KID K'NEX Monster Buddies Building Set and Lincoln Logs Cedar Creek Homestead {Review}

I've been known to say that there are certain brands of toys that lead to creativity right out of the box.

While there are some that produce toys that have a "take it or leave it" type of effect on kids, there are also 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 an extended amount of prep time in order for play to begin.

If it's ready for use immediately, that just keeps the interest and excitement going much longer than if they have to wait while I get out a screwdriver, read instructions or explain where to put each and every piece. Besides, who wants to sit and follow directions when you are a kid with ingenuity and inventiveness bursting at the seams?

And there's almost no better example of a company that knows what it takes to provide an entertaining and educational experience than the endless imaginative options from 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 such as hand-eye coordination and stacking skills, when most people hear the name K'NEX, they think of the traditional building toy.

However, this company offers 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 and the Lincoln Logs Cedar Creek Homestead and the KID K'NEX Monster Buddies Building Set arrived, they were just the thing to bring some building and constructing fun to our house.

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. There's just something about the feel of the real wood and the simplicity of these logs that makes them special!

As we already had a few Lincoln Logs of our own, the girls couldn't wait to open up the Cedar Creek Homestead set and start playing with it separately and with others.

While the kids love to use these high quality wooden logs to come up with their own innovative constructions (some that resemble something from the real world and some that... don't), they also have had a great time using all 43 pieces in this set to create the farmer's homestead.

Sometimes it ends up precisely as shown on the box and sometimes we add our own little touches to give it a creative twist for the farmer and his dog.

With the open-ended fun of all of the Lincoln Logs sets, I often think the best part is to just start building and see what you come up with! Currently not listed on the K'NEX website, the Cedar Creek Homestead retails for $29.95 on Amazon and is recommended for ages 3+.

I have no doubt that we will be building this homestead as well as various other versions for quite some time to come, as both Big Sister E and Little Sister B have had a great time building and putting the farmer and his dog through a multitude of adventures.

Along similar lines when it comes to open-ended creativity, the KID K'NEX Monster Buddies Building Set is such a fun way for kids (ages 3+) to not only practice their coordination and building, but also tie in a much-loved topic right now - monsters! Setting out the pieces, it was easy to see that the bright colors and variety of shapes and sizes were going to be able to provide entertainment as well as ingenuity quickly and easily.

The 23 pieces in this set have allowed for a wide range of connecting and building fun, although we've found that there aren't really enough for more than one child at a time (unless used along with other KID K'NEX). Nonetheless, the girls have forms creations that have been simple...

...more traditionally monster-looking...

We love that the eyelids can be opened and closed so that the monster can be awake or asleep!

...and some that don't resemble much of anything, but are still immediately a part of the story or adventure that is being told.

But no matter if Little Sister B's monsters didn't look quite the same as the picture or Big Sister E's pals weren't shown as a suggestion, that didn't mean that the process of creating them didn't include just as much laughter!

The girls have both returned to the Monster Set multiple times to come up with something new or to continue on with a tale that they've had in their mind. As with the Lincoln Logs, there's just no wrong way to play with these KID K'NEX and being able to use their imagination is just what my kids always enjoy!

Retailing for $10.99 (or slightly less on Amazon), the Monster Buddies Building Set would be a great gift for any young KID K'NEX fan... particularly one who also loves silly monsters! This set as well as the Cedar Creek Homestead Lincoln Logs both do not come in their own storage containers, but they have still been pulled off of the shelf many times for building and creating that will certainly last well into the future.

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 Cedar Creek Homestead Lincoln Logs and the Monster Buddies 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.)