Starry Night (A Review of the ANSMANN Starlight Turtle)

by 2 Comments

A few weeks ago, I posted this image as my Silent Sunday photograph…

… and was inundated with "where did you get that from?" questions.

The answer is that I was very kindly sent it to review by Hello Baby in order to help with The Boy's sleep-training. As well as a variety of night lights, Hello Baby also sell a variety of other baby toys, travel and safety products.

As I'm not one for controlled crying, or indeed any form of crying at bedtime, I was eager to try something that would help keep The Boy happy to be in his cot, while relaxing him enough to drift off. I've been following a programme given to me by Pampers involving sitting on a chair and moving further away from the cot every few nights, and I also needed something to distract him from the fact that whoever is putting him to sleep is not sat next to him anymore.

'Tommy Tortoise' (or the ANSMANN Starlight Turtle to give him his proper name) is perfect for this. The green shell has star shaped perforations all over it with a small crescent moon in the centre next to the touch-sensitive on-off button. When the central 'button' is touched, the light shines blue, touch it again and it turns green, again and orange. With the final touch it cycles slowly through the three colours.

Most evenings, bedtime is supervised by Mr. TheBoyandMe as this is his time with our son during the day. Therefore I hand over to him to explain how we use 'Tommy Tortoise' with The Boy:

Until recently, the bedtime routine was strained by The Boy constantly trying to talk, sing, fidget, play with his pillow and all the other prevarications he could muster.

We recently added a new element in; Tommy Tortoise. The Boy goes into his cot, with the mobile playing 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star', and Tommy is switched on and positioned to ensure that the moon is projected onto the part of the ceiling which is above the foot of his bed. A few requests to change between the three available colours later, he ends up happy with green and settles down to sleep significantly sooner than before Tommy's arrival.

The Starlight Turtle is powered by three AA batteries so doesn't need a nearby power socket, and in the month that we've been using it, we haven't changed the batteries once. That's pretty good going I think. It also makes it very easy to use when travelling or staying with family and friends, that extra piece of security for your little ones when they are settling down in a strange bed.

I'd thoroughly recommend this nightime light, and at £17.99 I think it's very good value for money.

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

The Froobles

by Leave a Comment

A little while ago I reviewed two new books from a series called 'The Froobles'. The Froobles are fruity people who come to life when the playgroup people go out for playtime, and inhabit the wonderful worlds that the children have made in their pictures. All of the books tell stories which teach children how to behave kindly to others through showing how negative behaviour isn't kind or friendly.

Now The Froobles books are available for your Apple product with downloads available for iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads through the App Store on iTunes. Two of these titles (Apps Apple and the Tooth Fairy, and Ozzy Onion and the Noisy Dinosaurs) can be downloaded for free for a limited time only, while some of the other new enhanced audio ebooks with celebrity narration can be downloaded for a discounted price at £1.49, with the others costing the full price of £2.49.

What's more is that The Froobles are also available through their very own App which is free to download! It comes with the story of Little Jack Potato and his big surprise with additional stories available to purchase and download.

With interactive stories and puzzles, it's a great treat for your Reception aged children addressing issues which they may come across on a daily basis, and can teach them the nice way to behave to gain and keep friends.

I downloaded these Apps of my own volition to test and review.

A New Years' Tipple

by 3 Comments

My drinking habits have changed somewhat over the years. When I was around ten I was rather fond of an ice-cream soda (which mixed coke and ice-cream together: two of my favourite drinks). When I was in my late teens, I discovered vodka and in my early twenties I discovered a Black Russian cocktail which still remains one of my favourite tipples.

Now in my early thirties (shush, 34 is still early) I'm not a big drinker, but one or two quality drinks is all that will be needed this New Year's Eve.

So I'm going to have a go at this rather fabulous cocktail (which combines my favourite drinks from the past) designed by RC Cola and Alistair Tatton: The RC Cocktail.

Ingredients:

12.5mls Kahlua
37.5 mls cinnamon-infused vodka
150 mls RC Cola
2 scoops of vanilla ice cream
Ice
Garnish:
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cherries
  1. Infused the vodka with cinnamon sticks by leaving the cinnamon in the vodka for a few days.
  2. Fill a tall glass with ice and add all the ingredients apart from the ice cream putting the RC Cola in last. Add the ice cream scoops at the top and garnish with the cinnamon sticks and cherries.

