We've spotted this strange yellow glowing thing in the sky of late - Spring, it appears has sprung, and we've even been brave enough to venture out into the garden where our range of garden have been lying neglected during what has been a long Winter, case in point this Sandbox, which we have owned for over 2 years, it was a second birthday purchase which has been very successful.

Our turtle is pink, rather than the green pictured (it also comes in blue), but is identical in all other aspects. We bought it from Toysrus, for a reasonable £30, it seems to cost anything from £40- £94 now, at the lower range it's a good buy I think, like all Little Tikes products I have come across the sandbox is made from a durable and sturdy plastic and has been designed with children in mind. It's 1.19 metre across and the rim is under 30cm high - though the manufacturer says the age range is from 3+, in my opinion it's a good toy for toddlers up who are likely to enjoy playing with sand. You should take into consideration the cost of sand when buying this, you will need 4 bags or so to fill it adequately for play in my experience and probably will need to replenish it fairly frequently as sand, inevitably, gets spread around the garden.

One good feature about this sandbox is the lid - this means that, when not in use, the sandbox is protected from the elements and also from any visiting animals. We find we can store most of our sand toys under the lid, as it has two studs on it, once on it doesn't get blown off in even the worst weather, and though it is light enough to be removed it's very strong - it's not particularly designed to be played with but my children have used it to mix many a "magic potion" to no ill effect.

As you can see from the picture the sandbox itself is pretty low on features; I find that about 3-4 children can play around it comfortably and the edge is big enough for little bottoms to perch on without being an obstacle for them. The plastic has faded a little over time, but not dramatically, bearing in mind ours has been outside in two severe Winters now, and it's still got plenty of life left in it and seems to still be enjoyed by my children, who are age 4 and 7. The children have enjoyed playing with it since they got it - I think there's something universal about the appeal of playing with sand. I don't think it needs to have any fancy water play feature with it, and we have a separate water play table, but I do know that Little Tikes have brought out a 30 year anniversary version of this sandpit which has a small "river" within the rim, should you wish to have this feature - I can't comment on how good it is as I haven't seen it, but the original version that I have is also still widely available. Our sandpit, the non-river type, has, at various times, been used as a pirate island, a beach, to make castles or hide dinosaurs - it really has been much played with and enjoyed in the time we have had it.

Overall the Turtle Sandpit is a simple and well made and traditional toy. It may not be as environmentally friendly as a wooden version but it's robust and really appeals to children, for those reasons I would really recommend it.