Play to Learn with TOMY

As mentioned before in my previous post on TOMY's  Aqua Fun toys, their toys cover play time, creative time and bath time with Play 2 Learn, Aquadoodle and Aqua Fun range. We have reviewed 3 fairly different toys in their Play 2 Learn range to show you how they cover play time.

This Wibble Wobble Ducking (suitable for 10 months +) seems like a really simple toy. You press its head down and it's legs will turn, making it wobble while 'walking' forward.

Before we tested the toy out, I thought that it was probably too simple for Clay who just became 2 yesterday, but he absolutely adores it! When I showed them how it worked, it made both Abby and Clay giggle because the way it ran (it wobbled quite quickly!) across the table was so funny! It has one of those really cute face with cheerful colour that makes it really likeable. The only problem was that it didn't work on our carpet, which seems like one of the most common problem we have with several toys. The main smooth surface he could use was his sister's little table, but it wasn't a problem for him at all. You can really see how much he loves the little duckling!

Occasionally you'll see him struggling with pushing the head down, as he was pushing it slightly sideways (instead of straight down). It could happen more frequently so with younger children, but I suppose it helps with their muscle development.

The Wibble Wobble Duckling (approx. £11.00) encourages co-operation skill as well, which would have been easily achieved if there was a big smooth surface to make children crawl/ run after the duckling. Clay just doesn't seem to be able to resist the duckling wobbling away!

For active play, this Pic 'n' Pop (suitable for 18 months +, rrp £19.99) toy stimulates movements and teaches cause and effect. It includes 5 duo coloured balls, and requires no batteries to run. The child just need to press the green  levers (or just one) and a ball will pop out from the tube. Roll over the ball and the mechanism will scoop the ball back into the tube like a revolving door does.

The Pic 'n' Pop is very colourful and we all had to have a go! When it rolls it makes loud clicking sounds that reminded me of a toy I used to have that made the exact sound. Although it's just going 'click click click...' the kids seem to be happy with it, and Abby actually said she liked it!

It was absolutely fun popping the balls out, although Clay only managed to press the green lever occasionally. With some guidance he could do it better, and when he did manage to pop a ball out, it made him really happy! Occasionally the last ball will get stuck, you just need to roll the Pic 'n' Pop a bit further until the ball falls back into the right position before popping it, however it never bothered 2 years old Clay, he's more than happy to just play with the 3-4 balls and not really fussed that he didn't pop the last one as well.

The picking up bit was slightly trickier, and I can only imagine it being more difficult when played on a smooth surface. When the Pic 'n' Pop rolls towards the ball, the ball will have to get close to the "revolving door" first before it can be scooped up into the tube. Sometimes if you run too fast towards the ball, it might roll away before it could get scooped up. I think the easiest way is to slow down slightly and walk normally towards the ball and then roll over it. Of course Clay wouldn't understand what I mean, but honestly speaking it seems like he preferred to pick up the balls with his hand and manually shove it back into the Pic 'n' Pop anyway!

Once you get used to the toy, it's quite easy to pick up the balls. Though again, the last ball to go in will need a bit more effort as the tube is fairly full already. The Pic 'n' Pop will make a really tight clicky noise when it got the last ball in, meaning that it's time to pop again!

Although the toy wasn't working smoothly for him, it didn't bother him at all as he prefer to use his hands to touch the balls anyway. He will either pop the balls out or remove them from the base, and then put them back in or roll over them, and just that was keeping him going for quite a while!

I also think that the Pic 'n' Pop arrived just in time as Clay has developed a liking of our handheld vacuum cleaner!

Mr Colour Maker (suitable for 2 years +, rrp £24.99, now £14.99 at Smyth Toys) has become one of Abby's favourite toy, believe it or not! Although she's already in reception class, I noticed that quite a few of them hasn't quite learned the colour combinations yet. Mr Colour Maker comes with 3 basic colour pots - blue, red and yellow, and when you tip a colour pot over the colour maker, it will register the colour in itself. If you stick the 'paint brush' into the pot, it will magically take on the colour in the Colour Maker on the tip of the brush too. And if you pour 2 colours in one after another and use the brush to 'mix' in the pot it will change colour, like magic!

The sound and tunes are fun too, with 50 phrases and 3 learning modes (play, learn and sing). It has a magical "bling bling" sound when colours are mixed correctly, "I'm a Little Teapot" tune with it's own lyrics, a tune to the colour of the rainbows, and interactive sounds asking children to pick or mix a particular colour, etc.