For a non-alcoholic version, omit the vodka and kahlua and add a pinch of cinnamon to the drink.

TheBoyandMe and RC Cola ask you to enjoy alcohol responsibly.

I was sent some RC Cola to sample for the purpose of this post.

Two Top Titles (Book Review)

by Leave a Comment

The Boy is developing in his taste for reading material and we're starting to stray away from board books into the realms of paper books. Which is excellent because we've just been sent two new titles from the fabulous Top That! Publishing.

'Time For Dinner' by June Morley

As with all Top That! books that I've come across, the illustrations by Marina Le Ray are as enticing as the spider's web adorning the cover of this book. Time for Dinner is a comical tale of a riot of animals who are a little bit hungry leading up to dinner time, with the pecking order defining who might end up on the menu!

This humorous book tells the tale of a spider who tries to persuade a fly to rest in his web while he trots off for a nap, a bird who tells the spider that it's ok to rest in his nest, and so on. The clever twist at the end of tale makes it a pleasure to read time and time again without being boring for little one. There is plenty to look at in the vibrant illustrations and the pages are thick, quality paper making it ideal for pre-schoolers.

'Time for Dinner' is available for £5.99

'Only Nooglebooglers Glow In The Dark' by James McKnight

'Farmer McDoogle has a very unusual farm. On his farm he doesn't keep chickens, cows or pigs. On his farm he keeps monsters!' And one of these breeds of monsters is called the Noogleboogler. The Nooglebooglers are special because when they eat difflebug leaves, they glow in the dark!

Aimed at slightly older children than The Boy, this clever, fantastical story introduces you to the wonders of life on Farmer McDoogle's farm and the special 'talents' of all the different animals that live there. The scene is set for the annual party in the barn when suddenly there is a powercut and Diggle (the farmhand) has a cunning idea to save the day.

With humour and all the necessary ickiness associated with monsters that pre-schoolers love, along with beautiful illustrations by the award winning Mark Chambers, this is another winning title by Top That! This book is also part of a growing series of titles about life on McDoogle's Monster Farm.

'Only NoogleBooglers Glow In The Dark' is available for £5.99

Both titles are currently available for the reduced price of £5.39!

Snap Happy!

by 4 Comments

I'm a little obsessed with cameras; my own camera of choice is a Canon EOS 300D purchased eight years ago when I was in my final year teaching in Reading. It's taken some amazing photos over the years of many different locations and the difference between that and a standard digital is astounding. We've got a couple of 'point and shoots' in the house, and therefore it was only going to be a matter of time before The Boy wanted to start taking his own photos. He's played on the iPod Touch but the camera on that is quite frankly a bit pants.

Therefore when The Boy was sent a child-friendly camera to review, he was very excited and my DSLR breathed a metaphorical sigh of relief.

The VTech Kidizoom Twist is an improved version of the Kidizoom with a rotating camera lens to face conventionally, angle it through 180° and finally face the photographer to take self-portraits. This in itself makes it a big hit with The Boy who is fascinated with taking pictures of himself and frquently pulls faces at the camera while taking a series of photos. (Just to avoid confusion, the flash is where there is conventionally a lens. Obviously this doesn't work when facing the photographer!)

His ability to take photographs is improving as he remembers to frame the subject in the good-sized screen on the back. There are two ways to take a photograph. Either by pressing the button on the top (in the normal place) or by pressing the 'ok' button. As The Boy's hands are only little, he can't quite reach the main button and therefore happily presses the 'ok' button which rests just above his thumbhold. The camera doesn't react straight away and it's taken a little while for him to understand that he needs to wait until he hears the shutter sound before moving the camera away.

One of the other features of the Kidizoom Twist is the instant photo-editing function. There are a variety of frames and special effects which can be previewed on the screen before taking the photo and they made us chuckle.

The technical bit:

  • 2 mega pixel camera with twisting lens
  • 4x digital zoom
  • 256 MB of storage and SD card slot for memory expansion (necessary with The Boy as he snaps away and 60% are of his forehead, feet or blurred)
  • built-in flash
  • Also features video taking, voice recording and 5 built-in games
  • Connect to the TV or edit and view photos linked to a PC
  • Dual viewfinder in addition to the digital viewfinder (screen)

Other functions on this incredibly cool camera are: a sound recorder and audio manipulator (The Boy is too young to understand this properly yet, but I've recorded my voice and then slowed it down or sped it up and it made me chuckle like an eight year old); and five games (again we haven't explored this yet).

