breakfast and where were the coffee cups that would fit so nicely in their cup-shaped hands? And of course there was some fire-fighting going on. The big plastic fire bushes were a nice effect.
Fire! Fire! Does anyone have a hot dog to roast?
Not you, Spot. Don’t worry! Isn’t Spot cute?
Even Pounce, the family cat, approved.
But do you know what I loved best about this little firehouse set? Hands down, the best feature of the whole toy is the teeny-tiny siren that emits the faintest little kitten mew of a howl. It’s perfect. My kid loves that she can make noise and act out an exciting rescue mission and I love that I can sit with my back to her, zoning out at my laptop without some awful electronic toy wailing in my ears. Thank you, Duplo, for considering the noise-factor when you designed this toy. You have won me over.
Thank you from both of us!
You can read other’s reviews of this product too on BlogHer.com special offers page. I’m sure I’m not the only one raving.
LEGO DUPLO is offering a $20 LEGO gift card to one Secret Agent Josephine reader. To enter for a chance at this prize, leave me a comment below, sharing how you get creative when stimulating development in your kids. Alternately, you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) December 7, 2009 and will end 8:59 a.m. (PST) December 14, 2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is valid so I may contact you when you win.
Rules:
- No duplicate comments.
- You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
- You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
- This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older.
- Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
- You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Please see the official rules here: Official rules
Winner to be chosen via the Random Number Generator.
December 7th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
We paint a lot, color, read and make up stories, play pretend, make things out of play doh, and of course use Legos to build things.
December 7th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
I love a BIG box!! Cutting holes in it for doors windows and making it into a house a car even a bus. I have 2 boys one 10 and the other 19 months and it is hours of fun and decorating. Have you ever seen a purple school bus? well I have. It allows the children to use their imagination to not only make but then play with. Another favorite was the airplane and train with orange boxes. Of course when you are done send them off to be recycled.
December 7th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
We like to make up stories to go along with the legos that we build. My son can come up with some crazy stuff – robots, spaceships, etc.! Also, I will have him pick three random items and we will both make up separate stories that use all three things. That game is great for bedtime stories! Thanks for the giveaway-
December 7th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
When they’re petering out from our latest walk and just CAN’T make it up that last hill, I start the pretending. What’s at the top? A dragon? A horse? A rainbow? Pretty soon they’re coming up with all sorts of crazy ideas…and not even realizing that they’re making it up the hill!
Sticks and branches from trees make fun toys. We can build all sorts of homes for animals (both real and imaginary). My son especially likes to use them as guns. But he only shoots imaginary bears!
Today we made our own modeling clay with flour, salt, oil, water, and their choice of food coloring. Daughter made a castle. (Oh, THAT’S what that lump was!) and son made a snake. (Figures!)
They’re baking in the oven as I speak. :)
Forgive me if I double posted. Not sure if the first attempt went through, so I’m trying again!
December 7th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Believe it or not, creativity around here is 98% Lego. I swear my 13YO has well north of ten thousand bricks; his little brother is rapidly catching up. They’ll get a new set, build it, play with it, and then over the next couple of weeks start modifying. I am amazed at their ideas!
December 8th, 2009 at 12:47 am
Awesome! We love duplos – I’m always amazed at what my kid can create – or pretend to create! Love their imaginations!
December 8th, 2009 at 1:16 am
http://twitter.com/ememby/status/6448038645
December 8th, 2009 at 2:11 am
My kids help me be creative! For instance, my daughter today created a zoo out of miniature animals and mega blocks and then “fed” them with playdoh. :)
December 8th, 2009 at 2:15 am
Duplos are the one toy that will not leave our house. They will be handed down.
When my son was in 7th grade he used them to build a pyamid for a project in social studies when they were studying Egypt.
The big blocks made the building go fast. We had some printed blocks that came in handy for extra details. The sun block placed high for Ra, grapes for food in the “afterlife”, black panthers stood in for the sphinx at the entrance. He made a tomb with a hinged lid and a smaller Lego person for a mummy inside.
I don’t know how to send a link to the pictures, but could send one in email if you are interested.
December 8th, 2009 at 2:24 am
My son just got this set this weekend for his birthday! We are so excited to try it. We do a lot of playdoh, painting and reading. We love to make our own playdoh – staying soft for so long and we can make whatever color we want.
December 8th, 2009 at 2:41 am
My three-year-old also screams for help getting the tiny bricks apart. And OMG we do not have any fancy Duplo like that! We only ever got the boxes of normal bricks.
