This is a really lovely toy for little ones. Easy to play with, simple and lots of fun. It doesn't require and batteries which is always a big plus! When you pull the train along the three characters - Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and poor old Eeyore, spin around on their carriages.
You child can also remove all the characters, swap them round, and play with them without the train. They are great quality and nice and sturdy and chunky for young ones to play with. My daughter loved playing with them and they spent lots of time discussing which was their favourite coloured seat and where they would go on their trip. They usually go to the seaside!
She has decided it is not a train however but an aeroplane (this is why they are flying in the photo!)
If you would like to see the train-plane in action watch our video! Thanks to Geoffery for sending us this to review, they are in sale for perfect Christmas pressies at Toys R Us. X
Meet Scout – the LapPup (yes a genius name indeed)! This is a great little toy with plenty of fun engaging features. We already love Scout as we have a funny, cuddly, singing version of him and so were pleased to try out his very own laptop (or LapPup).
My daughter just loves having the perfect opportunity to copy me and daddy and say "I'm just going on my computer", she has been in her element testing out the LapPup. Scout is really lovely for younger children who enjoy the lights, all the sounds, and the easy to push buttons. He is nice and lightweight and easy for little hands to grab onto. When you give him a shake he also makes a good rattling noise. As children get older they can learn from the shapes and the colours as they interact with the toy in different ways.
My daughter loved the songs he played and have fun dancing around to them. Our favourite feature however had to be that when you close the lid Scout plays peekaboo with you, every little ones favourite game! A lovely little toy in my opinion and great choice if you are stuck for present ideas for curious little ones.
We are passing him on to our 9 month old friend who found the lap-pup lots of fun and very engaging.
You'll be surprised my almost 3 year old gave it up when you watch the video and see how much fun she was having testing it out!
Squiggle and I are putting together our plea to become Toyologists... we love playing with toys... and talking about playing with toys... and so we would love the chance to review for Toys R Us for a few months! Here's our review for our application.
At the weekend while I was trying to decide which toy to write about and recommend, my daughter came up with the inspiration. She shouted "lets make a monkey jungle!!!" pretty much as soon as she'd got out of bed. So that is what we did (and why she is still in her pyjamas in the photos).
I thought it was the perfect choice, the monkey jungle she is referring to is 'Gears! Gears! Gears! Movin Monkeys' by Learning Resources. It's a fantastic toy which really has it all – great for fun, imagination, cognitive skills, and has a bit of engineering thrown in. My mother-in-law had an old school version of this (by a different make) which she had kept safe since the 70s and which my daughter had really taken to. Ever since we had all been on the look out for something similar for her, and hurrah we finally found this in Toys R Us.
It is basically a really fun and different construction toy - it comes with various pieces you build up to make your very own twisting, turning jungle. You start with some flat green pieces which slot together a bit like a jigsaw. You then build up from there adding cogs, building trees with the parts, palm trees, monkey vines and cranks. Squiggle finds some of the parts a little hard to put together but she is a good bit younger than the recommended age and it's fun to do together. She is quickly learning and as she gets older she'll keep finding fun from it in different ways.
You can follow the instructions or make up your own jungle, it's great because what she creates is different every time and then brings fun throughout the day. She makes up stories about the monkeys nesting on the trees, getting stuck on vines and being chased by crocodiles. Like most children she seems to really love monkeys, they really bring out her cheeky side when she's playing.
It is great seeing her mind at work as she realises how all the cogs go together, and her imagination in full flow as she decides what game to play.
When we've had people round to play it has been a bug hit with both boys and girls, from ages ranging from 2 to 6 (and some 30 odd year old daddies). I have been asked by so many people where we got it from as it's not something most people have seen - that makes it a great gift idea!!
I think this is a top, great value toy which will really stimulate your little ones, as well as bringing them lots of joy. We've almost had it a year now and it is standing the test of time, getting played with more rather than less as the months roll on! Monkey-tastic!!
Want to know a little more? Why not which our mini movie! x
Last summer I brought a foam hopscotch set in the Early Learning Centre sale. If you're looking for some outdoor toy ideas I have to say this was such a great buy.
Squiggle still can't hop (bless) but it hasn't stopped her having fun with it! She was about 1 and a half when we first got the set and she loved running up and down the squares and helping me puzzle the pieces together. I was completely taken aback one day when I realised she had started recognising the numbers. I said aloud that I needed the 8 and she got it for me. It shows you they are learning all the time even when you're not thinking about it, little ones are amazing little sponges!
Now at 2 and a half we have a new game. We've started hiding the numbers round the garden and she collects them in order. I've also been trying to place the numbers in rhyming scenarios... number 4 on the door, number 8 on the gate (I struggle with 7!) She lives this and is always asking to play it, it's all she wants to do in the garden!
We love it!
Anyone else got any great garden toys they can recommend? Can anyone think of anything in the garden that rhymes with 7?! xx