The Kidizoom Twist is robust and sturdy. The big grip handles eitherside are rubberised, which a) make it easier to hold, and b) mean if it does drop, it bounces. In fact, everything that protrudes from it, and could get damaged (lens, viewfinders) are rubberised. Clever designing there.

My only negative on this camera is the slight time-delay between pressing the button and the photo being taken. Other than that, this is pretty much perfect.

We were sent the VTech Kidizoom Twist for the purpose of this review. Our opinions are honest and unbiased.

PlayMobil Grande Mansion (A TRU Review)

by 5 Comments

And so to the final Toys R Us review from us as 2011 Toyologists. I might have a little sniff once I've pressed publish!

Please excuse the length, but this is a big and expensive item worthy of a detailed review. We're very lucky to have been sent the PlayMobil Grande Mansion and the seven room sets to furnish it.

The PlayMobil Grande Mansion is designed like a French large townhouse on three levels (additional floors are available to buy). There is an exterior to the house with steps leading up to the front doors, an opening postbox, a working doorbell, balconies on each floor (I haven't attached the hanging flowers as this toy is intended for 4years+ and The Boy is 2), windows and shutters. On the inside of the house is a spiral staircase connecting the three floors together.

Constructing the house took a while: there are many different sections, plugs to join walls and floors together, similar parts and fiddly bits. However, I was making this with The Boy present who was desperate to get to grips with it. It took me two hours (eight episodes of Poppy Cat and three of Peppa Pig) to finish it, so I would recommend making this before giving it to your child!

As a child, I always wanted a playhouse, and my dad once made me a wooden Barbie house for my birthday. This is no Barbie house, this is the next generation of playhouses and being PlayMobil it is most definitely unisex. I even had a discussion on twitter (more of that later) as to whether people thought that a playhouse was exclusively a girls' toy, and the general consensus was a resounding no!

The Boy absolutely adores his house, it is without a shadow of a doubt, the one toy that he plays with every single day for a sustained period of time. For the first week, he literally played with nothing else and I have had to bribe him away at times to play with the other toys in order to review them. The learning opportunities and possibilities to develop his understanding of the world around him are extensive, and his imagination has developed no end in the last month since it arrived.

There are seven room sets which can be bought to furnish the Grande Mansion, and (nearly) all of them are excellent quality and value for money. The accessories included are really detailed and comprehensive. However, if you wanted to build up the collection of rooms slowly and when finances allowed there are one or two that you could leave out initially.

PlayMobil Kitchen (£19.99)

This room is essential and one of the best value room sets. With a fridge-freezer, cooker, dishwasher, sink and extra opening cupboards it's really detailed. There is also a 'breakfast bar', two chairs and a highchair, coffee machine, plant, crockery and  cutlery, tins and packets of food, a dog, a dog's bowl, a nana and a baby. There's even a chicken to roast in the oven! The Boy is forever acting out the grown-ups cooking tea and loading the dishwasher afterwards, although the fact that the adults only ever cook pizza is slightly telling! This is a must room-set, although it has a lot of little pieces which could get easily lost. For safety, I haven't given them to The Boy yet.

Something to note is that the cupboards don't attach to the wall and move easily. I've used double-sided tape to fix them to the walls. I can cope with them now!

PlayMobil Dining Room (£9.99)

The dining room is one of the rooms that you could come to last, if at all. To be perfectly honest I'm not entirely sure what it adds that isn't covered by the kitchen. There is a table and four chairs (the kitchen set has a breakfast bar and two chairs), four ice-cream sundaes and spoons (food is provided in the kitchen set), a plant (?!), a jug and four mugs, and a male adult figure. The space allocated for it in the house isn't huge and is also right at the bottom of the staircase, so it's a little crowded. It's difficult for The Boy to sit the figures on the chairs and tuck them under without him knocking off the other people, and the food bits are too small for him to play with at the moment.

PlayMobil Living Room (£17.99)

This is essential to have in the house, and is good value for money. The set comes with a three-seater sofa, an armchair, a television, a tv stand with opening cupboards, a dvd player, cd player and video (which I've fixed into place with double-sided tape), two plants, a vase of flowers, a coffee table, a fire which glows when the button is pressed (also fixed to the wall), a cat and basket, a grandad (looks just like The Boy's grandad), a caraffe and a glass. At the moment, The Boy is too young to be able to handle the caraffe, glass, vase of flowers and small plant, so I've put them away. A really good set which I'd recommend.