Not only is it fun and colourful to play with, it's very educational as well. Clay doesn't know the names of the colours yet, but he knows that by tipping the little pot over it will change the Maker's colour and he really enjoyed doing that. I'm sure he'll soon learn the 6 basic colours, and perhaps the 7 rainbow colours too if he's following the light and the tune!

The only thing I'm uncertain with was how to change the mode. It seems to have done it by itself, or the children has activated it in some way while playing. I like how Mr Colour Maker teaches colour, is fun and colourful (and magical!), encourage imagination play (the pouring and mixing), and the fact that you can tidy it away easily! All 3 pots and the brush will fit neatly inside the maker with the lid closed, and you can carry it around with the handle too!


With the Wibble Wobble Duckling, Pic 'n' Pop and Mr Colour Maker, play time is filled with fun while the children learn something either actively or quietly. Take your pick!

All TOMY toys are available online or in stores, and you can follow them on Twitter and Facebook for further information and competitions too!


Disclosure: We were sent a selection of TOMY toys to review; all opinions are honest and our own

Fathers Day Giveaway - Heat Holders Slippers Socks

Fathers' Day is approaching, have you thought of what to give to the Fathers around you? Although it's getting warmer and Summer should be here soon, it can still get chilly sometimes, and believe it or not, some people's hands and feet never gets warm whatever the weather! Heat Holders thermo socks are about the only thing that can get my feet warm. It might be too much to wear outdoors during this season, but they have just introduced their new Slipper Socks that can be worn at home as well.

They are offering 2 of my readers to win a pair of their new Slipper Socks exactly like the above. It would certainly make a lovely and personal gift, and if they won't be wearing them until next Autumn/ Winter, it will still be worth the wait! To enter for a chance to win, simply read the details below and follow Rafflecopter's instructions.

Deadline: Wednesday 5th June, 2013 12:00am (where 12:01am is Thursday)

Terms & Conditions:

• The giveaway is open to the UK mainland only
• It is mandatory to leave a comment in the post's comment section to enter the giveaway. Please make sure that you are not leaving a comment as Anonymous, as I would not be able to check whether you've left a blog comment. If you have to comment as Anonymous, please add a means of ID on your comment I can use to link it to your Rafflecopter entry. Unfortunately if I can't, all your entries will not be counted.
• Please make sure that your email used to enter the rafflecopter is active, and you do check the spam folder in case the email I sent you ended up there
• If you win through 'tweeting the giveaway' entry, your tweet url will be checked. Please make sure you have the correct url (instructions can be found in the rafflecopter) entered into the rafflecopter
• Winners will be drawn by the Rafflecopter randomly
• Winners will be announced by Thursday 6th June, 2013 on here as well as Twitter. Unfortunately it will not be announced on Facebook as it's against Facebook rules. You will, however, receive an email from me if you are a winner.
• Winner wills have to respond to my email by Monday 10th June 2013 noon so that they still have time to reach before Fathers' Day. If I haven't receive a response by then, I will have no choice but to choose another winner.
• The prize will be posted by the PR. Unfortunately I cannot be held responsible for missing parcel but if you have any enquiries do let me know and I'll try my best to help
• Please read Rafflecopter's privacy policy as well

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck x

This giveaway is also listed on:

Super Lucky's Blog

ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions

Loquax Forums

DYLON Fabric Paint and Image Maker

It's been a month since we last reviewed our first lot of DYLON's Craft range. We haven't managed to get the second review done until now, which doesn't happen often, but I had to liaise with the PR regarding the Image Maker, and then it was also a very busy month for us, so it took me longer than expected to work on the Image Maker.

First the Fabric Paints. They come in 18 colours (standard, metallic and colours suitable for dark fabrics) in 25ml glass jars. They are as easy to use as normal paint, though because they are fairly runny and they do stain your clothes permanently (obviously and a good thing at that!) you'll have to use it with a bit more care. Simply place a protective backing underneath any washable fabrics and paint just like how you would paint on a piece of paper, then leave it to dry. Place a cotton cloth on top of the painted area and iron it for 1-2 minutes on very hot setting to seal the colour. See their website for further instructions.

Before we started painting, Clay has climbed on to my desk and got hold of a purple pot. He managed to unscrew it and pour half a jar of paint all over himself! Needless to say, his blue PJ pants are now covered with purple patches.

Abby had fun drawing on her t-shirt, and drew a sparkling candy on the back. I have no idea why ther eis a cross in the middle of it though! She mixed her drawing with the Fabric Pens and 3D Fabric paints, though she seem to have some difficulty squeezing the 3D paint out and had to use both her hands to do it. Still, she loved painting on her clothes, so I had to keep the paints away from her just in case she decided that her white tights are too plain (she drew on them with a marker before at school, I have no idea why)!

