Teach N Treat - Level 3

The girls have been mastering the first two levels of Teach 'N Treat.  I had a chance to try the remaining challenge with them today.  This level keeps the four covers used in level 2, but locks them onto the board.  This allows the covers to be pushed around, but they cannot be picked up.

Having watched Bertie and Pinniped play with this toy over the last couple of months, I figured this level would be a non-event.  And this was true.  Pinni walked over, immediately nosed over the first cover she encountered, picked out the melon piece and took off to enjoy it.  The two of them had no problems maneuvering the pieces.  Their biggest frustration was their inability to lift up the covers or knock them over.  You can see Pinni tries several times to pick them up to move them.

I got a kick that they managed to shove three of the covers into one corner.  It could have ended up in a stalemate if they had each chosen an end and tried to push the covers against each other.  Bertie, once again, insists that the best way to play this game is to stand on top of the pieces.

I accidentally made it a bit more challenging by slicing the melon rind rather thin.  I had chunkier pieces to start with, but it prevented the covers from sliding over the depressions properly.  I didn't have this problem with the first two levels, because the level 1 disk didn't get caught on treats that were taller than the depression, and the level 2 covers over each chamber allowed for a large reward.  The thin pieces I had for level 3 were difficult for Bertie and Pinni to sink their teeth into and pull them out.

Now that I've tried all three levels, I must say that none of them were particularly challenging.  The girls had an easier time understanding the cause and effect of the four covers than they did with the disk.  Of course, some of Pinni and Bertie's ease with the third level was that they'd been playing with this toy for a while.  I'd like to see how they'd react if introduced to the levels in the opposite order.  At this point, the first level still presents the biggest challenge, because they often stand on the disk that they're trying to move!

I think the most challenging puzzle for them is to put the four little covers directly on the floor with treats under them.  Pushing the cover around will only result in the treat moving with it.  They can slide them around, but get no reward.  It forces Bertie and Pinni to either pick up the cover and move it to reveal the treat, or hit the top of it with enough force to knock it over.  It allows me to use the Teach 'N Treat as two games, that I can set up in different parts of the floor.  Even when the treats are all gone, they are entertained by rolling around the toppled covers.

Overall, it was a good purchase.  Both the pigs and I have been entertained with this toy, and I believe it will continue to be fun for the foreseeable future.