Rev It Up at Breakfast Time With Help From General Mills & Mega Bloks #Fandamonium

Disclosure:  I received samples in exchange for sharing this information and my honest opinion.

When I was little I admit I picked out cereals not on their tastes but on the prizes inside.  I’m sure I drove my mom crazy because half the time I would end up not liking the cereal and would just keep the prize.  I treasured those little cereal box toys and collected as many as I could.  I remember digging my whole hand in that box to find the toy.  Nowadays it is not as easy to find toys in cereal boxes, especially quality ones.  One brand that has been surprising American families with quality cereal treasures for more than 80 years is General Mills.  From secret wrist bands to whistles to paint sets, getting something special inside the box is part of heritage of iconic General Mills cereal brands.

General Mills remains to be committed to providing cereal fans of all ages with a premium surprise when consumers buy their favorite cereal.  For the first time, General Mills is offering free customizable premiums for both boys and girls through a partnership with Mega Bloks.  Each participating brand of General Mills cereals offers a free Mega Bloks car with either Hello Kitty or Power Rangers stickers.  The boxes even feature instructions to cut out a pattern to construct a cardboard jump from the cereal box for your new Mega Bloks car.

With more than 50% of cereal consumption coming from adults, General Mills suggests that families are enjoying cereal time together.  The brand hopes to encourage family time from what you eat to how you play thanks to the Mega Bloks partnership.  Kids (or adults) can customize the cars with stickers, zoom them around and play with them with other Mega Bloks sets they might already own.  So not only can families share some delicious cereal together but they can then play together with these fun cars!

For more fun, check out this video that we created with the author of Maker Dad, Mark Frauenfelder, to create a large, multi-story Rube Goldberg-style contraption with his daughter Jane to rev up the breakfast table. The ultimate goal of the deliberately over-engineered contraption was to pour milk into their favorite cereals at their breakfast table. The video, entitled Fandamonium, shows what happens when this creative dad and his daughter are inspired by their favorite cereal brands and the free stuff inside.

Here are some tips from Mark for creative contraptions to foster family fun, especially for dads and daughters:

 

It STEMs from Somewhere: As an illustrator and journalist, my girls are exposed to creative arts all the time, so exploring activities rooted in science helps promote learning in other areas. Plus, I learn a lot from my kids about creativity, experimentation and improvisation in the process.

Building the Bond: Creating something together and seeing it through from start to finish helps strengthen my relationship with my daughters. In fact, I wrote the book Maker Dad, because I saw the need for a resource that gives dads and daughters ideas for activities they both enjoy doing.

It’s What’s Inside That Counts: General Mills putting a free, buildable Mega Bloks car in its cereal boxes is a nostalgic experience for me and one I love to share with my daughters. We’re all excited for the free prize inside.

Try and You Shall Succeed: Building an elaborate structure like this shows that it’s okay to fail, just try again! These kinds of challenges will stretch your mental muscles, and are also a great way to give your kids an introduction to real-life challenges.

Get Creative: Making a Rube Goldberg contraption leverages the  benefits of construction for creative play, but you don’t have to take it to our extreme. You can build small ramps and simple structures
from anything in your house.

BUY IT:  Mega Bloks cars can be found in specially marked boxes of cereal, including Honey Nut Cheerios, Reese’s Puffs, Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms, Golden Grahams and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

WIN IT:  (1) US winner will receive a $50 Target GC, 1 General Mills Cereal & Mega Bloks Collectible Car Kit

Cereal variety will be sent at random

Need help entering a giveaway?  Check out my blog post for some help!

GIVEAWAY ENTRY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This Giveaway Ends December 5, 2014.