PlayMobil Parents' Bedroom (£15.99)

At first glance you could be forgiven for thinking there's not much in this room set considering the price, but the two bedside lights light up and that makes it completely worth the money! There's also a wardrobe with opening doors and a drawer, a vanity table with a turning mirror and chair, an alarm clock, and a mummy (that look a bit like me, although I'd love her eyelashes!). The Boy is captivated with the working LED lights and puts the mummy and daddy to bed at night. A perfect set, although mildly annoying that the mummy can't lay flat on her back due to her ponytail sticking out.

PlayMobil Children's Room (£19.99)

An essential room to buy but full of tiny pieces that are fiddly and unsuitable for under the recommended four years of age due to chocking hazards. You can't fault this room for value for money though as there is so much in it. The two children's beds can be kept separate as twin beds or stacked on top of each other as bunk beds, which is what I've done. Even better is that there are dips in the mattresses for the two provided children to lie down properly. There is a wall shelf, a high drawer unit, a table and chair, an underbed box, a guinea pig cage with two guinea pigs, a farm set with tiny figures, a boat, a fortress, musical instruments and a teddy. There is so much in this room, you can't not get it. Be warned though, the farm pieces are incredibly small and I see them getting lost very easily.

Playmobil Nursery (£11.99)

This is one of those rooms that you could come to towards the end of building the room sets up. In the set is a cot with canopy (pink, how sexist! I've removed the canopy), a changing table with opening doors, a mobile to fit on the change table (although I've put it above the cot), a dad, a baby, a plant (they're obsessed with flora), various bottles and potions to 'help' with changing the baby's bottom, a few toys and a potty. The potty is the smallest piece which I'm happy to have out (although we've temporarily misplaced it) and The Boy loves it because of his potty training journey in the Summer. Unfortunately, the baby provided is also another girl baby (like the one in the kitchen), so I've had to buy a boy baby in order to have a The Boy in the house.

PlayMobil Bathroom (£17.99)

This one's brilliant! I'd highly recommend this one's bought because of the value for money. Provided in the set is a toilet with moving lid, a bath with overhead shower (which detaches), an opening wall cupboard with mirror, a sink with an opening cupboard underneath, a chair, a plant (another one!), a towel, a female figure with underwear on and a plastic wrap around towel, and various tiny toiletry bits. The Boy is constantly giving the figures a bath and then drying them with the towel, or sitting them on the toilet and pretending to use the toilet paper. A definite must!

Taking into account the price of the house (£99.99) and the cost of the room-sets, all in all this amounts to what seems like an expensive toy. However it is worth it. It's aimed at 4-10year olds and I can see The Boy playing with this for years to come. Already it is his favourite toy and he has played with it every day for the past five weeks. Break that down into cost per day over the years it is used, and all of a sudden it is an investment for the future.

Would I recommend this?

Without a moment's hesitation.

For more Toyologist reviews, click on the banner below

We were provided with these toys for the purpose of the review. Our opinion is honest and unbiased. Now where's the tissues? 

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

by 1 Comment

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!

For more Toyologist reviews, click on the banner below

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.

Chuggington Interactive Puffer Pete Steam Around Set

by 2 Comments

The Boy loves Chuggington at the moment and he gets very excited about whether or not the episode that is on is a 'normal' episode (the morning one) or a 'special' episode (the 'badge quest' one on at teatime). Therefore when I opened up the Toys R Us box last month, I was excited to see the Chuggington Interactive Puffer Pete Steam Around Set.

Designed using Smark Talk technology, this train set features engines which recognise and talk to other engines, as well as being picked up by specific buildings and accessories with sensors and the same technology in it. That in itself is a massive bonus and draw to this set. Having tested the more traditional wooden style railway with normal engines, to hear Puffer Pete declaring that he loves being back in the Ol' Town when he gets to the station, was a novel and quite attractive feature.

The other selling point (from the manufacturer) of this train set is that it features 'real' steam from the water tank and chimney in the station. Water was involved in this process, but it's not a hot steam so it's quite safe and won't burn little ones. The other reason that it won't burn your child is because the amount that comes out is so minute that there's no danger (look at the video to see what I mean). Bearing in mind the packaging shows a bucket-load of steam billowing forth, this is misleading and a bit pointless in all honesty.