My answer to the contest question feels like a cheat, because it is Lego! I swear I am not sucking up. I just can’t think of anything more stimulating and FUN.
December 8th, 2009 at 3:01 am
Love love love legos! Especially Duplos! Great for young kids and old kids!
December 8th, 2009 at 3:05 am
Lego is definitely the source of a lot of creativity in this house – my kids have spent too many hours to count coming up with space ships, cars, spy gear, houses – you name it! We’re big on pretend food here too – my daughter has her own “restaurant” called Rose’s restaurant – she makes you a “frequent buyer” card, coupons, etc., plus her own menu! For my son, it’s a toy store featuring Matchbox/Hot Wheels.
December 8th, 2009 at 3:09 am
We love Duplos too! Val is just starting to be able to enjoy them and have the patience to build something.
December 8th, 2009 at 3:22 am
We do a lot of singing in our house when we get creative. Especially making up songs about whatever it is we are doing. Come to think of it, we did this before we had a child….
December 8th, 2009 at 3:46 am
Hmmm, this may have won me over to the Duplo front. My mother-in-law (mom to 2 boys and 1 very much tomboy) has been pushing them for the last year, but I’ve always steered her in another direction, thinking that since my daughter doesn’t really care for building things, they’d be another source of clutter. But add people, a dog, and the possibility for her to dictate who makes breakfast–we’re in.
Creativity in our house often includes a bucket of washable paint paired with that baggie of googlie eyes that always seems to spill all over the floor. Right now, she’s making ghosties. I’m all for anything she can do on her own and washes off fairly easily.
December 8th, 2009 at 4:19 am
Being creative means letting my son make Lego movies with the video camera. He is 11 and loves to be creative! His movies include music, creative lighting and home-made special effects.
December 8th, 2009 at 4:42 am
Oh my goodness..we just ordered this exact one for my 5 year old baby boy for Christmas! I’m so much more excited about it after reading your review. We have our eye on a few of the other ones! the gift card would be great so we could add to the one we already have! We love being creative…we play a lot of “games” while eating supper or riding in the car. These are all games we have come up with on our own to make car rides more fun and dinner filled with laughs. I love hearing what they will come up with next! :)
December 8th, 2009 at 4:47 am
http://twitter.com/SAHMomsLife/status/6454542640
December 8th, 2009 at 5:44 am
I am constantly stimulated to think creatively with my kids. If I don’t, then things tend to spiral downward quickly! Playing games to get them to finish eating a meal, rhyming and other word games in the car, a constant stream of various arts and crafts projects, looking for new projects for us to make online, special holiday projects and celebrations, taking pictures of things I would not normally photograph to name a few.
We don’t have any Legos (can you believe that?) so this would be great.
December 8th, 2009 at 6:12 am
We’re all about Lego and Creativity! My oldest at 14 still loves to play with Legos. The 2 year old is now a fan of the small Legos and I even started to think he’d outgrown duplos and then he drags out his bin of duplos again…so maybe he’s still interested. Besides legos my kids are constantly crafting something from boxes, paper, mini figs, playdoh…you name they come up with it…I’m actually working on turning an old cabinet into a kitchen/tool center for my 2yo…we’ll see how it goes. Love the review site btw!
December 8th, 2009 at 7:08 am
My grand daughter has loved Duplos since she could hold them. She has always been fascinated by them. Now she is over 2 and can play with the smaller ones. She adores them, and loves help. That is until Grandma gets too interested in it, then she tells me to Move on. Now if only someone would pick up the pieces so I would not step on them late at night. Ouch
December 8th, 2009 at 7:23 am
Ooooo my little one loves anything that can be built. She would have so much fun with this too. :)
December 8th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
I love to send my kids outside and watch them be creative in their freeplay. Now that they’re older I’m doing less directed activites and just letting them create or play on their own, and I get huge laughs out of what they come up with! We do things together/craft activies/cooking together, but I really want to encourage the imagination that developes from “Go outside and play” and let them come up with their own ideas.
December 8th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Lego’s are a huge hit in this house as well.. However my son can (and does) sit for hours with a bin of the small itty bitty legos and builds all kinds of things.
