Dr. Livingston Anatomy Jigsaw Puzzle the Human Thorax is part of a seven puzzle set that once fully assembled will make a 10ft tall human replica. This is the fifth of the seven puzzles I will be reviewing. You can read about the first one the human right arm here, the second the human head here, the third the human left arm here, and the fourth the human abdomen here.
This is another fantastic learning tool curated from Timberdoodle Co. It is part of Timberdoodles 11th grade curriculum kit. I received the Dr. Livingston Puzzle from Timberdoodle Co in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to post a positive review, nor would I recommend a product I don't find useful or beneficial to other parents or homeschoolers. This puzzle is recommended for ages 14 and up. I used this puzzle with my 13 year old rising 8th grader and my 10 year old rising 5th grader.
We loved getting the opportunity to review this anatomy puzzle. We are studying human anatomy for science next school year and this seemed the perfect asset for our studies. The extra large size and great details really brings the learning to life making it the perfect addition to our studies. The small pictures in science books have absolutely nothing on these puzzles. This puzzle was illustrated by Mesa Schumacher whom is a certified medical illustrator and is 100% medically accurate. This puzzle is a wonderful addition to any human anatomy study.
The Box
The box is so original and beautiful. It really does look like an old leather bound book. I loved that the box is so study and that it is something you could set out on a shelf to display. The magnetic clasps on the side were a nice addition. It helps keep the lid securely closed when grabbed off the shelf by eager children ensuring pieces don't get lost. Once we opened the box we were blown away by what could be learn. The picture in the lid of the box was so detailed. There are so many labels and things to discover. Every time we looked at the picture we noticed something new to learn we had overlooked previously. My mother in law who is a nurse said the images were better than those in her nursing books. The image on the underside of the lid is what you use to help assemble the puzzle.
The Puzzle Pieces
It was so much fun putting this puzzle together. The impeccable details on each piece is unrivaled in any puzzle I've ever assembled in my life. In my experience puzzles that reach approximately 500 pieces or more generally become grainy and the size of the pieces become quite small. That was not the case for this puzzle. Every piece was nice and large and showed great detail. Seeing all the details of the lungs, heart and bronchioles was so mesmerizing. It felt like we were looking at the real thing. The larger pieces helps slightly younger children or a grandparent whom may have a harder time seeing the tiny details. Assembled the puzzle is 21 in long and 20.5 in wide.
Putting The Puzzle Together
The edges on this puzzle were much easier to distinguish than the ones of the head or arms. While the picture inside the lid has great detail it is quite small especially compared to the massive size of the puzzle. It took us several days to assemble this puzzle working on it a little at a time. My 10 year old was easily able to help assemble this puzzle but, I feel a child any younger would find it difficult or frustrating to assemble. The pieces of this puzzle interlock really well. It is nice for when we needed to slide the puzzle around while assembling to also be able to continue using our dinning room table. The larger size and unique shape of the pieces really helped when it came to assembling this puzzle. The unique shapes really came in handy while working on the lungs. With such a large area that looks very similar having a unique shape to look for was a much appreciated perk.
Overall
The one negative thing I have to say about this puzzle is the image you get to help assemble the puzzle is quite small. It would be nice to have a slightly larger images especially in smaller areas that have lots of details or components. A poster size image perhaps you could fold and keep in the box. I feel this could help with assembling the puzzle.
We were quite pleased however with this puzzle. The sheer size truly brings anatomy to life. The heart and the lungs were just extraordinary to see. No picture in a book can rival this puzzle once you've finished assembling. It is a truly beautiful work of art. I really feel like this is a great addition to anyone studying human anatomy. Medical students could even make great use of these puzzles for their studies. We give the Dr. Livingston Human Anatomy Puzzle: the Human Thorax two very enthusiastic thumbs up.
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