Chenille Kraft 4377 Wonderfoam Giant U.S.A Puzzle Map, 73 Pieces

by Chenille Kraft

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 48 x 0.5 x 30 inches ; 1.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00020V4R6
• Item model number: 4377
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,180 in Office Products (See Top 100 in Office Products)
  • #67 in Office Products > Educational Supplies > Early Childhood Education Materials
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 1, 2007

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Thick, high-density foam puzzle that is educational and fun. Kids can learn their states and state capitals while having fun.

Product Description

Discover the world of WonderFoam®! Great for early learners at home and in the classroom. Promotes learning. The new puzzle map makes geography fun for kids! Includes 73 total pieces, 50 state pieces, 16 punch-out state landmarks, five Great Lakes, two interlocking playbars, fun activities guide, and a black and white outline of front and back of USA map.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A big hit with our twins!, January 11, 2006

By 

Jo Kyo Nim (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chenille Kraft 4377 Wonderfoam Giant U.S.A Puzzle Map, 73 Pieces (Office Product)

$40 may sound like a lot for a foam floor puzzle, but our 2.5yr-old boys got this for Christmas and its become their favorite toy. One boy already knows his states better than his mom, "No mama, New Jersey goes right here!" Unlike most other floor puzzles, each piece is shaped like a state, instead of the ubiquitous "puzzle" shape. There are also some inset shapes within a state, our favorite is the "arch" in Missouri. In my opinion, these more varied shapes allow for fun learning, whereas the common "puzzle" shapes are more of a trial and error exercise.

Unfortunately, the ink labelling each state has started to rub off. I can't tell the Great Lakes apart anymore, not that I really could before. But, we called the company and they have offered to ship us a whole new replacement puzzle. That's pretty impressive.

We're starting to look around for more puzzles like this. I'd love to find one of the world or even just other countries. A great idea and a great buy.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great map for learning states, August 26, 2007

By 

C. Skousen "homeschool mom" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chenille Kraft 4377 Wonderfoam Giant U.S.A Puzzle Map, 73 Pieces (Office Product)

This is generally a great puzzle. I love the fact that almost every state is its own piece (exception: Connecticut and Rhode Island are together in one), and it's a great size for doing on the floor or on the kitchen table. My home-schooled kids have loved it!

A couple of things I noticed right away that concerned me. First, the lettering started smudging almost immediately; it was getting on the faces of the pieces as well as on the kids' fingers. I had read previous reviews about names smudging completely off, so I wanted to prevent that. I got a spray-on fixative in the craft section of the store, and that seems to have done the trick. At least, I haven't noticed any more significant smudges.

Also, Michigan may have problems later, given the fact that it's a split state. The makers of this puzzle put the two pieces together as one, tenuously connected by a very thin segment of the foam. I'm constantly worried that it will tear apart, and I'm sure it will at some point.

Those are the reasons I am not giving this puzzle the best rating. But it is a great concept, and is the best puzzle map I've found of the US.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Serious quality issues, May 19, 2009

By 

Amy in CA (Mountain View, CA USA) - See all my reviews

= Durability:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:2.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Chenille Kraft 4377 Wonderfoam Giant U.S.A Puzzle Map, 73 Pieces (Office Product)

My daughter received this puzzle as a gift. Since I had an awesome wooden USA puzzle as a child, I was excited for her to play with this and learn from it. While it's a great concept to use foam, I'm extremely under-impressed with the quality of this puzzle. The black wording and drawings were completely smudged all over when we first opened the sealed box. So the whole puzzle looks dingy and dirty and it's continuing to smudge on itself and on our hands. Also, some states are made from thicker foam than others, so the whole thing isn't smooth when you put it together. Some of the inset little puzzle pictures the designers chose are odd to me - for example, there's no Grand Canyon but they've included Montezuma's Castle. And more states could have insets, too, in my opinion. Then the real kicker is our sealed box was missing two pieces. Since it was a gift I don't know what store it came from, so I emailed the manufacturer asking for the two pieces or a new set. After several attempts, I've still received no response. I'm very disappointed all around.