Kids Travel Product Review: Orb Factory Ltd. Magnetic Mini Puzzles

Entertaining children while traveling is a challenge that many parents would rather not face. Some rely on electronic gadgets and the zombies they create, while others would rather stay home than subject their children to huge blocks of time parked in front of a screen.

Of course, finding the toys and games that can withstand the rigors of travel and still keep the kids happy isn't easy either.  And there is nothing worse than getting underway only to find that the stash of toys you have brought along has already been tossed aside and the "Are we there yet?" chorus has begun.

With that in mind, Tourist Baby has created a list of travel toys we love and a series of product reviews for toys and games that didn't make it into our carry-on bags more than once.

When our son was about two years old, I found a series of themed magnetic puzzles that I thought would occupy him while we traveled.  The back cover of the puzzles even stated in bold face type: Great for Travel!  So I purchased three puzzles - Diggers 'n' Dumpers; Bug andShell and took them along with us on our next trip.

Mini Magnetic Puzzles come in a series of interesting topics.

When my son saw his new puzzles, he was very excited.  The topics were all interesting to him and he had just started a love affair with all things "truck" soDiggers 'n' Dumpers became the instant favorite.

I opened the book and began to read about the different trucks, finding each corresponding puzzle piece and letting him play with it while I read the description.  Once we finished reading, we then used the magnetic page of the puzzle, which depicted a construction site, as a backdrop for our trucks to get down to business with my son making great truck noises as each vehicle did its job.  All in all, the book was pretty entertaining and I even managed to show him how all the pieces fit back together as a puzzle.

At 6.5" by 6.5" square, the mini-puzzles fit easily into carry-on baggage, although they do weigh more than a book of the same size would due to the use of magnets.  The main problem with this book, and its counterparts, is the nine small puzzle pieces are exceptionally easy to lose.  Not only because they are small and very thin, but also because the strength of the magnet is very weak and they don't stick to the page very solidly.  A good bump in a plane or car easily jolts the pieces right off the page.  Case in point - our book is now missing two pieces.

The mini-puzzle's small pieces are easy to lose when traveling.

On a scale from 1 to 10, I rank the Orb Factory Ltd. Magnetic Mini Puzzles as a 3 for travel-related use and an 8 for general entertainment.  My son really loves these mini puzzles, but I am reluctant to take them out of the house, since we have already lost two of the trucks from the Diggers 'n' Dumpers puzzle.  A better option is to avoid any toys or games with small pieces that are integral to its function and look for small, light-weight activity books with stickers and coloring pages for entertaining children during travel.