I received the Light Stax Junior Creative 16 from The Lazy Dog & Co. to review. Included in the box were a power base, 16 blocks, and a USB charging cord. The cost of the blocks on the company's website is $20.99, and the website indicates this is a spring sale price, usually this set costs $29.99.

This product is like Lego blocks but has the added lighting feature when built on the included base. There is a switch on the base to turn on the light element. The button can be pushed one time to turn on the light, two times to make the light flash, and three times to have the light fade in and out. The light has a built-in shut-off feature that turns off the light in 15 minutes. The auto shut-off feature can be disabled. This product can be used for many purposes, including play, learning, and nightlight. 

My four-year-old and five-year-old enjoyed creating with the Light Stax blocks. We also played with them in a learning game to recall colors and to count the number of blocks in each creation. The light-up feature was unique and kept their interest. They enjoyed taking their designs into a dark room to see how it glowed from the lights on the blocks. We have even used the blocks as a night light.

The only negative that I had was the size of the base. It is two and a half inches by two and a half inches.  This limited the way the blocks could be stacked to create different designs. However, when I visited the company's website, I found that a larger base could be purchased.

I would recommend this product to others. My sons continue to reach for this toy to play with and find different ways to play with it each time. I appreciated that we could incorporate learning in our playtime.

Product review by Heather Wise, The Old Schoolhouse ® Magazine, July 2021