I’ll be honest though. If I win this gift card I’m going to donate the Lego’s to a family in need. Because the last thing this house needs is more legos.. :) (I’m not being mean.. I should share the photos… My son adopted all of my husbands lego’s and he has been given quite a few of his own.. AND my brother bought him 7!! more sets for Christmas.. I hear other people have gotten him some as well.. We’re at lego-max-capacity for now.) :)
December 8th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
My oldest is into sewing all sorts of cool things. She has a design book (to match mommy’s) and after she has a design she likes we make the pattern and sew it up. Her little brother is not quite up to sewing, but he sure loves the stuffies he gets on a regular basis.
December 8th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
My son loves to make things out of old cardboard boxes, toilet paper rolls, and construction paper. And of course Legos! He’s turned my husband’s old pirate Lego sets into some pretty rockin’ Star Wars rebel bases and droid forts.
December 8th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
I like getting two unrelated toys out (blocks and animals, say) and see how they incorporate both.
December 8th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Some fresh white paper and a plate filled with dollops of acrylic paint never fail to inspire major creativity at our house.
The secret is in providing not only brushes, but skewers, q-tips, sponges, and even old toothbrushes with which to apply the color.
December 8th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
i used to love duplos!
when i play with the nephews, we usually incorporate several toy types (wooden blocks, legos, cardboard cutouts, plastic animals) and build exciting new worlds.
December 8th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
We keep a large supply of tape, scissors, paint, colored pencils, random things to apply color to (paper towels, paper towel rolls, cardboard scraps, packing widgets, fabric scraps, yarn, anything, really), and a high tolerance for mess.
December 8th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
We use lots of music in our house. we sing about what we’re doing, and dance while we’re doing it. Also, I usually let my son take the lead while we’re playing and we can get creative from there.
December 8th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
We love legos in my house……. We have any and all that you can imagine. We have a huge box of assorted legos and, sometimes when I’m not doing anything at night or before they get home from school I like to seperate them into big piles on the floor by color just to see their faces when they come in the door. They know it is an easy pizza dinner night and we all have fun just building everything we can. It is as much fun for me as for them.
Thanks, Mary
ladefly@aol.com
December 8th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
We LOVE legos! I also have a huge bag of fabric scraps that friends give us – these never fail on a rainy day to get the kids busy sewing pockets and stuff (no directions, no guidance, just free reign to make whatever!) We also save a ton of boxes – the kids have made pianos out of them, a wall e robot, train depot for their little brother – the possibilities are endless.
December 8th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
My twin girls got pink legos for their birthday. They LOVE them! We have a box of stuff that other people would consider recycling but we consider it creative materials. It is so awesome to see what can be created out of a cereal box, toilet paper rolls, a mesh bag from oranges, and just about anything else you can imagine. And then the fun really begins as they start to play with their creations!
December 8th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
My grandson loves the Legos especially anything that has to do with fire trucks and firemen.
December 8th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
This is great – didn’t know that the Duplo sets were getting more specific and themed! Looks like a lot of fun. Our Duplo set is an old hand-me-down that was missing the figure, but the girls make do and add in mini my little ponies and Little People toys along with other odd things and have a blast!!
December 8th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
We love to tell stories, and play with random scraps of fabric, and cook in the play kitchen. Edden is just getting into duplos, and we’d love to have more!
December 8th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
We like to paint. My middle son loves legos but the youngest is too young for them. So some duplos would be fantastic!
December 9th, 2009 at 1:41 am
I have nieces and nephews spanning the age range of 3 to 19. I also have a Goddaughter who is 20 months old. Let’s just say I have to keep on my toes when it comes to creativity to keep all of these kids occupied.
I like projects we can do together – mini model kits (from Michaels that come with paint and glue!) are a great distraction but something we can do together. We do a lot of baking too. One of my nieces and I make cookies and decorate them every year. We play lots of pretend games.
But my youngest nephew loves Legos and Duplos. It’s a shoo-in to make him happy with any little Lego kit. We have fun putting them together and acting out games.
And yes, being one in a relationship with a real-life fireman, they need coffee cups. :)
December 9th, 2009 at 2:16 am
We get creative by thinking up new words for my kids’ favorite songs and layering stories by inserting characters from one book into another favorite one. Then we have a little sing-along and “dramatic re-enactment” of the new stories, followed by lots of tickles and laughs!
December 9th, 2009 at 7:30 am
We break out the crayons and stickers when we’re feeling creative. My little one can draw or stick stickers on a piece of paper forever!
December 9th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
We love Legos…..we have used them for sorting and classifying (pre-math), math manipulatives (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and fractions). We have also used them for history (the boys all built pyramids). They are hands down the boys favorite toys!
