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Making Medieval Magic with the Le Toy Van Emerald Castle
Suitable for three years upwards, Le Toy Van’s Emerald Castle is a magnificent, beautifully detailed wooden castle ideal for both boys and girls to carry out a wide range of role play scenarios. Whether its Medieval Kings and Queens, Dungeons and Dragons, Lords and Knights, Pirates and Princesses, Battling Soldiers or simply general dolls play… The Le Toy Van Emerald Castle is the ideal springboard for inspiring interactive, imaginative role play which is key to children’s development.
The Le Toy Van Emerald Castle is very easy to assemble and requires only four screws to complete! It took us less than twenty minutes to complete building the Emerald Castle. Whilst the castle is made entirely from wood and is therefore solid, it isn’t altogether sturdy as the structure is slotted together and screwed in only four areas, therefore the toy does tend to wobble slightly. However, due to it’s ease to assemble it is also easy to dissemble and therefore quick and easy to pack away for storage purposes.
Made entirely from wood, the Le Toy Van Emerald Castle sits on a solid wood base (which can be folded into two for storage purposes) and features a front moat and grass area. The castle itself can be entered via a magnificent drawbridge, whilst the drawbridge can be opened and shut, it is quite difficult to keep the drawbridge shut as this requires wrapping the string around the ‘brickwork’ of the castle above the entrance.
The Le Toy Van Emerald Castle’s also features three large turrets, two of which have flags (the flagpoles made from wood and flags themselves made from plastic). There is plenty of space upon each turret for characters to stand and ‘look out for danger’. The largest turret of the castle also features a 
beautiful balcony and a secret swing trapdoor for any discerning characters…
Below the balcony, within the castle itself, a swing door (with elasticated hinges in order to make it easy for little hands to open and shut) provides the ideal entrance to a dungeon, cell or whatever the imagination of your little one allows it to become.
Running boards can be reached via two ladders which may be placed wherever the user requires, linking together the main areas of the castle. Whilst the castle may be entered through the main drawbridge gate, there is also a secret entrance or perhaps a ‘forced entrance’ for battling soldiers. A large chunk of the wall can be removed for surprise/ unwanted entry to the castle.
The Le Toy Van Emerald Castle is beautifully decorated in greys and greens, each part of the castle has been specifically designed to look authentic, including narrow, slit windows, burning torches and chunky brickwork. The Emerald Castle is a magical toy which would certainly stand the test of time due to its materials.
The Emerald Castle is an ideal size for placing upon a table or toy box, measuring approximately 500mm in height, 500mm in depth and 430mm in width. We would suggest placing this toy upon a mat/ cloth as it may scratch surfaces when moved.
Le Toy Van sell a range of castles and have created characters and accessories including table mats/ protectors which may be purchased separately to accompany a wooden castle such as the Emerald Castle.
It is a shame that Le Toy Van do not include any characters within the Emerald Castle Package as a ‘starter kit’ for children as the picture on the box itself does feature characters and therefore can be misleading for parents/ children who wish to purchase this item. We found that without characters the Emerald Castle (as any other castle of it’s nature) was quite difficult for children to actively play with.
We put the Le Toy Van Emerald Castle to the test with two children of differing gender and found both children greatly enjoyed playing with the castle to create scenarios and stories using characters which we provided them with. The children seemed fascinated with the opening and shutting features of the castle including the drawbridge, trapdoor and cells. We also found that they enjoyed peeking into the castle themselves through these openings, becoming part of the story themselves and getting into role alongside the characters.
The Le Toy Van Emerald Castle is available online via a range of online suppliers, we conducted an online price comparison and found that this item retails from £44.99 upwards. For further information upon suppliers and stockists visit www.letoyvan.com
Mums Baby Magazine awards the Le Toy Van Emerald Castle a super 7/10.
Inspiring Creative Minds with The Creativity Kit PlayFoam Set
Creativity is a key aspect of learning which nourishes the mind, body and spirit. It is important that children are given the chance to express themselves in a creative manner as there is strong evidence to suggest that creative activities improve well-being, reduce stress and boost self-esteem. Being creative also develops our ability to view situations and scenarios in an alternative light, to open our minds to new possibilities and to explore and try new things.
