Monday 25 March 2013

Classic wooden childrens toys, Done properly, the Bigjigs way.

 

The sun did not shine.
It was too wet to play.
So we sat in the house
All that cold, cold, wet day.

I sat there with Opeie.
We sat there, we two.
And i said, "How i wish
We had something to do!"

Too snowy to go out
And too cold to play ball.
So we sat in the house
We did nothing at all.

So All we could do was to
Sit!
    Sit!
        Sit!
            Sit!
And we did not like it.
Not one little bit

And then on the front door
We heard many knocks.
So loud that we almost
Jumped out of our socks.

We jumped up quickly.
Ran to the door in a rush.
And there stood the postman
With a package for us.
And he said to us,
"Why the sad mouth on that mush."

"I know it is wet
And the sun is not sunny.
But i have a package from Bigjigs
Full of good fun that is funny!"

"Now I know that inside
Is a fun toy you'll find good.
With a strong and sturdy
Classic design made of wood..."


It's another grotty day outside, cold, wet and not very inviting. Also Opeie is still unwell, it's times like this that I'm glad there is so much to do in the house and it helps that we're a creative bunch. Although Opeie loves to paint and stick, for him its all about toys and he loves having something new to investigate. You cant go wrong with wooden toys, they are classic, durable and safe to play with, no need to worry about small parts and the designs are timeless.


This week Opeie's wooden farm house shape sorter from Bigjigs arrived through the post and he was instantly hooked. We've had standard shape sorters before and they helped with teaching Opeie the difference between a square and a circle but I think once a child has crossed that hurdle in their development finding the right hole is no longer challenging and they tend to lose interest. The farmyard sorter takes it to the next level helping Opeie to learn obscure shapes and learn about animals more. This shape sorter really makes him think more.


The colours and design are great and I like how the animals names are on the back of each piece, helping with reading too. Each animal is a different vibrant colour so teaching colours also comes in handy, it's a wooden play set that ticks all the boxes. The only thing I would add to the design is to give each animal a number just to add in counting to play. The animals are a perfect size for little hands and as you would expect from Bigjigs each wooden piece of the set is smooth and beautifully hand painted, no need to worry when leaving your children to play (we all need to nip out to make a cuppa).


Opeies favourite part seems to be the fact that it also doubles as a carry case with a removable roof to easily remove the famyard animals. Opeie spent most of the morning seeing what else would fit through the new exciting animal holes, although trying with all his might it seems that the Incredible Hulk does not fit through a Goose hole (who'd have thought it). The animals have also been seen grazing along side his wooden train tracks today too.

Even though Opeie was poorly he still took the animals to our bed to play...


Opeie's had lots of fun playing with them but lets not forget the other little toy lover in our house, although Opeie used it for what it was intended for, Seth found his own way of making the new toy fit his creative needs. Overall making it the versatile toy I hadn't noticed it was when opening it, Thanks Bigjigs.

We are really passionate about wooden toys, as safeplay is always at the forefront of our minds when choosing toys for the boys. The guys over at brickdave.com have written an interesting article about safe toys for inquisitive little hands and minds, you can check out the link HERE!


To find the Bigjigs farmyard shape sorter online or view lots of their other great toys then be sure to go to: http://shop.bigjigstoys.co.uk/



8 comments:

Maxine said...

I really love that toy - its really cute and traditional ! I know my daughter would love something like that when she's older and has better co ordination . Thanks gifts from the pirates! X

Joanna Cartwright said...

They are such lovely colors for children's toys ! I live that cat ! Reminds me if Jess from postman pat :-)

Have a great day , loving the blog ! Joanna

GiftsFromThePirates said...

Hi Maxine, thanks for reading. It is a great toy and has now got us looking at a lot more of their items. the thing that sold it for me was how safe the toys are. x

GiftsFromThePirates said...

Thanks for stopping by, Opeie has spent a big chunk of today playing with it too. or just walking round the house with the cat. x

Jenny at The Brick Castle said...

Excellent review hon - we love toys that are self-contained and have a carry handle too! :)

GiftsFromThePirates said...

Thank you, it does make all the difference when tidying up. its a shame all of their toys don't have a designated box to go in. x

Anonymous said...

I am always surprised with shape sorters. Manufacturers often do not make the blocks chunky enough and thus you can put which ever block in, in whatever hole. Frustrates me so much. So far I have only seen the good old school wooden square ones with stars, and rectangles etc that work like they should.... anyway after seeing sooo many reviews of this item, I do wonder if no-one noticed, or whether everyone really wanted to get more free toys from BigJigs...

GiftsFromThePirates said...

Thanks for reading, the same could be said about leaving your child to do a jigsaw, most of the pieces fit together without Making the picture but as a parent you get involved and help your child to understand the correct way. They will in time realise that a chicken does not go in a horse hole. I personally think it teaches a child a good lesson, just because that's the easy way, It doesn't mean it is correct.