Thank you to Begin Again for providing me with product, free of charge, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions shared are my own.

Part of the MBP Summer Fun Guide

Summer is almost here! We have just a couple of days of school left this school year, and then it's vacation time! B is five years old, and will start kindergarten this fall. He absolutely loves going to school- loves his teachers and friends, and I love that he is able to be in such a wonderful, safe and educational environment for three hours a day. It recently dawned on me that B will be home with me again for a good portion of the summer. He's enrolled in a few weeks of Summer Play Group, and VBS, but otherwise, he'll be home with me and his baby sister. I loved planning our summers together before S was born, but now that I have two kids to keep up with, I am finding it harder to get out and play with B, with baby sis in tow.

I have searched high and low for fun, entertaining, and educational toys to play with while we're hanging out inside this summer. I turned to BeginAgain, a company which specializes in classic wooden toys for all ages.

BeginAgain was founded by Benjamin Barlow, who had a simple philosophy when it came to play:

A WISH for well-balanced play. 

A-Artist

W-Writer

I- Inventor

S- Sportster

H- Hero

Kids switch between these five stages of play every day. BeginAgain offers toys that are designed to satisfy all styles of play. That's not all- BeginAgain toys are made from Rubber Trees, and 100% recycled plastic.

We were sent a trio of toys from Begin Again:

Balance Boat Endangered Animals Game

Number Snail Puzzle

Green Keys Teether

We were excited to receive these fun toys- perfect for B, and even Baby S! 

B couldn't wait to dive into these unique wooden toys and games and check them out! These arrive on a rainy day, so the timing was absolutely perfect!

First up, the Balance Boat Endangered Animal Game.

This fun game comes with a large wooden boat (or ark), and fifteen wooden endangered animals. The pieces are packaged in a wooden tray, which doubles as the perfect surface for play, and storage for when you're ready for clean up. Each game piece is beautifully made, and you can tell what wonderful quality the game is.

B couldn't wait to get playing!

The object of the game is to stand the boat up, and then balance the wooden animals on the boat one by one. There is no right or wrong way to balance the animals. Trying to get all of the animals onto the boat without toppling over is quite a challenge! We had so much fun stacking the animals all sorts of crazy ways to try to get them all onto the boat. As we played, we talked about the different endangered animals, and had a little lesson. I love games that are engaging, and educational!

So much fun- stack the animals to win!

It took us several tries to get all of the animals stacked. We knocked the whole boat over a few times. As it turned out, my hubby had the best balancing skills of all of us, and he balanced all of the animals on the boat in no time! I got pretty close to fifteen, but crashed the boat after twelve. Woops! It's harder than it looks!

I wondered how much B would enjoy this, but I was pleasantly surprised. He was determined to stack all of the animals on the boat, and never became upset or discouraged when the animals fell off- he just tried again. This game is a lot of fun for individual play, group play, and even for grown ups!

Features of the Balancing Boat Endangered Animals Game

Kids develop dexterity, patience and pretend play skills with the BeginAgain Balance Boat. Inventing their own games and stories, kids will stack the brightly colored endangered animals as high as they can, balancing them atop the 6"x12" wooden boat. The animals are also perfect pocket pals, starring daily in pretend adventures. Made from eco-friendly rubber wood with non-toxic, child-safe stains, each of the 15 pieces in this playset is double-sided and one inch thick. recommended for ages 3+, the Balance Boat includes a 14" x 12" wood tray for storage and display.

Fun game for all ages

Game & Playset all in one

Portion of every sale is donated to an animal charity

Dr. Toy Best Green Product Award Winner

Family Fun Magazine Top Boredom Buster

2015 TOTY award nominee

$35.00

We also received the Snail Puzzle!

B loves puzzle of all shapes and sizes- he's never met one that he didn't like. This numbers snail puzzle is small, but presents a challenge in the way it fits together. Like the balancing game, the puzzle comes packaged in a little wooden tray, which I love. We can keep the puzzle stored in the tray, and that way, we don't lose any of the pieces.

