we’re wild for eeBoo’s new african wildlife puzzle :: review

It’s no secret that we love eeBoo products. I’ve written about them here on SIMPLE several times. They just have such great, well-made products that it’s hard not to love everything. Our latest fun project is one of their fun (and secretly educational) puzzles: Wildlife of Africa. Once complete, the puzzle measures 18in x 24in and shows 18 different African Wildlife animals. It’s pretty easy to figure out what the hippo and lion are, but what if one of your tiny humans asks about that big blue bird at the top? You could just say blue bird. That’s probably what I’d do in a lot of cases. But with this puzzle? You don’t have to! The back of the box has a picture just like the puzzle with all of the animals labelled! I’d never even heard of a Violet Turaco. So we took that as an opportunity to do a little research. Did you know that despite their bright colors the birds are often quite indistinguishable in the dense canopy of the forest? And a Hyrax? I thought that was an orthodontic thing that my son had in his mouth. Not so much. To this Southern girl, it looks a little bit like a big beaver but with a teeny tiny tail. They’re fat and furry and even though they kinda look like rodents and are pretty small, they’re actually the closest relative to elephants!

A few more things that we love about this puzzle is that the pieces are sturdy and don’t bend or break easily. The colors are vivid and the art work is beautiful. And a big perk for me? It kept her busy forever! Since we homeschool, it’s important to find activities to keep her busy while I work with the others. It’s tempting to plop her in front of a screen just to keep her entertained and quiet. But I really don’t like to do that. I try to find educational and engaging projects for her to do. One last thing I love: for such a sturdy and lovely product you would expect a pretty high price, wouldn’t you? These puzzles are only $14! And they have a wide variety of 208 piece puzzles like Bioluminescent Creatures, Garden Creatures, and many other wildlife puzzles from across the world. Even if your child isn’t ready for the 208 piece puzzles, there are several smaller puzzles that may be just what you’re looking for. Check out all of their puzzle options here. I promise you won’t be disappointed!