I mentioned not long ago that Tristan was going to share with you a fun and unique puzzle that he’d completed. We aren’t going to keep you in suspense any longer…. the Ravensburger Graffiti Sneaker hasn’t been a marathon for Tristan at all!
Ravensburger kindly sent us their 108 piece £D jigsaw puzzle in a Graffiti Sneaker design. Prior to this, Tristan had completed a 3D dinosaur puzzle, that sits nicely on a shelf…but this sneaker puzzle is great because it’s also practical! It is in fact, also a pencil pot to keep all those stray pens and pencils tidied up.
This arrived just after my parents flew in from Canada. So while Mom was putting together Flying Home, Tristan sprinted through his very own puzzle, too. I say sprinted, both as a pun and as a reality. It honestly didn’t take him any time at all to read through the simple instructions and figure out how to get the puzzle put together.
Here he is waiting for dinner to be served, and taking the opportunity to get a few minutes of puzzle-piecing-together done.
The puzzle pieces are plastic and are numbered on the back so you have the choice to figure out where each piece goes on your own, or you can simply follow the numbers. There is an arrow on the piece as well showing you where the following piece will slot in.
You start at the sole of the foot, which is a plastic plate, and build up from there.
And yes, that’s the only photo I have of this puzzle in progress…..before any of us realised, he had it completed! When I mentioned that he was supposed to let me grab a snap half way through, he sheepishly said….”Oops!”
Once the puzzle pieces are all snapped together, you tuck in the included pencil pot tube and that’s it, you’ve won the race!
Tristan carefully chose which precious items he wanted to keep in his Graffiti Sneaker, and the final pick were some markers that he had received as a gift from a librarian, as well as a pencil and a ruler for doing his homework.
Speaking of homework, it is a little more fun with this sneaker sitting about! We took the opportunity of a sunny day last week to move our math class outdoors, and of course, the Graffiti Sneaker had to hop out, too.
You may be thinking about the durability of this Graffiti Sneaker Pencil Pot Puzzle, and I wasn’t sure what to expect, myself. You’ll be glad to hear that because the pieces are plastic and not foam, they are sturdy. The sneaker has kept it’s shape since it’s completion almost a month ago. You do have to be mindful that it isn’t glued together, and it is hollow inside, so don’t be rough when picking it up. As long as you don’t squeeze too hard, it’s fine. And if a few pieces do wiggle a little out of place, it’s easy enough to smooth them back into alignment.
Tristan really does love this project, there’s no denying that! It’s aimed at children between the ages of 8 and 99, although children just slightly younger may be able to do it with a little help. So if you have a birthday coming up and you are at a loss of what to give as a gift….don’t be surprised if this is running some circles through your mind, as it would be well-received. And the fact you can give something that’s fun for a child to do, improves their brain skills, and is practical at the same time…it could be the perfect ‘fit’ for that lucky child.
Ravensburger Graffiti Sneakers 108pc 3D Jigsaw Puzzle is available through fine retail stores and Amazon.co.uk.
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