Suitable for three years and over, PlayFoam is a non-toxic, reusable modelling material made up of tiny, sticky foam balls/beads which can be ‘squished’ and sculpted in a similar manner to play dough. The Creativity Kit PlayFoam set includes:
- 4 x Sparkle PlayFoam Bricks (Pink, Fuchsia, Green & White)
- 5 x Plain PlayFoam Bricks (Purple, Grey, Blue, Yellow & Orange)
- 1 x Bag of Feathers (a range of colours)
- 1 x Bag of Gems/ Jewels
- 1 x Bag of Pipe Cleaners (a range of colours)
- 1 x Bag of Foam Shapes (a range of colours)
- 1 x Bag of Lollipop Sticks/ Craft Sticks
- 1 x Bag of Glittery Pompoms (a range of colours)
- 1 x Bag of Yarn/ Wool (a range of colours)
- 1 x Bag of Wiggly Eyes and Noses
Mums Baby Magazine put PlayFoam to the test during an afternoons creative play. PlayFoam can be pulled apart and stuck back together with ease. However, we found that whilst this product is indeed sticky, it does tend to drop small balls during moulding, for this reason we would like to suggest that this product is more suitable for children ages four and over rather than three and over as the packaging states. The Creativity Kit also includes a range of creative resources which aren’t suitable for children under four years due to small parts which could pose a choking risk to young children.
PlayFoam enables children to be hands-on with creativity stimulating their senses and developing their imaginative skills, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills whilst building their concentration, problem solving and understanding and knowledge of materials. Our little (and large!) testers really enjoyed experimenting with the PlayFoam to create a wide range of models. During the modelling session it was apparent that PlayFoam encourages ‘Intrinsic Motivation’ (participation for pleasure rather than reward) as everyone involved seemed to having great fun and were fully immersed within the activity.
This particular kit (The Creativity Kit) is just one of many PlayFoam sets on the market. However, it does seem to include a range of resources which can be used not just with this set but for other Art activities. All of the resources included stick easily to the PlayFoam without having to add an adhesive and can be easily removed for future reuse.
For more effective modelling, several colours can be combined to create more realistic models. However, once two or more colours have been used together then they cannot be parted as the PlayFoam seems to mix and is near impossible to separate colours unless you are willing to sit and pick each bead apart individually. PlayFoam remains sticky after use and needn’t be stored in a container as the foam remains sticky even when left exposed to the air for long periods of time.
PlayFoam provides children with endless enjoyment and fun whilst enabling young minds to apply creative thinking skills during play. Mums Baby Magazine give PlayFoam 8/10 for ‘Fuss Free Fun’.
‘The Creativity PlayFoam Set’ is available for £19.99 from www.uptothemoon.com
Traditional Toys With A Personal Touch From Peekboo Pets
Peekaboo Pets produce a wide range of soft toys designed specially to encourage role play and to give children the tools to create imaginative settings whilst being emerged within a World of make believe. Peekaboo Pets produce a range of unique and individual plush toys which include a personalised poem.
Mums Baby Magazine was sent Buttons the Rabbit, a beautiful cotton plush ‘Peekboo Pet’ which we gave to a toddler tester for review 
purposes. Whilst our toddler seemed rather taken with cuddling this beautiful rabbit, we found that the elder generations present were also very impressed by the simplistic and traditional design implemented by Peekboo Pets.
Peekboo Pets use material varying in a wide range of patterns and styles. However, many of their products tend to make use of simplistic, block and stripe patterns which tend to appeal more so to younger children due to the contrasting colours and shades.
Measuring approximately 43cm x 23cm, Buttons the Rabbit is made from soft cotton material usually used to produce socks. Many toys available on the market these days tend to be mass produced and lack originality whereas Peekboo Pets are completely unique and with the added personalisation, through the form of a poem (printed upon natural card using stylish fonts) Peekboo Pets provide the ideal gift solution for special occasions.
Mums Baby Magazine give Peekboo Pets 9/10. Buttons the Rabbit retails at £16.50 from www.peekaboogifts4kids.co.uk along with a wide range of other plush toys and gifts.
The Ideal Alternative to a Dolls House:The Pin Toy Fire Station & Accessories
Our World is fast paced and over complicated, our children are now exposed to endless interference from modern technology which can leave little time for imaginative play.
It is important that as parents we encourage and take part in imaginative play with our children in order to aid the development of their creativity and problem solving. By offering our children simple toys such as dolls houses to play with, they are able to participate in non restricted, imaginative play in which they can make up their own scenarios, stories and games in a personalised, miniature World.
