Search Results for: orchard toys

Orchard Toys: 'Big Police Car' Jigsaw (Review & Giveaway)

The Boy is getting to the point where he comfortable completes 35+ piece jigsaws, using the image to help him identify the correct pieces. He's got the tricks of finding the edges and corners first, then working out the different sections of colour, quite practised and enjoys piecing jigsaw puzzles together.

We were recently sent the new Orchard Toys Big Police Car jigsaw to review, and although it has fewer pieces than he's used to (30 pieces) it actually offered him quite a large challenge due to the nature of the design.

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Orchard Toys: Shopping List

If you don't have a copy of one of the most popular Orchard Toys games ever made then you need to get it. And soon.

Shopping List is an essential game for children aged 3-7 years because of the way that it takes an everyday situation that children are incredibly familiar with, and provides them with the opportunity to play it at home learning about the different foods available.

Orchard Toys Shopping List

The original game (for there are two booster packs) contains:

  • four cardboard trolleys;
  • four shopping lists with pictures and written names of groceries;
  • 32 grocery cards

The basic idea of the game is that each player takes a trolley, chooses a shopping list and then must fill it with the relevant items on their shopping list, taking it in turns to find them from the muddled, upside-down pile in the middle of all the players. If the grocery item card they pick up is one of theirs they can put it in their trolley, if not the must return it to the middle for someone else to take it. Play continues until one person has filled their trolley.

orchard toys shopping list

Only because we have a three year old who likes everyone to win (you just either win first, second or third) then we play it that rather than return it to the middle, we give it to whoever has it on their list. And yes, it does work which is the beauty of Orchard Toys games, they are adaptable for the needs of the child.

There are two Booster Sets available:

  1. Fruit & Veg
    • Containing two trolleys and shopping lists, there are 16 grocery cards each with an item of fruit or vegetable on it. The fruit and vegetables chosen show a range of everyday foods that the children should be familiar with: pears, potatoes, leeks, melons, cherries, kiwi fruits, asparagus, etc. This is a great opportunity to discuss healthy eating options and where the foods come from or how they grew.
  2. Clothes
    • Like the Fruit & Veg pack, this Booster Pack is designed for two players, this time containing 16 clothes cards showing clothes from different seasons like; shorts, vest top, watch, scarf, flip flops, trainers, jumpers, sunglasses, etc. It provides an opportunity to discuss the clothes that are worn at different seasons (or in this country, the same season but different days!)

Whenever we go away for the weekend this is the one Orchard Toys game that comes with us, having carefully selected the lists we The Boy wants to take; the booster packs are interchangeable with the main game. We've had this game for quite some time now (I'm ashamed to admit how long) and it is the single most played game in the house!

Educational guide:

  • encourage observational and memory skills
  • develop personal and social skills through role-playing and questioning
  • language development (modelling questioning and discussion)
  • healthy eating – PSHE

Shopping List is priced at £7.50 and each of the Booster Packs are priced at £4.50 each.

Orchard Toys: 'What's Rubbish?'

I've got a little bit of an eco-warrior on the sly, he's keen to put rubbish in the bin and is most insistent on knowing whether he can recycle the items or if they go in the compost bin. Very rarely does it occur to him that the rubbish may go in the 'normal' bin, and I'm quite proud of him for this.

We were recently sent the Orchard Toys game, 'What's Rubbish?' to try out and it has gone down a storm (it's even knocked 'Crash, Bang, Whallop' off the top spot, and Inever thought that would happen!).

'What's Rubbish?' is a fun recycling game which features a board with interweaving paths on, four counters, a 3D wheelie bin, four recycling bank player boards (two of each type: metal, bottles, paper and clothing), a spinner, and a selection of 'rubbish' cards.

Orchard Toys

  • Each player chooses two different coloured recycling bank boards.

  • The corresponding small cards are placed face down on the table. If four people are playing all recycling bank cards and corresponding small cards are used, remove unused recycling bank cards and the corresponding cards for fewer players.
  • Choose twelve small cards and place them on the pathways all over the playing board.
  • Choose a playing piece/counter and place this anywhere on the board.
  • The youngest player spins the spinner and moves that number of spaces in any direction across the board. The aim is to pick up as many small cards on the board as possible to fill up your own recycling bank.
  • If the spinner lands on the litterbug section then a small card is taken from the table and added to the main playing board.
  • When you land on or pass a card, pick it up and see if it is one of your materials. If so add it to a space on the board, if not return it to another space on the main playing board.