This wooden puzzle features bright colors, numbers, and Roman Numerals on the reverse side. B has never really experienced Roman Numerals before, so this presented yet another learning opportunity to for. I am excited to teach him this ancient number system!


B can't wait to put this puzzle together! Isn't it cute?


'Mommy, it's trickier than I thought!'

S-Nailed it!

B had a blast putting this together! It was more difficult than he thought it would be, as the pieces have to fit together just so. This is perfect for ages 3+, and helps to teach numbers 1-10. B had fun sharing this with his pal E (who is 3 1/2). She really loved the puzzle, and enjoyed taking a turn and putting it together. This is a great puzzle for the home or the classroom!

Features of the Snail Numbers Puzzle

A challenging 1 to 10 number puzzle for preschoolers. This inventive puzzle teaches some valuable basics: counting 1 to 10 and colors. Hand-crafted from plantation-grown rubberwood, an environmentally-friendly hardwood. Our best selling numbers puzzle! 

2 puzzles in 1
Made from eco-friendly rubberwood and colored with non-toxic stains so puzzles are safe and will maintain their beauty for generations
Helps teach numbers 1 to 10
$12.00

We also received a little something for Baby S- the Green Keys Teether/Toy!

This is such a cool baby toy! It won't be long before Baby S is teething (she already drools up a storm!). I want to make sure that we have plenty of teethers on hand for her when the time comes. She is also starting to become interested in a lot of her toys, and loves anything that she can look at that's dangling above her. Though she can't play with these cute keys on her own just yet, she loves to look at them, and grasp them when they are placed in her open hands.

What's cool about this toy is that it's made from plants and not plastic! That's right- made from maple wood, and Green Dot non-GMO corn starch bio resin! That means that this is a compostable toy! How many of your child's toys can be composted? Probably few to none! I love that we can return this toy to the earth once we're done with it, rather than throwing it away or recycling it.


Can't wait to play! Baby S is super interested in this cool infant teether.

I can't wait until S can start chomping on these cool keys! Here's another product perk- they can be washed and sanitized on the dishwasher on the top rack. I love the convenience of being able to clean them that way! Gotta keep baby's toys clean!


Features of the Green Keys Teether

Made in the USA from Green Dot non-GMO corn starch bio resin and maple wood, Green Keys are 100% compostable! The three soft keys are perfect for teething and developing grasping skills.

This clip-friendly teething toy is great for travel.
The keys can be removed and sanitized in the dishwasher (top rack please!).
Did we mention Made in the USA?!
$14.00

There are so many cool toys and games from BeginAgain that we'd love to add to our toy and game collection at home. Check out some of our other picks...


The Tumbler



Tic-Bug-Toe Travel Game



Colors We Sea Story Box



Don't Dump Dumpty Game


There's certainly a lot to love about the simplicity of BeginAgain toys & games! We can't wait to see what they'll introduce next, and we hope to be the ones to bring you their future products, as well! If you're looking for great toys & games to keep the kiddos entertained this summer, check out all that BeginAgain has to offer!

Want them? Get them!

Heda on over to BeginAgain to browse their awesome toys, puzzles, and games! Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.



Want them? Win them!

One lucky reader will win their own Balancing Boat Endangered Animals Game from BeginAgain! Just use the entry form below to enter to win!

We reserve the right to make revisions, to cancel, or suspend this contest for any reason. We are not associated with any of the companies named above. The odds of winning are based on the number of entries received Open to the US 18+ only. Confirmed Winner(s) (by Random.org) will be contacted by email. Winner(s) have 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. The sponsor(s) will be responsible for product shipment to winner(s) of this giveaway. Mommy's Block Party (and any other blog participating) is not responsible for product shipment/delivery. This event is in no way administered, sponsored, or endorsed by, or associated with, Facebook and/or Twitter, Google, Pinterest. This disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements. Entrants must only enter with either one email address, IP address and/or Facebook account, anyone found violating these rules will be disqualified. It is at the sole discretion of the admin of the giveaway if the winner has met the rules or not.

Special thanks to BeginAgain for allowing us to share about their wonderful toys and games, and for offering this fun giveaway for our readers!

Good luck!

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