It's Time to Rev Up the Breakfast Table with General Mills and Mega Bloks! {$50 Target Gift Card Prize Pack Giveaway}

Although the first ever breakfast cereal was granola, invented in the USA in 1863, cereal as we know it didn't arrive until years later in 1895. And it wasn't until after World War II when the big breakfast cereal companies realized how much children loved this morning staple and began to look at ways to get them more interested.

How different the history of cereal would have been (and how much less fun!) had the innovative thinkers behind General Mills (who entered the market in 1924 with Wheaties) not started surprising families with free prizes in cereal boxes!

However, even though we have been enjoying all sorts of unique and fun items in our boxes for more than 80 years, 2014 marks a change by being the first time ever General Mills is offering free customizable premiums for both boys and girls through a partnership with Mega Bloks!

That's right, General Mills and Mega Bloks have teamed up to offer exclusive customizable cars and build-it-yourself jumps free in your favorite boxes of specially marked cereal boxes!

Participating brands of General Mills cereals include Honey Nut Cheerios, Reese's Puffs, Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms, Golden Grahams and Cinnamon Toast Crunch, where customers will find not only find a free Mega Bloks car, but also a set of Hello Kitty and Power Rangers stickers. Collect all four colorful cars and deck them out however you like – a super-charged Power Ranger racer, a fashionable Hello Kitty mobile, or a mash-up of both!

I have to admit, as well as knowing that my kids would be happy to see these cereals and cars, I was pretty excited to see them as well!

These cars are fully buildable (they come apart into three pieces each) and giving kids the option of adding any of the included stickers makes them truly unique!

Even better, General Mills has ensured that the fun last even longer by including a pattern right on the back of the cereal boxes that, with a few cuts, allows the box to be constructed into a cardboard jump for the cars!

In addition, to make it even easier to foster family fun, General Mills partnered with the author of the new book Maker Dad, Mark Frauenfelder, to come up with tips to make creative contraptions — especially for dads and daughters:

• It STEMs from Somewhere: As an illustrator and journalist, my girls are exposed to creative arts all the time, so exploring activities rooted in science helps promote learning in other areas. Plus, I learn a lot from my kids about creativity, experimentation and improvisation in the process.

• Building the Bond: Creating something together and seeing it through from start to finish helps strengthen my relationship with my daughters. In fact, I wrote the book Maker Dad, because I saw the need for a resource that gives dads and daughters ideas for activities they both enjoy doing.

• It's What's Inside That Counts: General Mills putting a free, buildable Mega Bloks car in its cereal boxes is a nostalgic experience for me and one I love to share with my daughters. We're all excited for the free prize inside.

• Try and You Shall Succeed: Building an elaborate structure like this shows that it's okay to fail, just try again! These kinds of challenges will stretch your mental muscles, and are also a great way to give your kids an introduction to real-life challenges.

• Get Creative: Making a Rube Goldberg contraption leverages the benefits of construction for creative play, but you don't have to take it to our extreme. You can build small ramps and simple structures from anything in your house.

Ready to see the Rube Goldberg style contraption that Mark made entirely out of General Mills Mega Bloks cereal boxes? Check out this great video!


Ready to bring home some tasty cereals and Mega Bloks freebies that will promote fine motor skills and construction play patterns for children? Then head to your local grocery or Target store today, because this promotion only goes until December 1st!

However, thanks to the generosity of General Mills, one person will be prepared to enjoy the delicious flavors and nutrition from their tasty cereals as well as have a fun time playing with Mega Bloks cars as well, because...

One lucky person will win a General Mills Prize Pack including a $50 Target gift card, an exclusive Mega Bloks collective car kit and participating Mega Bloks cereal boxes!

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A big thank you to General Mills for providing a product for me as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.