I'm forever being asked to get off children's equipment at playgrounds. I realise how odd that sounds, but even though I'm in my 30s, I still enjoy sitting on a swing or bouncing on a jumping castle. Until I'm asked to get off.
So I'm digging the idea of having the Virre slippery slide from IKEA in my home. I know they're meant for kids, with the smooth wooden surfaces and wide base for extra stability, but I can't help notice that IKEA recommends it for children 18 months and older. They didn't say how much older!
Style-wise, it's pure IKEA. Practical, easy-on-the-eye, and typically easy to assemble. And if you've the room for it, you can always have it in the rumpus or play room. That should stop any strange 30-something old women trying to bum a go.
The Virre is not yet available in Australia, but will no doubt make its way here shortly. Keep your eyes peeled and in the meantime, you can read about our love of other things IKEA here.
Chalk and childhood go together like Vegemite and toast - or peanut butter and jelly in my childhood. I have fond memories of using colourful chalk to draw rainbows and clouds on our front walkway. It was great fun and I can only imagine how much fun kids nowadays will have with these ingenious Chalk Spinners designed and produced by Kodo Kids.
The Chalk Spinner is exactly as the name says: a spinning 3D spherical chalkboard. Little people can indulge their love of chalk drawing while creating a chalk masterpiece with their friends. I can imagine them all spinning the barrel around, each with a piece of chalk firmly held to the surface, drawing lines and lines of pretty colours.
The Chalk Spinner is available in three sizes, the Big Spin, the Skinny Spin and the Tubby Spin. The Big Spin can accomodate up to six children comfortably - imagine the party possibilities! They also come with a central chalk holder that any toddler can reach so chalk doesn't go rolling away.
Prices range from US$99 to US$250 from Kodo Kids. Shipping is not available to Australia but you can contact the company or arrange a freight forwarder.
I wanted to share some exclusive news with you. Looie over at Plush Toys in New Zealand has given Babyology the heads up on Pastel Toys, letting us know they are finally coming to the Southern Hemisphere. This is very exciting and I'll tell you why.
I first heard of Israeli Pastel Toys about two years ago when my little girl was just a crawling baby. I admired the toys for various reasons including the high quality finish and the nostalgic design which reminded me of my own childhood toys. The way in which each toy has been produced is also admirable.
They are created in a village that has been established for adults with special needs and within this community Pastel Toys, a non-profit organisation, has provided work allowing residents to acquire skills in various areas and ensuring the welfare of each individual. Each toy is completely hand made, given a pastel coloured coat of paint and then hand worked to appear to have an aged patina, a result of many years of play.
After discovering them, I promptly wanted to secure one for my daughter but had a very hard time trying to get a toy posted to Australia, so I gave up. Alas, those days are over as Plush Toys in New Zealand just started stocking them and ships here! They have a wide range available including cars, a helicopter, trucks with blocks and cute giraffes. They are all on wheels, and we all know how much our children love any sort of wheeled toy.
Head to Plush Toys to purchase one of these heirloom quality toys. Prices start at NZ$56 plus shipping to Australia.They arrive in approximately 6 weeks so work out which one you want to buy and contact Plush Toys to put in your order.
Last summer I introduced my kids to the joys of scribbling on the footpath in chalk. The neighbours were treated to chalky almost-drawings of trees, flowers, fish and plenty of other odd-shaped scribbles and squiggles for weeks. When the weather warms up this year, the neighbours will think my two have gone mad because we’ve just discovered Crayola’s amazing 3D Sidewalk Chalk.
Really, this stuff makes ordinary footpath chalk seem so yesterday. Each double-sided piece has two contrasting colours that work together to make your kids’ drawings seem to pop right off the footpath when they slip on a pair of 3D specs. So give each kid a set and cue the fun. Apparently the 3D effect works best on a dark background, which means I’ve finally got a reason to love the black bitumen footpaths outside our house!
Toybarn Australia has packs of the 3D Sidewalk Chalk, complete with glasses and a ‘how to book’ for getting the best results, for $11.95 plus postage.
The Pratt Design Institute in the US produces some incredible designers. This rotund little stacking chick is one of the impressive creations of their graduates, as is our recently reviewed Stacking Rhythm Band. They're examples of what we need more often in kids' toys: imaginative, playful, learning-based toys designed from a completely new viewpoint.
The Stack-Chick is the brainchild of Pratt graduate Sharon Myoung. The toy has more than a few play-and-learn elements, including primary colours and stacking, with an emphasis on nature and animals at the forefront.
Littlies can unstack the chick to reveal a golden egg, learning while doing what they love best, stacking and unstacking. Let's not forget the rocking and rolling possibilities this toy has as well.
The toy is still a prototype but I have a feeling this little guy might actually make it onto the shelves. We'll of course update you with any new information in the future.
We probably all know this little candy apple red plastic car at first sight. My daughter has one, most of her friends have one and in 2008 it topped US car sales selling 457,000 units - beating out the Camry and Accord. Impressive.
This year, the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe is celebrating 30 years and one of the first Cozy Coupes to be manufactured in 1979 has just been inducted into the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio in the US.
If you don't already know this kiddies' car in and out, here's a rundown of its features: bucket style seat, opening car door, steering wheel with horn and a storage area in the back. All this while being powered simply by our kidlet's little feet. However, I think the most amazing feature of this car is how indestructible it is. It will withstand any and all hard knocks for years of wheeling enjoyment.
If you have yet to discover the greatest toy car of all time, you can purchase a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe from most toy shops and at numerous places online.
