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Gift Reviews, Toy Reviews
Visualise.
Sunday afternoons are spent either at the park or if its’ raining, playing games or building puzzles with the kids. I am always on the lookout for new games that are suitable for children and ‘not boring’ for adults! I think I have came across a winner with Visualise from Cartamundi!
![fef1[1]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/fef11.jpg)
This game is simply a card game. There are 31 play cards, 1 cover card and a 30 second second timer in the pack. Now – how to play? Well, how’s your memory? I love memory games – they are proven to keep mind and brain alert and I am all for that!
A card is turned over and you have 30 seconds to absorb the image, that’s the quite part. The rest is noisy and very very entertaining. We have laughed till we cried with this game. The sad fact is that my 10 year old is better at it than me, sob! The questions are fun and varied – How many beach umbrellas? What direction were the road signs pointing? The entertainment goes on and on.
Visualise is a new game and suits 2-6 players. It will challenge your observation and memory to the utmost and you will begin having fun, but by the end, you will be determined to win – we were!
A brilliantly entertaining family game that I will be recommending to my friends and family also. Visualise comes in two versions, family and junior.
Available from Tesco and all good leading toy shops RRP £4.99
Toy Reviews
Lego Friends.
My children have been playing with Lego for years and when Lego Friends arrived, they have not looked back. Both the bedroom floors now have ‘No-go areas’ – this means mum or no-one else can walk in that direction as the entire section is a ‘town’! They have loads of the sets now and birthday money that would previously have been saved or spent on sweets is spent the following day on another set of Lego friends.
From a mum’s point of view – I love it. So many toys are computerised and children had almost moved away from ‘old fashioned playing’. Not with Lego – my children sprawl on their tummy’s, and their Lego Friends girls- ‘walk’ across the floor to visit each other’s houses and mingle.
We recently received Stephanie’s soccer practice. I thought this was great as it is a girls toy but a ‘boy activity’, Lego Friends is undeniably aimed at girls, but they have sets, like the soccer set, which mixes up the gender roles – always a good thing.
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Emma’s karate class is another example – perfect for exploring a more unusual activity and although for girls, the activity is unisex. I might even admit to enjoying helping setting up the sets myself – even though they need no help – they are so intricate and the detail is brilliant. Emma has her little karate outfit, helmet and accessories including a winning trophy, a small set with a lot of play opportunities.
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Other smaller sets include the pet sets – Hedgehog’s hideaway, Poodles little Palace and Bunny’s Hutch. These have different homes and accessories for the animals and are simply the cutest sets ever.
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Thank you Lego, you have provided hours of entertainment with the bonus of helping develop imagination, hand and eye co-ordination and finger dexterity. This makes for one happy mum! Number one on my girl’s list this Christmas is definitely Lego friends.
Available from www.friends.lego.com and prices start from £2.99
Toy Reviews
Artzooka Button Mosaic.
This is a great set – loads of fun and keeps kids entertained for hours with minimal mess – I love it!
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Artzooka Button Mosaics kit contains all kids need to create beautiful designs using their imagination. The method is simple – just match the buttons to the corresponding colours and shapes on the templates.
The instructions are easy to read and offer an additional challenge – make a frame for your mosaic! My kids loved this, and used cardboard and other household materials to create a frame for the picture. Very cheap for what it is, and brilliant for both boys and girls, so a great gift all round.
Visit the site to view the full range available.
Toy Reviews
Block Crayon Colouring Book Sets.
Having three children of my own I am the perfect person to review this product! When your child reaches that in-between age of trying to hold a crayon but not quite managing it – these are just the job!
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Block crayons are made with pre-school children in mind, thus perfect for little hands. The Block Crayon Colouring Set allows the child to play with the crayons – stack them up, toss them down, and colour too!
Then of course, they have the colouring books co-ordinated with the crayons, offering multiple playtime opportunities in one set.
The set includes 48 ready to colour pages, 3 colour assorted block crayons and 2 themed characters.
Suitable for children from 18 mths and over and yes – they are non-toxic and easy to clean – very important!! The set looks very well so would make a great gift.
See the full range at www.blockcrayon.com
Gift Reviews, Toy Reviews
Mixy Fashion’s A Snap Bracelet Kit.
In my opinion, there isn’t a child on the planet who wouldn’t love one of these sets. As a mum of 2 girls, my house is coming down with jewellery kits and yet they still can’t get enough of it!
They make their own bracelets, necklaces and rings. I love the Mixy snap bracelet sets as the accessories snap on and off!
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The design opportunities are endless and they can be made and re made over and over again, providing hours of entertainment.
Various packs are available from Sweet Heart to Rockstar. They all complement each other and are interchangeable so perfect for sharing and playing together. Each pack contains 40 pieces – yes 40!! so very good value – RRP £6
This excellent price also makes these sets perfect for birthday gifts – you are guaranteed the children will enjoy it and it looks way more expensive than it is! A mystery bead is to be discovered in each pack – and this adds to the excitement.
As with all good children’s kits, an excellent instruction booklet is enclosed and this has inspiration for lots of designs.
Suitable from 5 years , available from all good toy shops and online.
Gift Reviews, Toy Reviews
Badge-It.
Badge-It from Bandai is an multi-award winning toy, which allows children to make their own badges quickly and easily. It looks trendy and has survived my household, so its’ definitely sturdy! The badges are metal and they will stand the test of time.
