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Melissa & Doug Decorate-Your-Own Princess Wand
by Suewandering
We were given this Melissa and Doug decorate your own wand set as a gift.
As a Melissa and Doug toy I had an expectation of it being good quality and I was not disappointed. The wood is chunky and the wand feels very sturdy and solid. The paints/glitter/gems supplied were perfect for little girls to decorate with and there was ... still decorations left over when my daughter had decorated the wand so we were able to use them on other crafts.
It took my daughter about half an hour to decorate it. And since decorating it she loves playing with it when she is pretending to be a princess or fairy.
The box says it is ideal for children aged 4-6 but my daughter received this aged 3 and I think it was suitable.
Since receiving it I have bought two more for other people's presents because it is a good craft activity/toy for little girls. Also for a short time it was on amazon for just £1 which is a complete bargain! It usually retails at about £5 which I think is still reasonable for a good quality toy.
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Flair Aqua Beads Starter Set
by Suewandering
My daughter received this set for her 5th birthday and use has been hooked ever since.
Aqua beads are small plasticy beads which you can place onto a tray to form a pattern. When you have designed the pattern you like you then spray them with water (using the spray bottle provided) and leave them to dry. When they are dry you ... find they have stuck together and you have a small bead ornament.
Initially I was a bit worried we would have beads everywhere as they are quite small and fiddly. But despite a few rogue beads we have found this a really good craft activity. The pack comes with beads, a tray which you form the patterns on, pattern ideas (which you can place under the transparent tray and the child copies), a spray bottle and a pen like contraption which picks the beads up.
My daughter didn't get on with the bead picker so uses her fingers instead. She spends between 20-30 minutes making patterns and then loves being able to spray them herself. We usually wait til the next day to peel them off of the tray and she has a collection of bead ornaments now.
One of the things I was worried about was what on earth we would do with these things once they are made but someone has bought us an expansion pack which has key rings loops in. This was a great addition and she has been making these for all the family. We have also been using them to stick onto home made cards; I just spray some water onto the back of them and push and hold them firmly onto the cards.
We have had Hama beads in the past which is also something my daughter enjoys playing with but the advantage to aqua beads over Hama beads is that she gets to spray the water herself whereas with Hama beads an adult needs to iron the beads and they can be quite hot for a few minutes after.
They have lasted a while which is good for the price and I think she will continue playing with them for a while. I can see this being a toy which will be used for years as the children can make more complicated designs as they get older. Also being able to buy additional packs with different features makes it a good activity.
Overall this is a good craft activity for children who like to make things and have small fingers!
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Flair Feltastic Peppa Pig
by jrh2
Peppa Pig is a much loved character by most preschool aged children so this Peppa Pig felt board is very popular among our children.
The set includes a felt board and varying felt pictures. The felt board is 37cm x 31cm which is a good size, plenty of space for the felt pictures. The board is covered in felt with a picture of ... a hill. This is a nice starting point for pictures as I believe Peppa's house is on top of a hill.
There are twenty six felt pictures of varying sizes. They are made from soft felt and have the image printed on the front whilst the back is white. They are very strong and we haven't had any break. The largest picture is of Peppas house whilst some smaller ones are Peppas cuddly toy and Georges ball. The smaller ones manage get lost as when the children drop one on the floor they don't pick it up again. Well unless it is Peppa as the characters are the most popular pictures. They include three Peppa Pigs, three Georges, one Mummy Pig and one Daddy Pig. It is nice that Peppa and George are doing activities like jumping in mud and riding a bike as it helps the children make up stories.
The felt pictures cling well to the board and rarely fall off, even when the board is upright.
The pieces are kept in a thick plastic packet which can be opened and closed multiple times without it breaking. Our packet has broken down one side but that's more because of rough handling rather than the quality of the product.
This toy is recommended for children over the age of three because of the small parts.
This is a fantastic felt board which the children love. They are always wanting to play with it but only one or two children can use it at a time. I like to use it in a group as they each get a chance to make a story together. They like the idea it's their favourite characters.
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