December 9th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
We run with our imaginations! I think sometimes I tend to be lazy and want my kids to play on their own, but it always seems better and more stimulating for them when I jump into their world and add another dimension to their playtime.
December 9th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Duplo trucks rule!
December 9th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
We have just started to build our Duplo collection – much to my husband’s excitement – but there is something about all of the little details that they put into their kits. My son is so in love with his little bus that he drives it back into the “garage” (The box it came in) and takes better care of it than any other toy in the house.
December 10th, 2009 at 2:00 am
My son is totally INTO Legos. In fact, that is all he is asking for for Christmas!
As far as creativity . . . imagination is the way to go. Turn a blue piece of material into a lake and place a pretend boat and away you go to far away places Later that same blue piece of material can become an airplane. Playing along with my children outside as we act out the Three Little Pigs is also a lot of fun.
Legos also offer a lot of imagination and creativity!! I believe Legos are one of the best toy products ever made!
December 10th, 2009 at 2:22 am
LEGOS are the only toys my boys have and never get tired of using them. More than toys, they become tools to create, design, and imagine without limits. But my 3 y/o really needs DUPLO to be as happy as his older brother. I think I’ll get them soon!
December 10th, 2009 at 5:34 am
We get creative by using whatever we have on hand–the recycling bin gets hit up for “new toys”, like cutting a slot in a cracker box and VOILA, mailbox to slip cards into. Yogurt containers find new life as Duplo person igloos. Tinfoil can be used for tactile and shaping skills…fun is cheap!
December 10th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
All I have to do to multiply creativity when I have my niece and nephew…point them toward the big oak tree in my front yard. That tree opens up new worlds of imagination for them – a boat, outer space, etc.
December 10th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
We’re just growing into Lego in our house and looking forward to Santa bringing some DUPLO for the tiny hands here! We love being creative by drawing, painting, and playdoughing!
December 10th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
My son loves legos. He has a Wii, a DS, and a game cube system. Even with all that stuff he spends twice the time with his legos. Last year he got a fire house lego kit. His grandpa, great uncle and him spent all afternoon putting it together. You buy memories like those!!! Also I am a scout leader, three of my scouts have disabilities. One of them has a high ADD case. His dad him do lego robotics together. I think Legos is wonderful for all ages! Also can be a wonderful bonding time for families.
December 10th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
My son loves legos. He has a Wii, a DS, and a Game Cube system. Even with all that stuff he spends twice the time with his legos. Last year he got a fire house lego kit. His grandpa, great uncle and him spent all afternoon putting it together. You can’t buy memories like those!!! Also I am a scout leader, three of my scouts have disabilities. One of them has a high ADD case. His dad him do lego robotics together. I think Legos is wonderful for all ages! Also can be a wonderful bonding time for families.
December 10th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
I have more fun with my grandchildren as we combine building with wooden blocks of various sizes and colors and then embellish those buildings with Lego creations of their talents. We have taped Legos to “front’s” of their wooden buildings. They have also made a Christmas tree of small items they have built (this works well if there are no younger siblings)!
Jackiemorgan02@yahoo.com
December 11th, 2009 at 12:29 am
My son is really getting into coloring lately. So I’ve been finding different ways to use that. We’ve used it for large motor skills (large paper taped to the wall to color on in big sweeping motions), fine motor skills (coloring books), language (telling stories about what we’ve drawn), and just plain fun.
December 11th, 2009 at 12:45 am
I make ‘Two Can Do’ kits for me and my kids to do together. You can’t use the kit alone because you need someone else to put it together with! This makes for great mommy and me time! Inspires imagination and creativity with dexterity skills and thinking skills. Great conversation time too!
December 11th, 2009 at 3:26 am
Hi, Brenda! I love anything that leads to open-ended role-playing, like puppets, Little People, or the firehouse you reviewed. And let’s be honest, I’m a sucker for a gift card. C’mon Random Number Generator! Pick me!
December 11th, 2009 at 3:33 am
We got our son the duplo fire station for Christmas this year. We spend alot of time building space craft and boats with our duplo. can’t wait to open more Christmas morning. It has really helped my son’s fine motor skills and creativity. Yay for Lego, we are definately a Lego household!
