Toy Review: Zoobles - play & collect

When I was asked if I wanted to review Zoobles, a new toy and collectible for girls around the age of 4 years, I did two things: First, I checked Google because, being the mum of a 5 month old girl, I am really no expert for pre-school toys, and when seeing their cute little faces, I jumped up and down in excitement thinking they'd be the perfect toy for my niece Ellie. 

Zoobles are small fantasy animals that come as a little ball (about 3cms in diameter) but magically spring alive when you place them on their 'happitat'. A happitat is the Zoobles' unique living space where they can curl up and sleep if they are tired or transform into cute little animals that blink, wag their tail or wink. All this happens with the help of a little magnet that sits on top of the happitat.

We received Zooble Icetasia and her daughter Iceabella for our review and we both agreed that they are just super cute. Icetasia and Iceabella look like fantasy teddy bears and come in a pale lilac colour and with a cute little snowflake motif that gives them a wintery feel.

I personally think that they are reasonably priced with £5.99 for a single Zooble and £9.99 for a double pack. I can imagine though that it might get pricey, if your little darling decides she wants to have all Zoobles in her not so little collection. What I really liked about them is that they come in such a great variety. There are not only the normal Zoobles but also Hair Zoobles with hair extensions to style, light up Zoobles that glow when you place them on their happitat and special edition packs all costing between £7.99 and £9.99. They would make great birthday presents for friends, stocking fillers or even a reward for when your little one has collected enough stickers on her reward chart. The larger play-sets cost about £20 and are fantastic present ideas for Christmas or a birthday.

Overall, a great toy and collectible that can improve children's role playing skills and helps them use their imagination and creativity.  

Disclosure: I was provided with a Zoobles double pack for the purpose of this review. All my words are my own and have not been influenced by Spin Master.

Mummy Alarm Review & Competition: John Crane's High Tea Shape Matching Set

Some toys are almost too pretty to play with. One of them is John Crane's High Tea Shape Matching Set that we were sent to review.

It consists of a gorgeous wooden two tiered cake stand and 15 different types of beautifully coloured and decorated cakes that look so yummy that little mouths might want to try them. Amy is still a bit young to be able to match the shapes but she loves looking at the beautiful colours and touching the cakes. In fact, when I opened the parcel that the lovely people from John Crane Ltd had send us, I was (for a very short moment, of course) tempted to keep the High Tea Set for myself. Not to play with it obviously but to put it up for decoration. It really is that beautiful!

The small wooden cakes can be matched to their places on the cake stand either by their shape or by number. This does not only allow little ones to develop hand/eye coordination but also to improve their shape recognition and to practice their first numbers. The High Tea Shape Matching Set does also make a great toy for pretend play. I can already see Amy and her cousins and friends having their own little tea parties. I just hope Mummy gets an invitation too.

The High Tea Shape Matching Set is available from all good toy stores including Dillon’s ToyBox and retails at £23.95 - brilliant value for money, if you ask me. It is easy to assemble (all you have to do is screw the tiers on to the stand) and Amy will be able to play with it for years to come. Given the fact that both the cake stand and the cakes are made of wood, I am sure that even a little sister (no, nothing is planned) will be able to play with it in a couple of years. Also, you can combine it with many of the other toys from John Crane Ltd. - I already have my eyes on the Tea Time Set and the Daisy Tabletop Kitchen.

If you want to be one of the first to know when new John Crane Toys are hitting the shelves, why not follow  John Crane on Twitter and 'like' their Facebook page? Want to see what the team is up to behind the scenes? Check out the John Crane Blog. 

 Win 1 High Tea Shape Matching Toy with Mummy Alarm and John Crane Ltd.

How to enter the competition:

1. Leave a comment telling me what your favourite cake is - required

For extra entries:

3. Comment on one of my non-competition posts and let me know which one you commented on

4. Subscribe to Mummy Alarm's RSS Feed

5. Follow @caro_mad on Twitter and tweet "Win a High Tea Shape Matching Toy with @caro_mad and @johncraneblog. Enter here: http://bit.ly/ntMjAI - Pls RT #win #comp"

6. Like Mummy Alarm on Facebook

7. Use the +1 button below and share on Google+

Please, use separate comments for each entry. Failure do to so will result in only one entry per person.

The closing date of the competition is 12/08/2011
The winners will be chosen at random.
The winners' names will be shown on this page.
Competition is open to residents of the UK only.
The prize is non-refundable and cannot be transferred. No cash alternative is available.

ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions

Do we expect too much from daddies?

Yesterday, daddy and I had a bit of an argument. I found that he wasn't spending quite enough quality time with Amy. 

