Customer Reviews

Melissa & Doug Solar System 48 pcs Floor Puzzle

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this puzzle for my 3 year old son who was fascinated with planets and space stuff. I have never been so impressed with a toy purchase. You really can't find a better puzzle for kids. The pieces are quite large, and they're very durable. They also are "wipeable" in case sticky fingers get a hold of them. The picture itself is very colorful and pleasing to the eye. It shows all the planets, and includes the moon and sun. Even the asteroid belt. It's a great puzzle, and a great educational toy. I intend to get more puzzles from this company. Simply outstanding. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.

This puzzle is very sturdy; not as bendy as most puzzles. My daughter loves putting this puzzle together. She is five and we are learning about the Solar System. I like this toy because after you put it together you can quiz your child on Solar system facts. Ask your child to point out which planet is the largest (Jupiter...although in this puzzle they make earth look larger because of the perspective)Ask him/her which planet is the smallest, which planet is closest to the sun...etc...etc...the learning never ends! There are always new solar system facts you can add into your fun! I strongly recommend this toy as a fun learning tool for you and your child. I really love all the Melissa and Doug products.

My boys, 7 1/2 and 5, both enjoy this puzzle immensely. It is very well made and the sturdy pieces are easily put together....no bent edges here. When completed this high quality puzzle depicts a beautiful illustration of the solar system which has sparked their interest in learning about planets, stars, comets, etc....highly recommended!

My 2 1/2 year old son received this puzzle as a gift. It's been a year now and he still loves it. It's a great family puzzle - and its large pieces are quite durable. Highly recommendable.

My 6 year old loves this puzzle. The only slight issue we have is if you don't layer the puzzle pieces in the box just so it is hard to close the box. This happens because the peices are so nice and thick....which is great. I only had to show my son once to slow down and put the pieces away slowly for him to get it. Other than that tiny hiccup it has been an everyday toy for my son for the past 2 months. I also found the puzzle at a discount chain (rhymes with floss) for half off so be on the look out.

The puzzle is sturdy as described and has beautiful, vibrant colors. The pieces are big enough for my 5-yr old to manipulate and assemble. The only downside is that the image is not clearly in order. The puzzle is from the earth's view. So I had to explain the order to my son. With its design, he assumed the sun was "first." Still a good buy.

This puzzle, like other (e.g., Farm Friends, Tyrannosaurus Rex, etc.) Melissa & Doug floor puzzles that I have purchased for my son, is colorful, large, and well-made. I originally purchased many of the puzzles for my first-born son when he was four, and now four years later, its wonderful to see my now eight year old son help his four year old brother assemble the puzzles. I recommend them because they have stood the test of time, provide entertainment for my sons, and are educational. My four year old knows many of the planets thanks to this puzzle (and to the planets hanging from the ceiling in his brother's room).

My two sons (6 and 7 when this was purchased) loved doing this puzzle. They would clear a space on the floor and work together to get the project done. It stayed in the closet for awhile and then when they both started a planets study in school, they went straight to the closet and pulled it out again. They then used it to tell me everything they'd been learning.

Ok, I have to pull a star for excluding Pluto, but it's obvious the puzzle's educational value is not in learning about the solar system as much as it is in learning to complete jigsaw puzzles. As such, the image has artistic and inspirational value, and not much educational value. I mean, besides missing Pluto, the planets are not drawn to relative scale, the orbit and scale of their moons are way off, the colors are excessively saturated and so on -- but this isn't about teaching the solar system. It's just a puzzle. As such, it's a very good one. The pieces are rigid, fit precisely for their size, appear to be durable, don't seem to easily warp, and those colors and object scales are off for a purpose -- to aide in one method of finding puzzle pieces that go together. My 4 year old independently noticed that the Moon and Earth were the largest and knew this wasn't correct. Because of that I was able to explain "perspective." Anyway, it's a good puzzle, well made, and the large size is fun. I just wish it had longer-lasting value. I think most children will pretty quickly outgrow 48 piece puzzles and this one will be of little remaining interest -- but of course it's impractical to start with 1000 piece puzzles, so we need beginning or intermediate puzzles like this for the short time that we're at this level.

Now, while I agree that the puzzle's instructional value is as a puzzle not as a solar system diagram, the correct response to Pluto reclassification is to INCLUDE Kuiper belt objects rather than delete/omit knowledge. Because the asteroid belt was included, and Pluto was previously included in basic solar system knowledge, it's reasonable to expect Pluto and Kuiper belt objects on this solar system puzzle. In essence, if we learned something more about Pluto, then TEACH it, don't omit it. Additional knowledge is not a good reason to fail to teach what was previously proven not to be too complicated to learn.

The puzzle is made from heave weight paper. it is very durable. It is a easy puzzle just right for 3-4 year old kids. It is a good training on their observation; and they can learn the solar system as well. I like it.