Manufactured, plastic toys are often made to be over complicated in design and tend to have defined purposes which detract from enabling your little one to personalise their play. When selecting toys to encourage imaginative and creative play try to ensure that they are simple in design, sturdy (to 
withstand heavy handed, excitable toddlers) and large enough to allow contents to be moved around as your little one personalises their preferences for play.
Strive to nurture your child’s ability to engage in creative play by offering your little one your time and support as they play, this will also help to build their confidence and self belief. Try to spend time with your child as they play, listen to what they have to say, observe and try to understand what is happening, give your child plenty of reassurance through positive gestures such as nods and smiles, try talk to your little one and discuss the ideas that they present throughout play.
Dolls Houses are the ideal, simplistic toy for creative, imaginative, role play. Although dolls houses can be used by either gender sadly, many boys tend to miss out on the opportunity to use dolls houses to stimulate their imagination as dolls houses are generally aimed more towards the young female gender stereotype. Mums Baby Magazine found the perfect solution to this problem: The Pin Toy ‘Fire Station’ is a beautiful, simplistic, wooden fire station which offers young girls and boys the chance to get involved in alternative ‘dolls house play’.
The Pin Toy Wooden Fire Station is sturdy and large enough for a range of contents (which are included in the set). The Pin Toy Fire Station is open plan and can be played with from either side, this fire station set is roomy, enabling space for several sets of little hands to get involved in creative play.
The Pin Toy Fire Station can be picked up and moved easily (although it is quite heavy and therefore should only be moved by an adult) using the carry handle featured in the roof of the fire station.
This beautiful fire station features two floors which are connected by a ‘fire mans pole’, an archway entry door on the bottom floor for firemen to come and go and two large ‘flip’ doors for fire engines to exit promptly during an emergency.
A wooden ramp is also included with the Pin Toy Fire Station which can be placed against the emergency doors for fire engines to exit smoothly.
The accessories included with the Pin Toy Fire Station include:
- Table and two chairs
- Computer Desk and Swivel chair (this chair actually turns!)
- Bunk Beds and two red pillows
- Small shelving unit
- Locker (each locker can be opened)
- Satellite Dish which can be placed on the roof of the Fire Station.
Mums Baby Magazine put the Pin Toy Fire Station and Accessories to the test with a toddler that greatly enjoys creative play. Within minutes of presenting our toddler with this item he was emerged in imaginative play. We gave our toddler space to explore the Pin Toy Fire Station and Accessories and were fascinated as we watched him move the contents to his desired location, personalising his play.
We noticed that without characters to represent particular roles (the firemen) our toddler was a little frustrated and therefore we introduced four firemen figures and a fire engine. Although the figures and fire engine that we used weren’t specifically designed to accompany this set, our toddler didn’t seem to notice or mind. The beauty of imaginative play with young children is that they often chose to include items which aren’t necessarily designed to accompany the item in use. Our toddler choose to include his farm set whilst using the Pin Toy Fire Station & Accessories. Soon enough there seemed to be a fire in the barn which needed attending do at once!
Pin Toy have designed and produced firemen characters and a fire engine to accompany the Fire station & Accessories. The Pin Toy Fire Engine and Fire-fighters can be purchased separately from www.toysdirect.com
Our toddler seemed to be mesmerised by the Pin Toy Fire Station & Accessories and has since spent many hours creating endless differing scenarios and stories, building his imagination and problem solving skills.
Mums Baby Magazine give the Pin Toy Fire Station & Accessories 10/10. The Pin Toy Fire Station & Accessories are the ideal simplistic, imaginative play stimulus which enables young children to be creative on a large scale.
Suitable for children three years and over, The Pin Toy Fire Station is a fantastic alternative to a dolls house. This beautiful, naturalistic toy is designed to offer hours of entertaining, creative play for both girls and boys.
The Pin Toy Fire Station and Accessories are available from www.toysdirect.com for £58.54 (including VAT).
Celebrating Fatherhood with 10% off Wooden Work Benches, Happy Fathers Day from Mums Baby Magazine!
Mums Baby Magazine would like to wish all the wonderful Fathers and Granddads a wonderful Fathers Day. We hope that you have some time to relax and reflect upon the joys of Fatherhood.
In order to celebrate this occasion we would like to offer all the Dads 10% our Wooden Work Bench (usually retailing at £60, down to £54!). This is actually the CHEAPEST price you will find online, we are really ‘hammering down those pennies’. This offer will end on 21st June 2011.
The Wooden Work Bench from Guidecraft is newly available in the Mums Baby Magazine Shop and is the ideal toy for Fathers and children.
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