With quality time I mean time that he uses to play with her or read her a story from a book. I know she's only little and it doesn't make a difference to her if we are reading a story book or a kebab flyer to her but I simply find it important that we interact with her and stimulate her little brain. Whenever she's awake I spend time on her play mat with her, sing songs, shake her rattles and and and ... you know how it works. Daddy however sits her up on the sofa next to him and tells me "She's fine" when I give him the look. You know, the one saying 'Ehm, that's not what I meant when I said look after her for a minute'. He loves her to bits and helps with her nappies and everything and he's an absolute diamond when it comes to cooking and cleaning (You must think 'Why are you stupid cow complaining then') but whenever I would like him to spend some time with Amy, he seems to have no idea on what to do with her. It's like telling a worm to juggle. "I'm going to be the best dad ever when she's a bit older", he says when I tell him to play with her and I know he will because he is absolutely amazing with children, but the answer I get each and every time at the moment is "But she's just too young now."

Well, it's not that I find it challenging to make silly faces and shake a rattle for what feels like three hours a day but I enjoy doing it. I enjoy it because I can see on Amy's little face that she loves it when I look like an absolute nutter and it's great to see that she starts reacting to certain toys. Daddy has said he'll make an effort of properly playing with Amy now and I can't wait for him to share these great moments with me. 

Do your other halves struggle to play with your little ones, too? Can you suggest anything to help daddies learn to play again? Feedback is very much appreciated!

Competition: Win a Happy Hopperz

Not since the past crazes of the Rubik's Cube, My Little Pony, Cabbage Patch Kids & Space Hoppers has the children's toy market seen a product that has captured the imaginations of young children as much as the newly launched range of inflatable toys from 'HappyHopperz®'.

HappyHopperz® are a collection of bright, inflatable animals that not only rival the space hoppers of the 1970's but take the bouncing experience to a whole new level. With ears or horns for children to grip on to and sturdy feet to steady the bounce, these colourful Hopperz come in a variety of different animals that give 'Old Macdonald' a run for his money! Not only are these loveable toys fun to play with but they also help strengthen core muscles, increase balance control and also develop co-ordination skills. Products such as Happy Hopperz® bouncers are used by physiotherapists & therapists as a rehabilitation tool and are also used to stimulate motor neuron systems - the foundation for developing skills such as memory, language, jumping and running. They are also brilliant as a pre-walker aid, encouraging crawling babies to work their leg muscles and take those wonderful first steps.

They can be inflated and deflated in a matter of seconds making them super-portable. So, play with them indoors or in the garden, or why not take them to the park. Even better, deflate them and pack in your suitcase for a happy-bouncy holiday! The HappyHopperz® are now also famous amongst the world of celebrities, after recently making an appearance at the BAFTA's in London and various celebrity weddings and events. These little toys are fast becoming the 'A List' stars of the animal world.

HappyHopperz® are available Nationwide from £19.99 at Argos as well as independent toy stores and www.happyhopperz.co.uk 

To be in with a chance of winning a Happy Hopperz of your choice simply enter your details here and leave a comment below telling me you've done so. 

The Prize Finder - UK Competitions 

And the winner of a Happy Hopperz of their choice is ...

Kirstie Shuttleworth

Congratulations - I'll be in touch shortly!

Discuss: Is children’s play dying out?

New research by the Institute of Education, the University of East London and the University of Sheffield as well as a ground-breaking website from the British Library and a documentary film all show that, rather than dying out, children’s play is in robust health. It is simply changing and adapting to today's society: The researcher's findings counteract the belief that the media is destroying the imaginative play of children. By observing play over two years in playgrounds in Sheffield and London, researchers have found that games consoles, pop music and television actually enrich children’s pretend play, adding topical themes to fantasy scenarios as youngsters incorporate their favourite characters, reality TV stars, pop songs and dance moves into their make-believe worlds. Today’s children act out the Jeremy Kyle Show, or Britain’s Got Talent, as well as engaging in play based on computer games, in which scenarios of combat, stealthy hunting, fantasy weapons and warriors, and computer consoles feature. Other media sources include pop stars such as Beyonce, musicals such as Mamma Mia and High School Musical, adventure films and novels such as Harry Potter and Percy Jackson or computer and animation characters such as Mario and Ben 10. “Pretend play is still flourishing,” says Andrew Burn of the IOE, leader of the project. “Children have always enjoyed enacting scenarios from their home or school lives, as well as fantasy stories involving witches, zombies, princesses, martial arts warriors and other figures.”

What do your children like to play? Are they interested in the games that you played as a child or are Wii and TV their best friends?