Sometimes finding things to do inside on a rainy day can be challenging. This product is a fun activity to give your children to play with, and at the same time it will help them learn more about how shapes fit together.

The tack set comes with 100 wooden geometric shapes, including triangles, large and small circles, diamonds, half circles, parallelograms, and squares. A sturdy corkboard, measuring 12 x 8 inches, is included, along with an all-wooden hammer and tacks. A small guide with suggested patterns is also in the box. Your child will take a shape, and with the hammer and tack, pound the shape into the corkboard through an existing hole on the shape. It is only up to your child's imagination and creativity as to what images appear on the board. The box does suggest this product for children ages 4 and up.

My children enjoyed making all sorts of designs on the corkboard. Flowers, houses, people, and cars can all be created with a little thinking and lots of pounding. The tacks go into the corkboard quite easily, so minimal hammering is needed. So that the tacks do not go all the way through the cork, they are only 1 centimeter long. This can make it the activity a little challenging for small fingers; the age recommendation of 4 and up is a good parameter. My children played with this toy over and over. Once a design has been finished, the shapes can be easily pulled out of the board and a new picture begun. I think the only complaint I heard from my children is that each box only has one hammer. This is a great product for children who are tactile learners and for moms who need something to pull out on a rainy day.

Product review by Charlotte Gochnauer, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, May 2011