  • Occasionally there are 'litterbug' pieces which are picked up. When they appear, everyone must return one of their materials from the recycling bank to the table upside down. That litterbug card is then put in the wheelie bin.
  • There are also some small cards which cannot be put on a recycling bank card, like a broken tv, alarm clock etc which are put into the wheelie bin.
  • Each time a material is added to the recycling banks, or is put in the wheelie bin, then a replacement small card must be put onto the main playing board.
  • The winner is the first person to fill their two boards.

'What's Rubbish?' is a really fun game to play as a family; it does involve some form of strategy when playing (for example Mr. TBaM and I are very careful to ensure we lay the small cards down on the board in our counter's path – or The Boy's if he's losing), but likewise it's purely chance as to whether a litterbug is picked up and pieces are lost. Even The Boy has started to realise that he needs to think carefully about the path he takes while playing.

Aimed at 5-10 year olds, I actually think that a child younger than that and capable of logical processing would be able to play this as well as The Boy does. As always,Orchard Toys games aren't just about having fun (although that is the primary aim!):

  • develop strategic thinking
  • encourage personal and social skills (turn-taking, etc)
  • linked with National Curriculum Maths (counting, number recognition, shape and colour recognition.
  • scientific development (identifying different materials and whether they can be reused or not – a tricky concept)
  • moral and spiritual development (taking care of our world).

This is one of the entire family's favourite games from Orchard Toys; it's fun, educational and allows for a little bit of devilment whilst playing it with other adults. Excellent games and top marks from us!

I was sent this product for the purpose of this review, my opinion is honest and unbiased.

Orchard Toys: Jungle Express Puzzle (Review)

We've got quite a few Orchard Toys jigsaw puzzles, especially the big ones, and I'm a big fan of their brightly coloured and attractively drawn illustrations. They are very attractive for pre-schoolers and The Boy is always drawn to Orchard Toys' games and puzzles above any others.

The Jungle Express puzzle is a slightly different puzzle to normal, as it has been designed as a 'talkabout number puzzle' ideal for pre-schoolers and children in the Foundation Phase as it promotes discussion about numbers in a natural way giving context to the concept.

As you can see, the picture shows a train with an engine and ten carriages following behind. In each carriage is a different quantity of an animal, dependent upon the number carriage they are in. It's a 30 piece jigsaw; three rows and ten pieces in each row.

Normally The Boy is capable of doing jigsaw puzzles between 30 and 50 pieces, and so I was initially apprehensive of the challenge of this jigsaw, but was happy to review it for the mathematical development available through it. However, it is actually quite a challenging jigsaw because of the way that the carriages have been drawn going up and down hills; they don't join together in a straight forward manner. This in itself is mathematical development because it relies upon The Boy drawing upon problem solving skills; using a picture to solve a problem, trial and error, and logical thinking. (And if you think I've just made up those areas of problem-solving, then I shall happily show you the hand-outs from a Maths course I went on a few years ago).

We've developed our own way of doing the puzzle, in opposition to the normal 'do the edges first' approach; we do the middle row first. This way he can link the carriages together in the correct order, then we do the 'sky' row and then the 'ground' row.

This puzzle of course can be left at just joining the pieces, but it would be a travesty not to take advantage of the opportunities for discussion. There are times when I look desperately for a question to ask about something, and my brain fails me. Orchard Toys recognises that sometimes there are days when there's not enough coffee or chocolate to help, and so on the back of the box they have printed a brilliant guide which gives over fifteen questions to start you off; Can you find the ___? What is the colour of the ____ carriage? Are there more ___ or ___ on the train? and my favourite question: Where do you think the train is going?


One of my favourite parts of any Orchard Toys product is the 'Educational Guide':

  • Develop counting and number skills.
  • Develop hand-eye co-ordination and fine motor skills.
  • Help compare, discuss and investigate.
  • Links with Early Learning Goals and National Curriculum Key Stage 1.

