Review: Some stocking filler ideas

Toys R Us are still sending us lots of toys to review. So that the kids don't get overwhelmed, we've held some of them back til Christmas so you may well get a mega post from us over the festivities. 

But there are lots of smaller things we've been sent that I thought I'd mention. 

Back in September, we reviewed the Hello Kitty Plaster Rotator Creator which was a qualified success. Since then, we've been sent two more plaster based craft kits to try out. The first one is the Ben 10 Shaker Maker (£9.99) which, of course, appealed to Monkey. There are two moulds - one of Ben10 himself and one of him in Heatblast form. You pour the plaster straight into the moulds and you shake, oddly enough, to create the models. This was far more successful than the Rotator Creator at creating a good mould first time round. Obviously, Monkey was not impressed about the overnight wait to let it dry fully, but what can you do? He liked painting the mould. This required less adult supervision but still, even though it is suitable for 5 year olds and upwards, it still needed adults around to keep an eye and do some of the steps. 

And then there was the Galt Cute Cupcakes Kit (£5.99). The moulds on this are tiny as they make 4 mini cupcakes (in two halves) and a cake stand to put them on. The moulds are in a tray like a silicon baking tray. What we found this with this is that the instructions left you with a lot of plaster mix even after all the moulds had been filled. Luckily, we had some spare moulds from something else and still filled all of those too! Missy Woo was delighted with these - and she enjoyed painting them in the pretty pastel colours supplied. They also come with glitter glue which is sparkly girly heaven for a 4 year old. Again, she needed some adult help but still, it was more successful than the Hello Kitty stuff as the models are more robust, but maybe the instructions need looking at to make sure they are correct. 

Moving on from plaster moulds to construction, we also got sent a K'Nex Construction Case (£9.99), which contained all the parts and connectors - and instructions - to build 10 different vehicles. This is great for a child who is showing an interest in building things as the construction ideas go from simple ones to more difficult ones, which means it will remain useful as your child develops the skills to build more complicated models without it being too advanced to start with. We love it for this, as it makes it very good value for money. 

And finally, we were sent the Littlest Pet Shop Blythe Sitters - Perfectly Plaid (£12.99). Now, Blythe dolls have largely passed me by but I can't help to notice the increasing proliferation of them around so I assume they're popular. I'm also guessing, judging by the price, that these aren't the real deal. No matter. The set comes with the doll, fetchingly dressed in a riding hat, woolly jumper, and plaid mini skirt plus her pet horse, a doll stand and a comb as well as a few small accessories that are very sweetly done. These are good for children who love dolls, but as I have pointed out before, Missy Woo, although she oohs and ahhs when she sees stuff like this, she's really not that into dolls and not that bothered about playing with it often. A little girl into dolls would love this more than her. Or you could keep it in a box, and boast you have a Blythe doll. Just don't try selling it on ebay as "authentic". I don't think you'd get away with it - the dolls are really very small! 

Hope your kids' stockings are now suitably filled! Come back soon for some more Toyologist reviews. 

(I was provided with the above toys to review and have received no other compensation. The opinions stated here are my own, and have not been influenced by the aforementioned compensation.)

Toyologist Review Week - Girls' Toys

So, it's the start of November which means that parents are beginning to think about what to get their little darlings for Christmas. Yes, I know I just said (well, typed to be more precise, but you know..) the C word but there are those of us who like to get their present shopping done by the end of November - as we have a particular allergy to visiting shops in the month of December.

As we have had so many toys from the Toys R Us Toyologist programme, this is going to be a tough one this year as the children have had so many new things to play this although they have started writing frighteningly long lists that look more like toy catalogues. However, as we have been doing so much testing - both with friends of ours and without - that I thought I would devote several posts this week to different types of toys. 

Today we're looking at some of the girls' toys that we have been sent. Little girls don't generally build, want to fight or bash cars together so if you're not used to buying for them, it can be a real headache. However, from my experience, they do love role play type things a lot. Missy Woo is very much into craft and making things, as well as a lot of colouring but that could just be an individual thing. 

One of the things that Missy Woo is not big on is dolls. Don't get me wrong, she has them and she says she likes them, but she really can take or leave them. She'll play for a while but I'll then find them left on the floor and doesn't naturally go to them when she's looking for something to do. We are then, perhaps, not the best people to review the Girls Only Emma Doll (£29.99). It's a 50cm doll dressed ready to go out with her friends and carrying a mobile phone. Well. Since we got this doll, Missy Woo has included "real phone" on her Christmas list. It does seem aimed at her age group so it does seem odd to include a mobile phone as an accessory as it does give the impression that it's normal for a child that age to have one (she's been told she's not getting one by the way!). Missy Woo likes to dress and undress dolls but the clothing on this one seems particularly tight and difficult for her to take off or put on. The doll also comes with an audiobook on CD, which has some odd stories where Emma goes online and talks to people which again is not really appropriate for the age. Having said that, Missy Woo has only listened to about half of it and then lost interest. I don't really see the point of the audiobook - I think the makers would be better to focus their efforts on making the doll better - like better clothing and so forth. This is definitely one for the little girl who really likes her dolls, otherwise it is a lot of money to pay.

Next up is the Sylvanian Families Brother at Home Set (£12.99) I am way too old to have played with this myself as a child so it's a new experience for me. This little set includes all the parts for a bathroom - and yes, that means a toilet too! There is also a Tam Tailbury figure, who is a dog. Apparently, he likes to spend lots of time in the bathroom annoying his sister and making her late for school. (Ooookaaaaaaayy!) The detail on this is amazing even at the smaller scale and you can see it's really well made. The little girls that played with this loved it - it was a perfect size for their little fingers and everything worked. I can see why it became so popular with children and adults alike - particularly as it is reminiscent of a more innocent type of toy. I just had a quick squizz at the Sylvanian Families website and the sheer range of characters, families and sets is completely amazing so buying such a set could be the start of a lifelong obsession. This would probably work best as a present to add to other sets, but would also be good as a starter present to gauge a child's interest in the range. My only concern as a parent is what to do with all those tiny little pieces which are bound to end up strewn across my floors. 

And then there is the Strawberry Shortcake Cafe Playset (£34.99). This is a strawberry shaped two storey cafe with a Strawberry Shortcake doll who appears to live above the shop. The set smells of strawberries which is a bit overpowering when you first open the packaging but the smell does subside after a bit. The set is coloured to appeal to little girls in a big way but feels more flimsy and less "real" than the Sylvanian Families set. This did not put off the little girls that played with it one bit. They loved playing with the doll, putting her in the cafe, moving all the pieces around. Again, lots of little pieces to get lost but that means there is a lot to keep them occupied with imaginary play. Overall, the girls gave this a big thumbs-up. As a parent, I would be happy to buy this too as it doesn't require purchasing other sets to be of any use, although other Strawberry Shortcake sets are available.

Come back tomorrow to The Five Fs blog when we will have more reviews of toys - but next time, ones that largely appeal to boys.

(I was provided with the above toys to review and have received no other compensation. The opinions stated here are my own, and have not been influenced by the aforementioned compensation.)