December 11th, 2009 at 3:33 am
Going to Twitter this contest! # smwfamily
December 11th, 2009 at 4:32 am
I’d love a chance at this. Or rather, my four year old and my three year old would love these. ;) I love doing crafts with my children. They actually help me with my quilting too! Usually it’s handing me fabric or pins, but hey, they’re learning. We’re currently making picture frames with craft sticks. :)
December 11th, 2009 at 4:33 am
I forgot to say I twittered the contest. I meant to put it in the previous comment. I’m sorry!
http://twitter.com/aikoheiwa/status/6556547695
December 11th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
We try to keep playthings and activities as open-ended as possible. Sometimes before my daughter wakes up or while she is away at preschool, I’ll put a shoebox on the kitchen table and put in some scissors, paper, glue and whatever interesting little tidbits I can find around the house (a glitter star, stray buttons, bottle caps, etc.). Then I don’t say anything, I just let her find it. Not once has she ignored it. It always results in a good hour or more of creative fun for her.
December 12th, 2009 at 2:20 am
It’s Lego’s and Duplo’s for us. We have SO MANY that we joke we could build an addition onto our house ENTIRELY out of Lego bricks. And we probably could. People are just amazed when I tell them just how many 2×2x2 foot Ikea cubes we have that contain strictly Lego’s ( at leat 15 )…the Duplo’s are in 32 gallon tubs! There are endless hours of play and creativity and my boys really enjoy “creating” their own thing and sharing it with mom and dad…getting to display it in it’s place of honor on mom and dad’s headboard or the entertainment center!! YAY for Legos!!
December 13th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
I have an entire cupboard plus devoted to art stuff, which my 4 year old is crazy for and her 21 month old brother is also becoming attached to. We make art stuff to create with (homemade puffy paint consisting of Elmer’s glue and foamy shave cream, with food coloring added, if desired), so a Duplo set would add to the creativity going on already in the household. I have fond memories of Legos from my childhood and would like the same for my kiddies.
December 13th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
We love legos. Our daughter grew up with them. In fact every garage sale we went to she had to look for legos. Now she is grown with a son of her own. We found him his first set of the Duplo size blocks and loves them. He is only a year and a half and seems to be taking after his mothers love for them. Please lego fairy bless us so we can bless our grandson!
December 13th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
In addition to our lego boxes – which are ALWAYS a big hit – we keep a “rainy day” craft box of art supplies. Whenever they have to stay inside, or even if they are just feeling crafty, we pull it out and let the kids go to town!
December 14th, 2009 at 5:50 am
We love legos! I remember when I was a child, every year at Christmas we’d get out BAGS of legos and build a little town aruond our Christmas tree, complete with a real working train on tracks… and a McDonalds with the golden arches lol…. It was a special time as a family… building our town.. I remember how horrible it was to tear it all down afterward! ;)
My son is almost 18 months old now, and loves playing with hid big block set at my parents house… we don’t have any for him here at home though and would LOVE to get a set!!! To stimulate him…. well (lol) he’s still at an age where he wants to do things himself but doesn’t know how! For the most part creativity is limited to coloring with pens or crayons on paper… I can’t wait to do play-doh with him though.. or build things that he can recognize :) Maybe we could do that if we get Duplos!
*wink* Thanks!!!!
December 14th, 2009 at 5:53 am
I twittered the contest!!!! Check it out! http://twitter.com/Psyckoprincess
December 14th, 2009 at 9:29 am
My son like to try to type at the computer the stories he makes up to go with his lego building. He sometimes will change the story’s ending or other events that he comes up while he plays. He usually puts me in the story somewhere and likes to act it out.
December 14th, 2009 at 9:33 am
I left a tweet http://twitter.com/winsome6/status/6657295003
December 14th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
I use my son’s legos for my special needs students; they are mostly hands on kind of kids so it is great to see what they create!
Sometimes my students need time to think and not have to do “academic work” but little do they know how much Legos inspire them to think and learn. Legos helps with gross motor/fine motor as well as creating and anaylizing–highest level of learning.
Thank you legos for all the fun my own children had and now my students have with these very durable toys.
December 14th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Oh, Duplo’s are so awesome! We only have the tiny frustrating kind for the big kids since my son is 9, but now that we have a 2 year old in the house too, we are going to need some!
My 9 year old likes to write stories. He has a an old typewriter in his room that he pounds away on for hours on end. I then give him all the art supplies that he needs to illustrate his books. He really enjoys that and it is something that he can do without his little sister “helping” with.
My two year old likes imaginative play, so we do lots of that with art projects and hand plays and songs thrown in for good measure. :-) Everything is fun with a 2 year old!