But of course, our most favourite part is how much fun they are!

'Jungle Express' is available from Orchard Toys for £9.75

We were sent this product for the purpose of this review, our opinions is honest and unbiased.

Orchard Toys: Where's My Cupcake? (Review & Competition)

Anyone who has read any reviews on my blog will know that the statement above is true. I am a massive fan of Orchard Toys and think that they really are the leading producers of educational games and puzzles in the UK at the moment; long-lasting, sturdy, attractive, environmentally friendly and fun, you'd be hard pushed to find a better brand.

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Competition: Orchard Toys Dinosaur Race

The biggest sporting discussion to happen this year won't be about Andy Murray winning Wimbledon. No, this year he gets a break, and the nation debates how many gold medals Britain will get in the sporting event of the decade! The Olympics need little introduction to most people, but for children they are an unknown quantity; how do you explain it, especially to a pre-schooler?

Well, introduce them to the concept through this rather nifty new game from Orchard Toys.

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Orchard Toys: Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes (A TRU Review)

I'll make no bones about it, I adore Orchard Toys games, there is not a single one I don't think highly of. We've built up a sizeable collection of different games this year and they are played, and loved, regularly. Our penultimate review as a Toyologist family is for the Orchard Toys Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes game.

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes is a simple turn-taking game suitable for 3years+. The Boy is two and a half years old and coped with the basic principle of the game with no problem at all.

Of course the best bit about any Orchard Toys game is the popping out of the pieces to start with!

1) There are 32 body parts cards which have to be placed figure side down and coloured circle side up.

2) Assemble the jigged game boards. There are four in total, and they show the eight different body parts that are mentioned in the song.

3) Spin the coloured spinner to land on one of the four colours.

4) Pick up one of the coloured cards matching that colour.

5) If you haven't got that body part card, lay it down on your board. If you have, return it to the pile, and miss your turn.

6) The winner is the person who has all the body parts covered first.

Afterwards, the winner must sing the song of the game:

The rules supplied by Orchard Toys suggest additional rules which can make this more challenging for older children. In addition there are also four 'wild' cards which show all body parts on the card. When these are picked up then they can cover any body part on your board. I didn't use these because I felt the concept was too hard for him to understand at the moment.

One of the best things about Orchard Toys games are the educational guides that are on the back of each box. This is no exception:

  • Develops colour matching skills (pre-Maths skills)
  • Reinforces rhyming skills (Oracy development)
  • Reinforces naming and recognition of body parts (Scientific development)
  • Encourages memory and turn-taking (Logical development)

The pieces are, as always, sturdy and attractive, and the spinner moves easily (always a bonus). As with many Orchard Toys games, the rules are adaptable for the needs of the child. It's a fun game which can be played in a short amount of time or in more detail. This is a complete and utter winner with us!

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We were sent this for the purpose of the review. Our opinion is honest and unbiased. Oh and I had to bribe The Boy with chocolate to sing the song for the video.

Blogoversary Competition 4: Orchard Toys Shopping List

I have been so fortunate this year to have reviewed a variety of toys and puzzles for Orchard Toys, some directly and some through the Toyology scheme. I am a massive fan of their quality and beautifully illustrated products, and The Boy adores them, begging to play their games at any opportunity.

I've recently been sent one of their most popular games to review, and I am lucky enough to be able to offer Shopping List as a blogoversary competition prize:

But the ever generous Orchard Toys have not only offered the original Shopping List game, but also the booster packs: clothes and  fruit & veg!

To be in with a chance of winning this must-have blogoversary prize, simply fill in the Rafflecopter form below:



Orchard Toys: Giant Road Jigsaw

 The Boy has recently developed a taste for cars. Cars and jigsaws! As long as he can 'brum' a car along then he's a happy chappy. Give him a 24-piece jigsaw as well and he's in seventh heaven!

Now wouldn't it be good if someone combined the two together?

Well, the genuis that is Orchard Toys have! They've created an extra large floor puzzle in the format of a road jigsaw. Now strictly speaking this is not a typical jigsaw: as there are a great deal of combinations that can be created from the 20 chunky pieces which include corners and junctions, as well as straight roads.

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