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Thursday, July 12, 2012

Mega Bloks First Builders Review & Giveaway

I reached out to Mega Bloks to be a part of the Babies First Birthday Blog Party, but didn't hear back from them in time. Luckily, they were still interested in working with Letters from Momma! I was recently sent a new Mega Bloks Big Building Bag {in pink} to review with G. She's had the classic colors bag since Christmas, and they are one of her favorite toys. Last month, Mega Bloks released a First Builders Let's Build! app for the iPhone. To go along with this great app release, they've revamped some of their products geared toward younger kids. They've grouped all of the preschool blocks, designed for ages 1+, under the First Builders brand name. Check out my review below, download the iPhone app for free, and be sure to enter the great giveaway at the end of the blog post!

Mega Bloks First Builders Big Building Bag

The 80 piece bag has an MSRP of $19.99 and comes in pink or classic colors. There are also 3 different 60 piece bags that come in pink, classic, or trendy (a blend of the colors in a lime bag). Aside from the building bag sets, there are many other First Builder products to choose from--check out the Mega Bloks online shop.

I don't know if the old pink set had a car this big, it's twice
 as big as the car we have from the old classic set!
What's New?  The most noticeable change to the First Builders collection of Mega Bloks is the packaging. The previously clear plastic zippered container bags are now PVC free and eco-friendly! They feel like some styles of reusable grocery bags and seem more safe {toddler-friendly} to me. The graphics are changed a bit, too, and there are a few new characters. The Mega Bloks website was also recently redesigned to be a lot more user friendly. I like the shop, which let's you choose which items you already have, and which items you want--to create a virtual wish list. On our list? We want the construction site kit, the kitchenette, and the walker (for the new baby).
I like the zippered bag feature of Mega Bloks building bags, because they are lot easier to keep contained than a box with a lid. G loves pulling the bag over to my husband or me, for us to un-zip. She then dumps them out in delight. Either style of bag seems sturdy--like it will hold up for plenty of years to come--but I am glad they've made the new bags eco-friendly.
the old bag & new bag

Fun for Everyone. From the first day we brought the Mega Bloks home, they've been my husband's favorite toy. He couldn't wait until G was 'old enough' to play with building blocks. We both loved building all kinds of things when we were younger, and now it is nice to all play together with G's Mega Bloks. We have 2 80 piece bags now, so we can build even bigger creations! Recently, G and her daddy built a super tall tower that required G to sit on Daddy's shoulders to complete the project. Where was I? Taking pictures for posterity, of course! I love bonding time, and building things together is certainly a fun thing for us all to do. I also like watching G play with them alone, because she definitely needs that solo-play experience to discover things on her own. Check out the information below about the new iPhone app from Mega Bloks that can enhance your block play time even more.

Developmental. Mega Bloks are not only a great toy, they are a developmental tool. I've enjoyed watching G get better and better at playing with them. When she first got them, she really just tossed them around or watched us play with them (and knocked down our towers). As she grew, she started to put them together, but it took a little bit before she became successful. Now she can stack blocks as high as she can get us to lift her :-). Mega Bloks First Builders teach open-ended play and definitely help her solo-play develop too. While she still prefers to take the blocks apart, I'm not concerned with that at all. It takes really good fine motor skills to pull all the blocks apart.
G is also great at cleaning up and putting the blocks in their bag. I credit Mega Bloks and their awesome packaging for her being such a good helper. We started on day one having her help us put the blocks away. 
reading the instructions before beginning :-)
G also loves her Mega Blok bus + girl (you might remember this video) and it was a nice developmental tool too. She had to learn to open the top and find the girl. She learned to roll it around and gained valuable fine motor skills from putting the girl in and pulling her out.
So, Mega Bloks are great for developing motor skills, play skills, and organization/clean-up skills---what more could a parent want in a toy?! :-)

First Builders App. The Mega Bloks First Builders Let's Build! app is a blend of traditional & technological Mega Bloks play. We all know how attracted to our iPhones kids are, no matter how hard we might try to keep them apart! There are a lot of game apps geared towards kids now, and Mega Bloks was certainly smart to get in on the action. With the First Builders app, care takers and kids can play together--building animals, boats, vehicles, and more with the easy-to-follow instructions. It's a great way to enhance your Big Building Bag play time, while finding new things to make out of your Mega Bloks.. It's compatible with the 80 or 60 piece bags and has a selection of over 20 models. There are animated instructions with fun sound effects that most young kids will find entertaining. You can even share your creation pictures through the app with email, Facebook, and Twitter options.
screen shot from the app on my phone


You can purchase Mega Bloks from places like Target, Amazon, Wal-Mart & Toys R Us. Head over to their website to sign up for the Family Club. Like them on Facebook and follow @MegaBloks to stay up to date with the latest Mega Blok info {+ to get extra entries into the giveaway}!

