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Category: Play & Development

Geography Resources & Useful Websites

Geography Resources & Useful Websites

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Drum roll please…… our World Map Jigsaw – one of our range of education toys has been singled out for being a great Geography resource by Tutorful in their latest blog! After a tough selection process and after whittling down from hundreds of recommended resources, our jigsaw has been chosen to feature in Tutorful’s editorial – Geography Learners: Useful Websites and Resources That Will Rock Your World! Their article recommends some incredible geographical websites, apps and resources to bring our…

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Turn off the TV and get outside!

Turn off the TV and get outside!

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A news article in The Times shows a worrying trend that children under 12 spend less than 2 hours a day outside – even in summer – and cannot recognise conkers or insects! Many children prefer to stay inside watching TV and playing computer games which does not bode well for a healthy lifestyle or future development. Our advice? Switch off the TV and computers and take them out to play in the fresh air in the garden or park….

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Childhood ends at 12 ?

Childhood ends at 12 ?

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As reported in the press, a recent Mumsnet survey has emphasized the belief amongst parents that children are growing up faster – or getting older younger as it’s sometimes described – something the toy industry has recognised for years.  It seems this latest survey suggests that the majority of parents believe childhood is over by the age of 12. That’s a sad state of affairs in anyone’s book but, given that at the same time we’re all expected to live…

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Top Ten Christmas Stocking Fillers

Top Ten Christmas Stocking Fillers

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Father Christmas has now authorised us to announce the top stocking fillers he’s ordered from us for this Christmas – and all under £7.  He’s ordered 100s of each of these from us so we are pleased to recommend them to you.  Fortunately, despite his orders, we have stock left, but we don’t know when he’s going to want more so get your order in soon! Here’s his Top Ten so far. Pirate Skittles Astro Projection Torch Batwing Gyro Flyer…

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Ikea wooden train track – does it fit Brio or Bigjigs Railway?

Ikea wooden train track – does it fit Brio or Bigjigs Railway?

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In this article we look at the wooden train set sold by Ikea and check to see whether it fits with Bigjigs railway, Brio or any of the other leading brands. Firstly we have to say it is fantastic value. Sold under the name of Lillabo, Ikea offer a basic 20 piece set for £7.99 and a pack of 10 track pieces for just £4.99. The track pieces seem to be made of beech, which isn’t cheap. As the old…

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50 Things To Do Before You’re 11

50 Things To Do Before You’re 11

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Some of my best memories of childhood are of the adventurous things I did, many of them as a Boy Scout.  Some of them were daft, and some of them were definitely dangerous.  Climbing the chalk scarp slope at Boxhill in plimsolls and no rope.   Fighting a major fire on Headley Heath armed only with tree branches, until the fire brigade arrived.  And cycling 50 miles to Brighton (and back again) on a whim, without a map, just half a…

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Quadrabyke – the ultimately versatile bike for children

Quadrabyke – the ultimately versatile bike for children

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This is a chid’s bike that starts as a 4 wheeler, then can quickly and easily be changed to a trike by removing one front wheel and repositioning the other by means of the clever axle system.  Then when your child is ready the rear wheels are changed in the same way converting the same frame into a first pedalled two-wheeler bike.  This is such a fantastic idea we thought it well worth putting on the front cover of our…

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Dolls House Delight

Dolls House Delight

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It’s a little known fact that dolls houses were in existence in Egypt over 5,000 years ago. These early examples were true miniature homes, made out of wood, with miniature furnishings, servants and livestock. However, these ancient Egyptian dolls houses were not toys as we know them today. Discovered in Egyptian tombs it is thought that these models were used for religious purposes. It wasn’t until the 16th century that dolls houses began to be used for amusement, but not…

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No Longer Child’s Play?

No Longer Child’s Play?

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Toy collecting, especially antique tin and wooden toys, as an investment is a relatively recent phenomenon. It started to get serious in the mid-’60s with prices and demand is driven largely by interest from the USA. By the mid-eighties, the market really took off. Toy prices in the USA and around the world started going through the roof. In 1988 the sale of the contents of Leon J Perelman’s Toy Museum generated over $5 million in just 24 hours for…

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Choosing the Right Wooden Toy

Choosing the Right Wooden Toy

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Quality wooden toys give lasting pleasure. They feel organic. They are robust and long lasting. Aside from their immediate play value they also represent an investment in childhood memories. An heirloom that can be passed on from generation to generation. Many of our toys are similar to those that parents remember with fondness from their own childhood. All are guaranteed to be fun and exciting as well as educational and helping to improve and develop motor and creative skills. But…

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