Soft Sorting Food Bags

Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted. C’est la vie. Life intervenes. I haven’t lost interest in toys or in this blog. I’ve just been..well..busy. With stuff. Yeah. Onwards.

The Soft Sorting Food was given to us as a 1st birthday present for Boy 2. I will admit that I didn’t think that we’d like it all that much. My kids don’t like stuffies much at all, other than for sleeping, and this food is a lot like, well, stuffed food.

HOWEVER, the play value of this food has been astronomical. Boy 1 likes them cause you can pretend to eat them. The shopping bags are great for playing grocery store. You can sort by colour or use them for counting. I especially like that they don’t hurt when you throw them. My kids like to throw the food, and that Melissa and Doug wooden stuff really cracks one off on your head. I bruise easily.

Anyways, the boys are almost 3 and 6 and are still loving the soft food. And they’ve been well used. Highly recommend them. I’ve never found them in stores though, so if you’re wanting to get them as a present – leave some lead time for ordering online.

Sequoia Tree Wildlife Playset

This little gem from Folkmanis is quickly becoming a staple birthday present around these parts for kids aged 3-5.  What I like best about it is that it is essentially a “dollhouse” without being too girly or princess-y.  Speaking from experience, that’s hard to find. I’d probably be more likely to buy it for a girl than a boy, simply because my boys aren’t too keen on soft stuffed toys (other than at bedtime), but it’s completely non gender-specific. 

Once you detach the six little animals from the tree, they can be used as finger puppets or tiny stuffed animals (the tree itself can be a puppet!). It comes with facts about sequoias, and would be an excellent teaching tool. There’s loads of pretend play possibilities and no batteries are required. Simply insert imagination.

Grade: A
I have feedback from people who have received it saying it is one of their favourite toys and much played with. However, I can see how people who don’t enjoy imaginative play might be challenged by what to do with it. Maybe that’s a good thing, though.

 

Hello world!

All the cool kids are doing it, so I figured it was my turn.

This is essentially a “review blog”. Except that I’m not doing it to earn money, get things, or become popular. (However, if you do want to pay me money, give me things, or consider me popular – feel free. I would welcome any of the aforementioned with open arms.) But apparently, some people get pretty touchy if you feel that you are trying to sell them things on your personal blog.

I’m not selling anything. I just like to talk about toys. I have, it seems, never gotten over my fascination with toys. I like going to the toy store with the boys just to have a look around. I could spend hours looking at toy catalogues. I love trawling the internet trying to find the ‘best present ever’ for kids for Christmas and birthdays. I think my dream job (other than being a world famous actress, of course) would be to a be toy buyer – either for a store, or for parents who don’t have the time to shop.

I need a place to keep track of my finds. My aging brain is not what it used to be. And hey – if you need to find the perfect present: I’m on the case! Read on.

ps. WordPress thought that my first post should be titled “Hello world!”, and I figure it’s just as good as any.