**In the set**

We travel to see relatives in the school holidays a lot, and so I decided to find something for the children to do in the car. When I came across these felt play boards, I decided they would be a mess free way of keeping them occupied on our travels. At £8 they seemed reasonable, and so we purchased these in three different variations, which are all the same concept just different characters. My youngest son chose the in the night garden set, which I was surprised about as he is not a huge fan. In the set you receive a thin felt board, a range of different felt figures to attach to the board, and carry bag to pack it all away into. The felt board is a little thin compared to what I was expecting, but it seems to be the same with all of the products in this range.

I was a little disappointed as it felt like it would actually bend under the hands of a child, but in use it was not as bad as I expected. It has received a fair amount of play so far, and it is still in really good condition. The board is bright green just like the setting on the TV show as instantly recognisable as the garden to children. There is a bush printed on the board but other than that it is very minimal. The felt characters come in all different sizes, and pose so little one can create different scenes. There are a number of different poses for the main characters so little one can pick the best one to suit their story. These again are very thin, but an ok size for younger children to hold in their hand. They are bright in colour, and resemble the characters from the show perfectly. It includes poses with their favourite objects like Iggle Piggles red blanket, and Upsy Daisies bed. Then there are other variations without them too, so they can be lost and found again in the story.

**In use**

The idea is to create a story board with characters provided. All of the main characters are included, as are a few background pieces to complete the scene. There are enough accessories for little one to create a detailed story board in whatever way they wish. The problem is there are about 25 pieces, but there is four of each main character. Then the other characters have two variations, which leaves very little for decorating, or changing the scene. The pieces are very easy to change around, and by tipping the board upside down they simply fall of again. I know they will never be completely stuck to the board, but even a little grip would have been useful. Even though there are a number of characters all in different poses, I still find it quiet minimal. My children do enjoy it for small periods at a time, but after a little while they just become board with it as it is the same thing over and over. The main problem with his set is the lack of grip. The other two sets we owned worked perfectly, as the felt figures actually stuck to the board. There are enough pieces to imitate the TV programs, as the show itself is very simple and repetitive.

Another problem with this set is the characters seem to curl at the edges, and refuse to stick at all to the board. This means that with even a slight slant the characters fall of the board mid scene, which can be frustrating for little one. The bag this comes in also provides some fun for my children. It has a carry handle on it which makes it easily transportable, and everything is easy to put back inside. My children enjoy taking it out; just to put it back in again. It is also a good idea to make sure all the pieces are kept together. This is recommended from three years plus because of the small pieces, but I found my youngest son was able to use them perfectly. I did keep an eye on him as the characters are a little small, but other than that he could use it fine. My five year old son does enjoy this set, but not as much as my two younger children as it seems to hold their attention better. The pieces are very easy to lose as they are so small, so we have had some casualties along the way. I think we have around 20 of the felt characters still remaining in the set. You can use other sets on these boards, as of course they are also made of felt. My children enjoy they can move characters between boards but this is not necessary to enjoy the set.

**Summary**

My children did enjoy using these boards while we were in the car, but while we are at home they are just forgotten about. We found it was all a bit repetitive, and although there was different poses for the characters I believe if there were a few more background decorations, rather than four different choices for each character it could have been better. It retails at around £10, but do shop around as they are often on sale. I would recommend this set to keep little one busy for short periods, but it isn't going to be something that is loved forever