Life Cycle Kit Toy Montessori, Realistic Figurines Set for Kids with 25 Pieces Animals & Plants, Learning & Education Activity Games for Children 3 + |Preschool Classroom Must Haves

These are great! Very well made! They made learning life cycles more fun and hands on

This was bought for my 2 and 4 year old. They love it! The pieces are very life like and very educational! They will be using it a lot!

Sets like these are a vivid, hands-on way for young children to learn about the concept of a life cycle, and there are countless versions available online. Why is this one worth considering?This particular kit includes three-dimensional models, rather than 2D illustrations, and they are realistic, detailed depictions, not vague or cartoonish. This gives children a real sense of the various developmental stages, and allows them to examine and safely handle the pieces in a way they could not or should not do with a living creature.I also appreciated the range here. Many kits focus exclusively on animals, and that makes sense inasmuch as these undergo more dramatic and unique changes, but I liked that a plant was represented here, too, for the sake of completeness. Another benefit of this set is the number of life cycles included. I've seen many others where you'd need to buy one set for frogs, another for butterflies, and so on, individually, but this kit comes with the aforementioned bean plant, plus five animals. You get frogs, butterflies, ladybugs, bees, and chickens, for six total sets, which is plenty to start with, and enough to establish the concept and demonstrate it with several specific examples. For pre-k and young elementary school-aged children, this is probably all you'll need, unless they are fascinated and want to do a deeper dive.In addition to the plant and animal models, there is also a round mat printed with cyclical arrows and spaces to arrange the pieces for a given organism. (Be aware that it provides four spaces which will work for everything except the frogs, which have a five-stage cycle.) Each organism also comes with a set of cards, one card displaying the entire life cycle in order, plus one card for each individual stage, so you can focus on one at a time, use them as flashcards to review the name proper to each stage, have your child arrange them in chronological order, or match the model to the picture, and so on. The cards are labeled, so you don't have to recognize what ladybug eggs or a bee pupa look like, or know all the right vocabulary in advance, in order to use the materials and teach your child.The last piece is the storage box, which is lightweight plastic with a hinged top, a front latch, and a lay-flat handle, similar to the design of a tool box or sewing box, except that it's just a single compartment within. This is a secure way to keep all the pieces together, and it's fun for little children to latch and unlatch, and to carry around, looking all grown up. I will warn you that although the various sets arrive in separate bags, these are sealed, not zippered, so they're not reusable. Once you tear open the pouches to access the models, you will need to provide baggies, or just leave everything loose and mixed together in the kit. The cards do come in a reuseable zippered plastic bag, so you won't have the same problem there. They will stay organized and be protected within the kit, and since they are conveniently labeled, if you or your child should have trouble remembering what's what once all the models are mixed together, the cards can help you separate the pieces back out again.Some of these pieces are small, and they are not intended for babies or toddlers to play with. If you have a very young child at home, you'll want to keep these materials out of reach for now, lest they present a choking hazard. This, and the lack of physical organization within the kit once everything is open, are my only precautions to you. These aren't major issues for me, so I admire and recommend the set. It would probably be a good fit for homeschooling families, or for any child who loves animals and science, or for childcare or classroom environments, either as a teaching resource, or as a science center for young students to explore and review on their own.

This is a proper Montessori-method lifecycle toy I have been searching for - forever! I homeschool my kiddos, and we use the Montessori method when they're young. It works well even for older kids but is especially important for preschool. Maria Montessori has a pedagogy that includes children being able to touch the materials, which this has.I show how they are in my hand for perspective - a very nice size. Montessori also created the three-part card. I have established an example of that as well. The child starts with all the cards and materials at first, working their way up to putting the lifecycle together without the cards, which I also showed an example of.THIS SET HAS IT ALL! There is a picture of the life-cycle mat that is also included. I just remembered I needed to add a picture of the carrying case. This set comes with a carrying case that is perfect for holding all of the items and cards. Plus, it allows for the folding up of the life-cycle mat which is thick and reminds me of a mouse pad you would use for a computer. It's not flimsy whatsoever and isn't falling apart on you.Lifecycles are essential for kids to learn, as are being able to manipulate their "work," and with the cards, the child can work in a self-led way. This helps them work on their independence and critical thinking skills. You will see a lot of toys say they are Montessori now - most of them are not.This set is a 100% REAL DEAL MONTESSORI method set. My son is five, and he BEGGED to play with his new toys. He loves matching the animals and has no idea he's learning. That is the whole point. Children learn best through play.I have always found the sets for sale separately, and this is the first one that sells them together. It's a great deal (a steal, really), and the items are so high quality and detailed. Even the larvae show the inside parts. I would not pass this up.Great for birthdays, any learning toy, homeschool, Christmas, Easter basket, or classrooms.10/10 recommend. I will be checking out other items the seller offers for Christmas and other gift-giving holidays.