Mega Bloks sent me an additional bag of Mega Bloks {pink colors} to give away to one Letters from Momma reader. Open to US only. Enter to win using the Rafflecopter form below. If you need help with Rafflecopter please contact me or see this video.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I received two 80 piece bags of Mega Bloks  to facilitate this review and giveaway. Prize will be sent from me. All opinions are my own, yours may differ. Not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Facebook. Entries involving Facebook are not mandatory, and Facebook has no liability for this giveaway. Ends 7/31/12 at 12:01 AM Eastern. Open to US only.

109 comments:

  1. I would give this to my daughter when she turns one. So far she just likes tearing things apart, but I hope in time she will enjoy building with block as well.

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  2. my nephew is almost 2. he likes to break things apart

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  3. My son just turn to and he likes building but loves breaking things apart.
    morales_y at yahoo dot com

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  4. She's 3. she's LOVES breaking apart!
    stephanie.rutledge@me.com

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  5. This is a future gift for someone who is not yet one - so I'm guessing... taking apart!

    Nancy
    allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

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  6. My granddaughter is 2 and I think she would love it along with her sister who is 4

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  7. This would be for my 3 year old and I think he likes both equally.

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  8. My son is 2 and loves knocking things down!

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  9. My son will turn one next month. He is a big destroyer...so tearing down towers will be his first love with these legos.

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  10. My son is 19 months old. He loves destroying towers!

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  11. My daughter is 1 and loves for me to build and her to destroy!

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  12. My 2 year old grandson he love to build and take apart.

    owen.darlene@gmail.com

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  13. this would be for my niece and nephew 1 and 3
    debbie jackson

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  14. she is 1 and she LOVES blocks!!

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  15. My son is 23 months old and definitely a destroyer, not a builder! ;)

    cmcosman at yahoo dot com

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  16. to our nephew who is 2

    Jeana O'donnell-Murphy

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  17. 17 months and definitely likes breaking things apart better!

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  18. I would give this to my 4 yr old daughter. She loves building.
    KellywcuATyahooDOTcom

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  19. This would be for our little guy who is 2 1/2 and loves to build but probably likes to knock it down the best!

    colljerr at comcast dot net

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  20. My 3 boys love building and taking apart or crashing each others buildings

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  21. I would give this to my nephew who would be turning 1 soon!

    -Caitlyn (caitpre@yahoo.com)

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  22. any of my kiddos age 8m- 6years, they like breaking best!

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  23. I'd give it to my DS, 15 months old. He LOVES building!

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  24. She is 22 months and loves to build and tear apart! sonyadmorris@gmail.com

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  25. He's 8 months. I think he'd like chewing on them best. lol

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  26. This would be for my 2 year old son. He enjoys me building and him breaking apart!

    Kimberlie - ktiegen at yahoo dot com

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  27. I would give these to my 1 year old granddaughter. I like taking them apart.

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  28. My son is almost one, and he LOVES destroying what I build for him. (:

    Katie

    (intactivistt@yahoo.com)

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  29. Thinking ahead to my son's 1st bday. Right now he just likes to throw things.

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  30. 2 years old - likes destroying rather than building right now-lol

    courtneycox64@yahoo.com

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  31. this would be for my 2 year old, she loves to take things apart, then put it back together to do take it apart again!

    Thanks for the chance!
    Jenni

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  32. My son, he is 2 years old. Likes to stack, build and organize things. Once he is done and satisfied with his work he proceeds to destroy it like godzilla.

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  33. This would be for my 2 year old and he loves taking apart with the aid of a dinosaur!

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  34. I would give this to my little guy, at the moment he does not know how to build, so I guess taking things apart!

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  35. My niece, who is three LOVES TO BUILD. :)

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  36. My daughter is only 4 months old at the moment, so these would be saved for later use. My guess is she'd like to take them apart at first!

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  37. 4 years old & he loves building with blocks!
    nicolesender(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  38. 16 months and loves to break apart!

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  39. 2 I have a class full of 2 year olds!!

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  40. My granddaughter she loves tearing apart things.

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  41. My daughter is 1 and will break things apart

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  42. My youngest daughter is 2 1/2 years old. She loves tearing things apart & rebuilding!

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  43. my 5 year old nephew would love this.

    slb3334@gmail.com

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  44. MY SON WILL BE 3 NEXT MONTH. HE WOULD LOVE THIS !

    LOVE3570@AOL.COM

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  45. My daughter is 3 and she likes building more than breaking apart.
    sumer84@live.com

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  46. My son is 4 and loves building.

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  47. My daughter is 3 and she prefers building at this age

    caryn9802 at yahoo dot com

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  48. If I win, I would give this to my best friend's 5 year old who loves to build.

    abfantom at yahoo dot com

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  49. This would be for my daughter who is 16 months old! She loves building and taking it back apart!

