K'NEX Lincoln Logs Fort Hudson and Talking Pirate Elmo Building Set {Review}

I've often said that there are certain brands of toys that lead to creativity right out of the box.

I love the ones that just get it. They provide products that I can set in front of my daughters and there aren't strict instructions or that take a while to put together or set up in order for them to play. If it's ready for use immediately, that just keeps the interest and excitement going much longer than if they have to sit while I get out a screwdriver or explain where to put each and every piece.

And there's almost no better example of that than the endless imaginative options that come with the toys that children all over the world love: K'NEX.

The most innovative and fastest growing construction toy company, K'NEX products are sold (and enjoyed) across the globe. With the ability to provide fun and enjoyment for kids while mixing in strong educational components, when most people hear the name K'NEX, they think of... well, K'NEX.

However, they offer much more than that! With everything from building to stacking to imagining for kids of all ages, K'NEX has something for just about every age and skill level. For us, when the Lincoln Logs Fort Hudson set and the Talking Pirate Elmo Building Set arrived, they were just right for the building skill level that my girls possess.

Lincoln Logs by K'NEX are the classic building set that we all have known and loved since our own childhood! Including real wood logs of various sizes along with colorful accessories and play figures, these familiar notched logs are made to fit together to allow kids to build any kind of structure they can imagine.

From towers to buildings to forts to houses to just about anything in between, kids can easily use the logs, windows, doors, and accessories to practice and improve their fine motor skills, creativity, and more.

As we already had a few Lincoln Logs of our own, the girls couldn't wait to open up the Fort Hudson set and start playing.

Although they could have followed the directions to create the finished fort, they had a great time playing with the high quality wooden logs to come up with their own innovative constructions. With 70 total pieces, the door, window, roof and flag were just the thing to finish off a building...

...or set aside to simply act as part of a creative art project. With the open-ended fun of Lincoln Logs, I often think the best part is to just start building and see what you come up with! Retailing for $25.99 (or 40% off on Amazon!), the Fort Hudson Lincoln Logs set is recommended for ages 3+ and will be sure to be a hit for quite some time to come.

Along similar lines, the Talking Pirate Elmo Building Set is such a fun way for younger kids (ages 2+) to not only practice their coordination and building, but also tie in a much-loved topic right now - pirates! Setting out the pieces, it was easy to see that Elmo was going to be able to provide entertainment as well as adventure quickly and easily.

The 16 pieces and pirate themed "Play & Learn" activity sheet allow for educational and collaborative fun while providing inspiration and ideas in case your child needs them. We started out building the traditional Elmo pirate, which both Big Sister E and Little Sister B thought was extremely cute...

...but then when they realized that by gently pushing on his head that he talked, their eyes lit up!

Although hearing Elmo say "Elmo's pretending to be a pirate!" and "What kind of treasure can we find?" over and over (and over) wasn't something I was into, the girls both loved making him speak and were excited to get into the pirate spirit right along with him.

Plus, when they weren't playing with Pirate Elmo, they had no problem taking him apart and putting the pieces back together into any number of creative projects. As with the Lincoln Logs, there's just no wrong way to play with this building set and being able to use their imagination is just what my kids always enjoy!

Retailing for $16.99 (or slightly less on Amazon), the Talking Pirate Elmo Building Set would be a great holiday gift for any young pirate fan... particularly one who also loves Elmo! This set as well as the Fort Hudson Lincoln Logs come in their own handy storage containers, which I appreciate for storage and portability, and the building and creating will certainly last long into the New Year.

To learn more about these sets, as well as the huge selection of innovative and fun products that K'NEX has to offer, visit their website and connect with them on Facebook.

(Other than the Fort Hudson Lincoln Logs and the Talking Pirate Elmo Building Set that I received from K'NEX, I was not provided with anything or enticed to do this review in any way. This review is solely my opinion of these fun and innovative products.)