Conservation Crisis is a fun new board game from Tunza Games which Combines real-life conservation issues with the feel of a traditional board game. This game is suitable for children of age 7 years old and up, and I tried it out with two of my boys who are 9 and 10 years old.
Smiggle have so many fun products for kids. It’s a great place to look, especially if you are needing some stocker filler ideas for your little ones. With a 50 budget we were able to order all of the below on the Smiggle website and these products are already giving my kids hours of fun, and helping to keep them busy especially as we are spending more time at home.
Smiggle products are great for enhancing children’s creativity and artistic side and the products are all very cute so my kids enjoy using these.
Here are a few of our favourite products that we selected from Smiggle.
Playing with puzzles and games is not just for children. For a few years now, I have been doing 1000 piece puzzles and I find it the most effective and relaxing thing for stress relief. I love it so much. In a world where we are constantly rushing around from one task to another without time to take a minute or be still, I really appreciate how much doing puzzles forces me to slow down and allows me to take time for myself.
Cloudberries are a UK-based company that creates fun, design-led jigsaw puzzles for adults. They allowed me to choose a puzzle from their site to review, and I went for the Patchwork jigsaw puzzle.
Ricky Zoom is a great family fun show, featuring motorcycle Ricky and his buddies: Loop Hoopla, DJ Rumbler and Scootio Wizzbang. My 3 year old N has enjoyed this show for quite a while now, so she was excited to try out some new Ricky Zoom toys and play with them together with her big brothers.
As a parent I love the personalities of the characters within the show, each one is unique and it’s great to see how they solve problems within each episode, using their own resourcefulness and resilience whilst also knowing there is a supportive community on hand to help if need be. This is such a positive message for children, and something that I’m happy to see my daughter absorbing while she is watching her Ricky Zoom episodes at home with the family.
In hot weather, you can’t beat a water fight! My kids are all crazy about water blasters, water balloons and anything that allows them to get themselves and everyone else completely soaking! So luckily the weather has been nice lately, to allow for lots of fun water activities in the garden.
We have been trying out a few new products from Zuru, which have been so much fun.
Learning Resources is my go-to company for home learning materials, as they have so many fun products to help with all kinds of areas of learning. We were sent a couple of products to help out with our home learning during the school closures, and these have been really useful along side other Learning Resources toys and games that we already have stocked in our playroom.
Sight Word Swat
This is a great game that can be used to help young readers, whether they have only learned a few sight words or are starting to get quite confident at reading. N is 3 years old and already knows a few words, so this is a fun way to review those with her and introduce more words to her in a fun and casual way. Not all of the words included are “tricky words” there are also words which can be sounded out phonetically, like “can” so we can also use these type of words for phonics practise, to have a go at reading the letters and blending them together to read the word.
One of the best ways to keep the whole family entertained and having fun together is with games. We have been playing a lot of board games lately, and recently were sent a package of four great games from Spin Master, with something for all ages.
I find that whipping out a game is a brilliant way to lift the mood in the house, banish boredom and reconnect with the kids in a fun way. They’re also ideal to pass the time if we are stuck inside due to bad weather.
This selection of games from Spin Master has something for everyone, with puzzling strategy from Otrio, hilarity from Hedbanz, Jumanji for those of us who have enjoyed the movies (Whether that’s the newer remakes that our kids enjoyed, or the original we remember from our childhood!) and even Baby Shark for the youngest of the family.
Jumanji: The Next Level
The Jumanji game is great for older kids, of around 8 years and up. My boys are 8, 10 and 11 and enjoyed this game. They found it quick to get into and quite easy to understand. In the game, you race to collect your 6 tokens to be the winner, and this is done by using action cards to do things such as battling animals. In some of these things, you need to collaborate with your fellow players, and during the game you can play as different characters from the movie – each with different powers!
There is also a Jumanji Classic Retro board game available from Spin Master Games which is a different version, and has a slightly lower age recommendation.
The Science Mad Chemistry Lab set for ages 10 and up is a great way for kids to learn at home. With over 80 experiments included in this set, there is a lot to work through and completing these experiments will give your child a great foundation in chemistry. The set includes good quality equipment, and a fully comprehensive instruction manual which guides you through each experiment in terms of what to do but also in what exactly you will be learning from each one.
BABY Born My First Swim Doll is a 30cm doll who is so cute, and makes a brilliant companion for little ones learning to swim. My 3 year old N has had lots of fun playing with this doll in the bath, and she is also great for the paddling pool. You could even take her to the swimming pool once they are open, whether you’re splashing around on holiday or going for first swimming lessons at your local pool.
The BABY born My First Swim Girl doll works by winding her arms back, and then releasing her into the water to watch her swim. This means no batteries are required, as the swimming movement is powered just by the winding – much easier and safer in the water. The doll is well made, has plenty of detail, and seems like it will last really well.
Osmo is a great way to make screen time a lot more hands on, and allow kids to get more out of using their iPads (or fire tablets). We were sent the Creative Starter Kit to try out with the kids and it’s a great tool for the times we are in right now with school closures, and parents needing to find ways to keep children occupied, and their minds active.
The Osmo creative starter set includes an Osmo base, which you can use with any Osmo games if you expand your collection further (there are lots available!) and a creative board with a set of four dry wipe pens and a pencil case to keep them in – which also functions as a wipe cloth for the board.