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  50. My cousin is 5 and she likes to build things.
    - Cheri Anne

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  51. My son thinks he likes to build things when really he spends more time breaking them. I actually have fun helping him put them back together so it is a win-win for us!

    Of course, if I won it would be for him....he loves building blocks!

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  52. He turned two last month.
    bethelderton59 at gmail dot com

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  53. My daughter is 13 months, and loves to break things apart and topple them over.

    fs4sarah at gmail dot com

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  54. My son is 4 and he loves to build.

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  55. My niece who is about to turn 2!

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  56. This would go to my 2 year old, he LOVES to stack!


    ssgsweeps @hotmail .com

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  57. I would be giving this to my niece who is 2. She loves building with blocks and breaking them apart.

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  58. While 5 of my 6 kids love playing with any kind of building blocks, f I won, they would mainly be for my 2 youngest. Emma, my 2 year old daughter & Josh, my 4 year old youngest son.

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  59. My granddaughter, she loves building towers then kicking them down!

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  60. HORTON111@AOL.COM

    SHE IS THREE

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  61. My 2yr old niece, she loves to build.
    mintstatesportswear(at)juno(dot)com

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  62. My daughter is 3. She likes building castles with her Mega Blocks.

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  63. I would take them to school for the special Ed K-1st grade kiddos I work with. I have some that would build and some that would crash :)

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  64. I would give them to Izzy who is 18 months. She would have lots of fun building and rebuilding. dollmf@arvig.net

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  65. I know a special one year old who would love these. You have to build in order to tear down, don't you? :)

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  66. She is 2 and loves to build things
    Damian Jarreau

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  67. This is for my Kindergarten class and they like to build and break.

    arudig at comcast dot net

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  68. 2 and 3 and they like to break

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  69. I would be giving them to my 4 year old son and loves building things the most.
    kats7960@gmail.com

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  70. I would be giving this to my niece who is two. She likes to break them apart

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  71. My nephew is 4 and he likes building.

    choateorama(at)gmail(dot)com

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  72. 2 years old and taking apart
    vmkkids3 at msn dot com

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  73. My daughter is 2 1/2 and loves to build buildings and see how fast she can take apart and knock down.
    skibmama23@gmail

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  74. my toddler loves to build wile her older brother likes to destroy

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  75. 6-she likes building-achadwick22 at yahoo dot com

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  76. to my son's best friend's little boy who is 2 1/2 he loves to
    build
    thanks
    aunteegem@yahoo.com

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  77. Our daughter is 17 months old. Sh e loves her brothers Mega Blocks - we'd love to get a pink set for her.

    renski17@fortaj.com

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  78. she will be one and breaking them apart having a blast
    ardelong2(at)gmail(dot)com

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  79. I would be giving this to my niece who is 3

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  80. 2 years old and she loves blocks
    amy16323(at)gmail(dot)com

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  81. My 3 year old will love this!
    brand242003@yahoo.com

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  82. i will be giving this to my four year old nephews.

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  83. My little grandson is 2. At this point he likes breaking apart better.

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  84. My little monkey is 3 and totally into building towers and knocking them down with Lightning McQueen!

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  85. Hes 5 and I love snapping apart!
    ptavernie at yahoo dot com

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  86. it would be for my 3 year old nephew who loves building things.

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  87. My nephew and he likes building better!!

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  88. My nephew likes building better!! arielgrace91@yahoo.com

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  89. I would give it to my 12 month old son who love building with his 3 year old sister.
    lauraemerson17 at yahoo dot com

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  90. My daughter is 1 and she loves taking apart!

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  91. 1 1/2 year old, she's getting very curious and I'm sure will love to explore putting the blocks together and will be able enjoy them for a few years.
    ziggyga athotmaildot com

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  92. I have two daughters (one 5 and one 1 1/2) The 5 year old loves taking things apart and the other likes putting things together. :)

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  93. 17 months and she seems to enjoy building quite a lot more lately. I guess that is until I build something really enticing and she decides that is more fun to knock down. :-)

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  94. This would be for my son (will be 1 in August) and for my daughter (5) to share and play together. My daughter is a builder, but my son loves to knock things down!

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  95. He'll be four next month and he likes both equally. (chelsea.n.daigle@gmail.com)

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  96. I would give this to my daughter, Jovee, who is a year old. She has a small bag already but she loves mommy to build and she knocks them down!

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  97. My granddaughter is almost one and a half and she loves building the best

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  98. My daughter who is 2.

    PDWinner523 at gmail.com

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  99. My son Nathan he's 4. He likes breaking them apart

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  100. My 4 year old son LOVES blocks and legos. He loves to build and then tear down.

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  101. Three year old twins.. one building one breaking!

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Thanks for leaving a comment! Have a great day!