The fabric paints colours are lovely and are easy to use, perhaps a bit less so for younger children (blotchy spot here and not enough paint there, just like using normal paint on paper). Just make sure you fix the colours before washing and you'll get some artistic tops for them!



DYLON also have an Image Maker, which is a 50ml tube of Mod Podge/ PVA type of sealant that can be used on fabric, which transfers images from paper to fabric. It does take quite some time for the project to finish, as you'll need to make sure that they dry completely between each stage. Since I'm not a very crafty nor detailed person, I had problems doing it. The first attempt wasn't good for the review as I've misread some of the instructions. After checking with the PR, I took extra precaution for the second attempt and let each stage dry fully overnight, so it took me much longer than it 's needed.

Day 1 (Left to right, top to bottom): paint image with Image Maker, transfer to fabric and place upside down,
cover with paper towel and roll over for a minute, blot excess paste
Day 2: Soak image and rub paper off gently, leave to dry

Day 3: Rub off fuzzy paper with moist sponge and finger, dry

Day 4: Seal image by rubbing a bit of Image Maker into it, dry

72 hours later: wash by hand in cool water when turned inside out

The pictures are for the second attempt. I didn't think that the first attempt should be included in the review since I misread the instructions.

This time I've followed the instructions carefully, but again there were all sorts of elements that weren't right for me. The printer ran out of ink half way when printing the picture, and the paper quality wasn't fantastic (this can be a very important factor). I probably haven't put enough Image Maker paste on, and I haven't rolled on it for long enough. I couldn't remove the fuzzy paper properly either.


Although the outcome wasn't good, I don't think I'm in a position to say whether this product is actually working, or whether it creates good results. The only thing I can comment was that it was a bit too tedious for me. It wasn't quite me to try the whole process for the second time, but I didn't think that the first review was suitable to use and it wouldn't be fair to the product if I didn't at least try it again for the second time with the correct steps. The fact is, we enjoyed using the fabric paint, fabric paint pen and 3D paints, and I do use their colour remover sheets (they are like magic!), so I wanted to give them another try, but it really isn't something for someone who hasn't have much patience in doing it properly.

It is quite cool if you can manage to get this working, like Cait from Wayward Daughter that I found through Google. She has managed to transfer a large image on a top, and the outcome looks fantastic! The Image Maker only cost about £5 and it should be enough to transfer 2 A4 sized images, which makes it way cheaper than printing a t-shirt from shops.

If you fancy giving it a go, try a smaller image on some scrap fabric, you'll get the result faster and see whether it works for you. If it works, you'll save yourself quite a lot of money for at least 2 lovely projects, and if it doesn't, you can still use it as Mod Podge or PVA.


Disclosure: We were sent a selection of craft products to review; all opinions are honest and our own

Moshi Monsters Make A Moshi Craft Set

Since she was 3, Abby has been a Moshi Monster fan. She's seen her cousins playing Moshi Monster and they even created an account for her as well! Last year she was given the opportunity to review Moshi Monster's Clay Buddies and Bobble Bots, while this time we get to review their latest art and craft range from Vivid Imagination - Make a Moshi Craft Set.

When the box has arrived, I considered waiting for Abby before trying it out, but since we'll be away for half term, and I needed to take pictures, and well, I also wanted to try it out myself (I can easily replace the Plaster of Paris anyway hee hee), I opened the box immediately and started making our first 2 Moshlings!

They were really easy to make, though a bit hard trying to take pictures at the same time while trying to keep the Plaster of Paris and water mixed. It is also a bit hard to judge whether all the air bubbles were gone. When an air bubble popped, more plaster mixture will flow inside the container, but do use the stirrer to poke and turn a few more times after that, reaching all corners just to make sure. I didn't and poor DJ Quack has lost a wing because of a trapped air bubble (a big one too!) Perhaps tab the container on the table a bit as well might help moving the air bubbles up.

It only takes an hour for the Moshlings to dry when covered, and another 30 mins uncovered, much quicker than I expected! With children's lack of patience this is really good. Once the Moshlings are removed, it's good to wait for a bit longer until they are completely dry before filing down the edges. I found a nail filing board much easier to use for this. Do remember to brush away all the dust before painting though (I totally did not forget this).

I made a mistake for not washing the maker immediately after I broke the Moshlings out, luckily most of the parts are easy to clean. The only problem I had was trying to wash the blue tumbler, as i couldn't remove the base and it was a bit hard for me to put my hand into it to clean. I'm sure it would have been much easier to clean with hot soapy water if I had washed it immediately though!

