Cranium Bloom: Nurture Your Child’s Genius

Even before I homeschooled I was always looking for fun, educational games for my kids. When my oldest was 2, he started playing computer games, but they weren’t the frivolous games he plays now on ps2 or the Wii. They were educational. He started out with games like Bailey’s Book House which taught letters and reading and Millie’s Math House which introduced numbers and counting.

When he got a little older I started selling Discovery Toys just so I could get the toys. We played, my children learned and often times when I homeschooled we used the phonics and other educational games as school. Those were the days I really enjoyed homeschooling. I think my kids did as well.

Even though I’m not officially homeschooling, I still gravitate toward the learning games. So when I got my samples of Cranium Bloom in the mail I was excited. We immediately opened the attractive packages and started to play.

Cranium Bloom’s Let’s Play and Cook caught my eye instantly with the fun chef movers and Cook Book. The object of the game was to collect tokens to make a recipe which includes spaghetti and meatballs, PBJ, and chocolate chip cookies to name a few. Through out the recipe cards there are kitchen safety tips, a table setting guide, and even a fun way to tell how old an egg was.

I played it with my 5, 7 and 10year old who really got mad when he didn’t win. Maybe it was my added incentive of the winner gets a cookie that helped him get into the game.

The ages for this game says 3 and up, though I can see younger kids who like to play games loving this one. Even though this is a preschool game, it lends itself to talking about healthy food choices, especially when you get to choose a different ingredient to add to your recipe.

While this isn’t a strategic game, (though my 10 year old figured out how he could avoid getting a token to win the game), it is a great little addition to your game library. In fact, I’ll be teaching a homeschool family about nutrition and organic foods and this game would be a perfect way to end the class. The game retails for $12.99 and you can order it at my store here! 

Another fun product we tested was the Seek & Find Let’s Go to the Zoo puzzle. It reminded me of a cross between Where’s Waldo and The Usborne’s Seek & Find Books. But what I loved about the Cranium version is that it’s not just a seek & find book. It’s a puzzle (hand’s on which I love) and it has challenge cards which ask you to find certain things like 3 parrots, something that’s red. So not only is your child enhancing her visual skills, she’s also learning counting and numbers. Plus there is a dry erase pen that helps with fine motor coordination because she gets to circle what she finds.

From the manufacturer:

Cranium Bloom, a new product line developed by Cranium specifically for preschoolers, allows parents an innovative way to engage their little ones’ minds through play and an organic approach to learning that celebrates the whole child – an elegant solution to the quandary of blending play with active learning. The Cranium Bloom line includes games that awaken your child’s imagination to neighborhood sounds, shopping at the grocery store or cooking in your kitchen; activity books designed to be used while you and your child are out and about, engaging you both with the things you see
around you; and pretend play toys for everything from taking care of a puppy to creating and sending mail to each other.