On this set, as opposed to the Under and Over, the track pieces are plastic and not interchangeable with the wooden set. I personally think this is a shame because it limits the play possibilities with it. The pieces don't have any electrics hidden in them so there's no reason for them not to be compatible.

As The Boy has had a lot of new toys recently to play with, and will be having even more in a week's time, we decided to test this ourselves and donate this to Ty Hafan, Children's Hospice. My husband was told to unleash his inner child and have fun with it. An hour later I popped my head in through the dining room doorway to check on him; he was still setting it up having had difficulty getting it out the box and fasten the track pieces together. This is a 36 year old man. My son is two years and I don't hold out much hope of him constructing the track himself (unlike the wooden set). The track pieces click together and once joined are fairly sturdy which is a bonus, especially on the raised sections.

One of the additional features of this set is the turn table so that Puffer Pete can go one of two ways around the track. It isn't stiff, it's really easy to turn and works well. It could do with being bigger though as Puffer Pete has a hopper wagon joined on the back but the pair of them can't fit on it together.

And so finally to the carriages. I like the fact that Puffer Pete has a bank of sayings and that he can interact with the buildings and accessories. There is a small light on his top which flashes when he's picked up the signal, or there's a button on the top too to make him speak or 'choo-choo'. This is clever and I'm impressed with it. I was disappointed that there was only one carriage included in the pack as the product description says: "Destinations recognise and interact with interactive engines. This magical open ended play system includes over 300+ sounds and phrases (when used with other Chuggington interactive products)…" However, each of the other engines are £9.97 so it's quite pricey to see the 300+ sounds!

All-in-all it's a good set. It usually retails for £49.99 but Toys R Us have it on sale for £34.99 at the moment which I think is a far more realistic price for the products that you get.

For more Toys R Us reviews by the Toyologists, click on the banner below

We were provided with this for the purpose of this review. Our opinions are honest and unbiased.

To Infinity, and Beyond! (TRU Review)

by 4 Comments

Mr. TheBoyandMe and I love Toy Story. Absolutely adore it! I've tried to get The Boy to watch it but he won't go for it at the moment (secretly I don't think Woody is a very nice toy, he's a bit naughty at times! Also the neighbour is really nasty! EVIL!) and so Woody and co. are stuck at the back of the DVD cupboard for a year or two.

Therefore when Toys R Us delivered a Buzz Lightyear to be reviewed I wasn't quite sure what would happen. I needn't have worried; The Boy adores Buzz. Absolutely and completely and utterly! Buzz is his new best friend.

Ok, so for the technical bit. We were sent a Toy Story Andy's Collection Buzz Lightyear. Apparently there are a couple of different types which I wasn't aware of until my extremely jealous five year old nephew clapped eyes on the Space Ranger. This one is better than his because he says a lot more and his fingers move apparently. Buzz's helmet can open and close, his legs and arms are jointed (although a little stiff, some lubrication wouldn't go a miss), he has an opening panel on his arm so he can talk to Star Command, and the best bit is that his wings pop open and flash! In addition, he has sensors so that he knows whether he's flying or standing and therefore makes appropriate noises for that action.

That's not the only way he can interact with the 'child' playing with him. I was chasing The Boy with him earlier and being a little vocal: Buzz told me off for shouting because he could hear me and I needed to quieten down. Chastised by a toy! After a little while of not being played with, Buzz calls out asking if anyone is there. He'll repeat this a few times more and then declare he's going into hypersleep mode, or standby as us humans call it.

On his chest are three coloured buttons. The red activates his 'toy' mode (a bit boring), the blue his 'space ranger' mode, and the green is the interactive mic feature. The space ranger mode is the one where most fun can be had as he seems to come alive and reprimands you for opening his helmet without his permission. Buzz also has a moving head; it is motorised so he can look around and talk to you.

He really is amazing and I won't have a word said against him: he's a real hero!

 For more Toys R Us reviews click on the banner below

We were sent this item for the purpose of this review. Our adoration of Buzz is genuine and unbiased.

Ping & Pong: Santa

by 18 Comments

I've had the pleasure of reviewing the Ping and Pong series of books before and it really is a pleasure. They are the most lovingly written and illustrated books by Amy Trevaskus (and Alison Heath) with genuinely innocent stories to tell. Amy has come up trumps with another winning title for this festive time of year:

[Read more…]

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...