Preschool Toy Review - The Puzzle Set
The Puzzle Set™
Created by PortaSmart.com
If you thought children's tables and chairs were all the same, you haven't seen The Puzzle Set. The Puzzle Set is a table and two chairs and a puzzle, too! Made of UV protected, hard-plastic, brightly colored shapes, The Puzzle Set fits together like a puzzle - no tools (or instructions) are required. The Puzzle Set comes with 3 tote bags, one for the table and one for each chair to make it easy to take it on-the-go.
From the Reviewer
This ingenious children's furniture is not only a functional table and chairs set, it is also an educational toy that helps preschoolers learn colors and shapes, and how to fit objects together.
Ease of Assembly
The Puzzle Set comes with no instructions -- because it's a puzzle! There are no detailed instructions and tools needed to put together The Puzzle Set. Assembling The Puzzle Set is fun! Your preschooler will enjoy selecting and configuring the pieces of The Puzzle Set to put together their very own table and chairs set. It's so much fun, don't be surprised if your preschooler will want to disassemble and assemble it again and again.
While PortaSmart.com's website shows a video of a woman down on one knee assembling The Puzzle Set, it is not necessary to do so. Grandparents can easily assemble The Puzzle Set while sitting in a chair or wheelchair. The pieces are made of plastic, so they are lightweight and fit together with very little force. An adult can easily assemble The Puzzle Set in less than 3 minutes.
Functionality
The Puzzle Set consists of a table and two chairs, which can be used together as a set or separately. PortaSmart.com recommends The Puzzle Set for children 4 to 8 years of age, which seems to be the perfect age range condsidering the height of the chairs and table. Children ages 4 through 8 seem to sit comfortably in the chairs and up to the table. My son, who is just over three years old, sat a little low in the chairs (he was armpit-level with the table).
Durability
The Puzzle Set is made of a hard plastic, so it's very durable. For the durability test, I had my preschooler jump up and down on it, roll it down the stairs and toss it over our banister. The Puzzle Set held up wonderfully; there was no damage to any of the pieces. I was also able to stand on the chairs without doing any damage to The Puzzle Set.
While PortaSmart.com states that The Puzzle Set is UV protected and waterproof, I did not test these features for this review.
Ease of Use / Portability
Since The Puzzle Set comes with tote bags and is so lightweight, it makes it the perfect table and chairs set to take on vacations, to the beach or pool, grandparents' house, or anywhere you'll need a place for your children to sit. The Puzzle Set disassembles in seconds and stores flat, which makes it especially great for preschools, daycare centers and small apartments where storage space is limited.
Additional Comments
I found the bottom of the table to be in the way, so I removed it. The Puzzle Table was still just as stable without it and it allowed my son to pull himself up closer to the table.
Buy The Puzzle Set
The The Puzzle Set can be purchased from Amazon.com for $99.99, which includes one table, two chairs and three tote bags. However, The Puzzle Set can be purchased for the sale price of $59.99 during the holiday by visiting the PortaSmart.com website.
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