I let Abby continue with the next stage's fun - painting. The paint brush that came with the box was of much better quality than I expected from craft sets.  The paint are suitable for Plaster of Paris, which I think is of a fairly good quality as well because it's easy to apply and it gives the Moshlings a very good coating (no patchiness nor is a second coating needed). The colour darkens as it dries, which is quite quick as well. Not much of the paint comes off when touched within minutes.

4 basic colours (blue, yellow, red and green) are provided, covering the exact colours needed for the 4 Moshlings apart from black, which we coloured in using a black marker pen. Children can get creative of course and colour their Moshlings whichever way they want to.

The Make a Moshi Craft Set is suitable for 5 years and above, fun to play with, waiting time is shorter than I thought and children can get creative with them. It's a shame that there are only 4 moshlings to be made, but hopefully they will sell more moulds and paints that will go with the maker to extend the fun! I'll need to buy a big tub of Plaster of Paris then!

The craft set is retailed at £9.99, which I think is about right for the quality given, and can be bought in all good toys and craft stores.

Disclosure: We were sent a craft box to try and review; all opinions are honest and our own

TOMY Aqua Fun - Pirate Bath Ship and Surfin' Beaver

Our first TOMY toys review box has arrived (the TOMY Disney Cars 3-in-1 Potty System was a review offered to me by them before they confirmed their official bloggers)! It is always exciting to receive a big box of goodies! The kids (including 5 years old Abby!) couldn't wait to start playing and ate their breakfast fairly quickly! This month we are reviewing a selection of TOMY's Aqua Fun and Play to learn range, to show you how TOMY covers play time, creative time (such as Aquadoodle which I'll cover in another month) and bath time daily. As there are more to our Play to Learn reviews, we'll be reviewing TOMY Aqua Fun's Pirate Bath Ship and brand new Surfin' Beaver first.

The pirate ship is suitable for 18 months and above, and is retailed at £16.99. It has a squirting octopus, turning wheel, water shooting cannon and a dinghy launcher, and captain Jack can sit at the top in the mast as well as his dinghy.

When we opened up the review box, the first thing we set our eyes on was the pirate ship. It wasn't the biggest toy in the box, but it was really attractive! They wanted to play with it immediately but weren't very happy when I only let them play with the ship without the captain and the dinghy until after I got the chance to take pictures. They tend to end up sliding the toys under the sofa (just like one of the balls from the Pic 'n' Pop toy that I have to dig out for my next review!) so I had to limit them.

When we got to bath time, the Pirate Bath Ship has provided plenty of fun! I couldn't quite understand how everything works, so we sank the ship under the water until it has stopped bubbling, then lifted it up and noticed that both the cannon and octopus were filled and ready to fire! The kids were having a good laugh with the octopus squirting water at them and them throwing captain Jack overboard in his dinghy! Although the cannon could only be fired once every fill (I figured it out afterwards that we just needed to pour water into the cannon from the opening)  it was still fun watching the water getting pulled into the cannon (by pulling the lever down) and shooting it out. Wish it was a bit more powerful but then children's safety first!

Abby loved to slide the dinghy off the launcher. The dingy will slide into the water and float away, which was quite funny to watch even for me! And when I poured water over the wheel to make it turn, Clay was amused and let out lots of giggles every time I did it! And then of course he wanted to do it himself! It was a shame I couldn't film the water actions to show you what it's like!

I think that it's a great space saving toy (their bath tub always get filled up with toys!) as it has a few functions all on the same ship without many loose bits (just the cute chunky captain Jack and his dinghy). It allows imagination play as well which is a bonus. The ship is very colourful and will certainly add lots of fun during bath time.

The new Surfin' Beaver (retailed at £11.99 and suitable for 12 months and above) is a nice addition to their swimming toys collection. We reviewed the Swim 'n' Sing Turtle last year and the kids have run the batteries dry already! The cheeky beaver is equally funny to listen to (it sings by pressing the tail down), though very different from the Turtle's deep male voice. Unfortunately it seems like his tail wasn't powerful enough to make him 'surf' forward, but it didn't bother Clay a single bit! He just grabbed the beaver and surf him around the bathtub.





It is funny how toys can seem too simple to us yet provide so much fun for the kids. Although he loved the Pirate Bath Ship as well, he hardly let go of the beaver.

Both TOMY's Aqua Fun toys Pirate Bath Ship and Surfin' Beaver are available now in all good toy stores and online. You can also find out more about TOMY on Twitter and Facebook.

Disclosure: We were sent the above toys to review; all opinions are honest and our own