Ravensburger Puzzle Globe: It’s a Small World!

Although we keep the basics of reading and math going all summer, my younger kids take a break from their other school subjects. Unless, of course, I can find a way to sneak some teaching in without them knowing it, like I did last week with this Ravensburger puzzle globe from Timberdoodle.

The box says it’s for ages 7 to 12, but my 6 and 13 year old enjoyed it, too. And I strongly suspect their older siblings would have joined in, as well, had they been home at the time.

We were impressed with how nice and sturdy the puzzle pieces are. The only 3-D puzzles we’ve tried before were made with flat pieces of foam board. Ravensburger used durable, curved plastic in their puzzle globe which snap snugly together for a perfect fit.

These are a few of our favorite things (about this product)

This puzzle was a great fit for our family, because:

1. We love working puzzles. Puzzles provide a fun project we can do together.
2. We love trying new things. That includes our first spherical 3-D puzzle.
3. We love a good challenge. Working in 3-D definitely seemed trickier than piecing together flat puzzles.
4. We love learning. This globe puzzle helped us brush up on our geography.
5. We love traveling. We enjoyed seeing places we’d been before on the globe, and discussing where we’d go next.
6. We love maps and globes. They’re so full of possibilities.
7. We love geography. Kids benefit from seeing how different countries in the world are situtated.
8. We love pretty things. The finished globe was pretty enough to decorate with.

The Ravensburger Puzzle Globe really is pretty, don’t you think? I love all the detail. Not only are major countries and cities marked, but each continent is decorated with illustrations of indigenous animals and famous landmarks.

Think it would be a headache to decide to which ocean a particular blue puzzle piece belongs? Don’t be discouraged. Numbers on the backs of the pieces will help you out if you get stumped.

Once they completed the puzzle globe, my boys asked if they could leave it assembled and use it on their desk. I told them that would be fine, though I was hoping to use it myself on our entry hall table. Don’t you think it looks perfect there (especially after I spray painted the stand gold)?

This Ravensburger Puzzle Globe reminds me a little of a gemstone globe we used to keep on that same table. A gift from my husband, that one cost more than this one and was not so easily put back together when it got dropped and broken. 🙁

The Ravensburger Globe Puzzleball is available from Timberdoodle, either as a stand-alone product or as a part of their elite third grade curriculum package.