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My 8 year old daughter has this Badge-It set, a birthday gift, and the entire family enjoy using it. Hours and hours has been spent sitting around the table designing and making individual little masterpieces.
First, it was images of pop stars from their favourite band, then it progressed to individual drawings. These look great when made into a badge – the perfect way to preserve that special little drawing! Even photos can be converted into a unique badge – we have used this as gifts also for the grandparents and they loved them.
They are a good way of jazzing up a school bag, pencil case and clothes accessories. I have even used Badge-it to make co-ordinating badges for special clothes to cover a stain or a hole – ingenious I thought!
The starter set contains the badge maker and materials to make 15x3cm badges.
Refills can be bought very cheap (£9 for 30 badges) so the fun goes on and on!
Available from www.bandai.co.uk RRP £20.00
Gift Reviews, Toy Reviews
Zinc RED – i Action Camcorder.
This is a great idea – the RED-i Action Camcorder from ZINC.
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It will attach onto just about anything, although designed to capture tricks and stunts kids get up to on scooters. It will fit to the handle bars and even onto a helmet – what a view! Now kids can show off their scooter skills to everyone. No more ‘Oh mum, you should have seen me!’ Mum now misses nothing.
The camera records up to 120 minutes and is compatible with Mac and PC. The download speed is super fast – I know how impatient kids are!
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There really are lots of uses for this camcorder, for example, recording sports games as well as scooter and bicycle fun.
With a charging time of 30 minutes, this is a great little gadget and would make an excellent original gift.
Available from: http://zincsports.com/
Gift Reviews, Toy Reviews
Zinc Outlaw Scooter.
Is your child looking for a scooter that stands out from the crowd? This is the one you need! The Outlaw Scooter from Zinc is no ordinary scooter, as it boasts a real flame effect! WOW, how cool is that?
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My son had a Spiderman scooter which was so old it was falling to bits but he wouldn’t part with it – until he spied this one! The flame effect was something new and no-one in the street has one like it, so he is now the envy of the neighbours as he ‘blazes’ up and down.
The Scooter looks the part, orange and black and very well constructed. This is one strong scooter, with puncture proof wheels – brilliant thinking!
There is an anti-slip printed footway which suits British weather well, no danger of him slipping when it is wet. The handles are easy grip with an adjustable handlebar height so it grows with the child thus saving you money.
Very importantly, the Zinc Outlaw has a rear footbrake, so no scooting into walls! This would be the main toy he plays with outside now and it has provided hours and hours of fun this summer. I would highly recommend Zinc Scooters as with my son being no. three in the family, we have seen many come and go, but this one is built to last and will be here to stay.
It is also a great scooter for taking on holiday as it folds away neatly, it would easily fit behind the seat of a car, and into the smallest of car boots. I find this is also good for storage at home too – takes up very little space.
Size H81, W32, D66cm.
Suitable for ages six and over. Available from:
Gift Reviews, Toy Reviews
WOW Packs.
I honestly swear when I opened Cutzee the kitten WOW pack, I said WOW! So did my daughter, and then we both laughed. These Wow packs are amazing!
I have never seen anything like them. So, whats’ it all about??
Wow packs are NEW, so that would explain why I have never see them – they are the very first world’s animated backpacks for kids aged 3-7 yrs. Now, my daughter is 8 yrs and this is DEFINATELY her ‘ back to school’ school bag – so older children will love these too!
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They come in 2 characters – Cutzee the Kitten and Snot the Zombie, one for girls and one for boys.
The WOW factor is the controls on the handle – the buttons control the eyes, nose, whiskers and noises – laughing and funny sound effects that will have your friends thinking – ‘Where is that coming from’??
They look fantastic, big enough for a school bag. They would hold A4 books and a lunch box, but also excellent for sleep-overs and for taking on holidays too. No more boring journeys – these packs are so much fun.
Cutzee has fabulous eyes with pretty eyelashes that flutter, and her eyes move from side to side – she is my personal favourite!
The website is very entertaining and perfect for kids to navigate, providing hours of fun – print out a fun colouring sheet, play dot to dot and enjoy the maze, the list goes on. They can even play WOW Packs snap!
Available from Smyths toyshops nationwide and from www.wowpacks.com SRP £29.99
Gift Reviews, Toy Reviews
Zeamu Music.
Have you ever been ironing or doing some other housework while the kids are happily listening to music and suddenly you think, ‘What was that word?’ Surely that artist who is worshipped by millions of kids has not just said that?? Well, I sure have. My girls love listening to music, but you never know what they are about to hear – the radio cannot be trusted and so many of the popular pop songs have inappropriate lyrics.
A friend recently introduced me to Zeamu music and we have never looked back.
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Zeamu music is just for children but its’ cool! They are a British Record Label who have filled a gap in the market quite nicely. Kids LOVE it and mine can’t get enough. The songs are great with catchy tunes and 100% geared towards children up to 11yrs so no nasty words or inappropriate lyrics – at last!
The brilliant thing about Zeamu are the Zeamus! These little animated characters are just fantastic, each different in their own way. The website is fun with lots of music, t-shirts and goodies too, so have a look – you will be impressed. http://www.zeamumusic.com/
The CD is £10.99 and very good value, with 14 tracks. Videos can be watched on the website also, so why not give it a try?