Zoomer Hedgiez Interactive Toy Review

My six year old daughter has always wanted a pet of her own, but at this time in our lives our busy routine just doesn't allow it, so she was delighted when she received the next best thing...

An interactive, brightly coloured, fluffy Hedgehog called Flip!

Meet Flip, Our new Hedgehog Friend!

Zoomer Hedgiez interactive toys from Spinmaster are the perfect companion for for little ones who want the fun of an interactive companion without the mess or the responsibility! They are available in a variety of colours and designs suitable for both girls and boys aged from four years plus. With an RRP of  £39.99 (or currently available in the region of £25 - £30), Hedgiez are great value for an interactive toy and and on the lower end of the price point for the Zoomer range, yet still have a really good selection of features.

What Spinmaster have to say

Zoomer Hedgiez are cuddly pet hedgehogs that want to roll home with you. They can walk, do headstands, and even somersault around. Press their nose to make them sneeze, whistle or give you a kiss. Each Hedgy has their own unique style — complete with soft pet-able, brush-able fur. These furry friends love to be tickled, have pretty light-up eyes, and even have secret tricks for you to unlock. Collect all four - Tumbles, Dizzy, Whirl and Flip. Zoomer Hedgiez are full of giggles! 

What's in the box?

In the box we discovered our new furry friend and a cute little hedgehog shaped comb, perfect for brushing it's soft, colourful fur.  We also found a printed instruction / cheat sheet to help us discover Flip's tricks! The toy is nice and easy to remove from the packaging, however you do need 4 AAA batteries which aren't supplied, so make sure you have them (and a small screwdriver) to hand ready to set up your child's new friend without delay!

Guaranteed to make you giggle!

Although, my six year old was smitten with Flip almost immediately, I've got to admit that at first I thought it looked a bit bright and garish and the glowing eyes a little freaky, however I soon changed my mind after watching my daughter interact with it and her delight as she pressed it's nose to make it sneeze or they way she clapped with joy a it did her favourite trick and rolled over! The electronic squeaks were quite endearing and not nearly as annoyed as I would have thought (until my daughter spent a day mimicking them that is, but that's another story!)

One of the features I'm quite fond of though, is the ability to reduce the volume! My eldest child has had 'interactive' toys before and I've sometimes resorted to removing the batteries just to get them to stop making crazy noises! It also has a simple off switch so isn't one of those toys that will freak you out by making random noises as you walk across the room in the middle of the night!

Our Verdict

Elizabeth loves her fluffy friend can often be found chatting away to him and brushing his fur. She gives Zoomer Hedgiez  a big thumbs up!




This product was sent to us for the purpose of review and all opinions are our own.

Schleich Horse Riding Arena Review

I've always loved horses, I took riding lessons as a child and I'd love my own children to follow in my footsteps and learn to ride. There is a riding school in our local park and my youngest always takes an interest when the horses come trotting past, I don't think it will be long before she is asking if she can start lessons. In the meantime she was delighted to be sent the Horse Riding Arena from the Schleich World of Nature range to play with and review.

What's in the Box?

The box contains:

Arena roof (comes flat packed)

Perimeter fencing (10 pieces)

Rider

Horse

2 x Jumps

Accessories (including; saddle, bridle, blanket, hay bale and carrot)

Imaginative Play

After setting up which didn't take long at all, Elizabeth couldn't wait to start playing. She loves making the rider and horse go over the jumps again and again and even got excited and started jumping them over the fences! After a while of working hard the horse had a well deserved rest and a much on some carrots while Elizabeth dismounted the rider and covered the horse with it's blanket.

It was really sweet to watch her play, she was chatting along all the time and  noticed she had named the horse Rosie!

Considering there is no interactive stimulus to this set and it all relies on imaginative play  was impressed with how long it held Elizabeth's attention, at almost four ad a half this is the first time I have seen her spend so long playing with toys like this without her brother's input.

Value for Money

We've had a variety of Schleich toys and always found them to be of great quality with fantastic attention to details and this set was no exception.

The Schleich Horse Riding Arena has an RRP of £24.99 and is sold at Amazon and other toy shops. Prices fluctuate so you may get a better deal if you shop around. I'd say that you get a lot of play value for this price and the pieces are all excellent quality and seem hard wearing and durable.  I especially love how easy it is to dismantle and pop it away in the box then get it out again to play another day.

Just for fun, here's a picture of me as a toddler with one of the first horses I rode...

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LEGO Frozen Disney Princess: Elsa's Sparkling Ice Castle Review

Our family love LEGO and we have become rather engrossed in Frozen fever too so when the lovely folks at House of Fraser asked if we would like to choose something from their extensive toy selection to review, it's no surprise that we quickly decided on the one thing that encompasses both of these! The LEGO Disney Princess 41062: Elsa's Sparkling Ice Castle set has a suggested age range of 6 - 12 years and has a recommended retail price of £34.99. 

We have a frozen mad four year old daughter, but also a LEGO crazy seven year old son who was also very interested in this set, (not to mention two 30ish year olds who can often be found singing along to Let It Go and playing with minifigures... ) This is hopefully going to be a set that the whole family enjoys together. 

When the box arrived I admit I was surprised at how small it was, the set contains just 292 pieces and I would compare the size to other LEGO sets we have that have retailed at around £24.99, however this is the first Disney Princess set we have owned and I guess that branding does come with a price tag. Hopefully it will also come with some extra special pieces!

What's in the box?

On opening the box we found 3 bags, two instruction books, a shiny sticker sheet and a 8x16 base plate.

Instruction book one 

Instruction book two 

Anna, Elsa and Olaf Minifigures

My daughter loves these and would quite happily play with these Disney Princess mini dolls and their LEGO snowman friend for hours even without the rest of the castle set. I have to admit even as a 30 year old woman, I think they are pretty awesome! The detail in their dresses, the fabric cloaks and even the freckles on Anna's face just make them that extra bit special. Olaf is constructed rather than a minifigure as such but still rather cute and very distinctively Olaf, buckteeth and all! I would have loved to see Kristof and Sven included too but maybe them being left out means there could be another LEGO Frozen set to come? Or that could just be wishful thinking on my part!

Constructing Frozen...

Following the instruction sheet the first section you put together is Olaf's picnic blanket, which includes a sandwich and a cookie and makes reference to the 'In Summer' song from the movie which Olaf, Anna and Kristof sit on a red checkered blanket!

The next part to construct is the Sleigh. The Sleigh also has a cute little ice slide, together these form their own little playset which my daughter loved! The are also some adorable accessories including a pair of ice skates that you can fit on to the Anna minidoll to play ice skating.

Elsa's Sparkling Ice Castle

It's difficult to know where to start when describing the castle, the. re is just so much attention to detail and beautiful finishing touches including special blue glittery pieces that I've not seen in LEGO before.

The Sparkling Ice Castle itself took us around 30 minutes to build, working together a family, although it may take a child on their own longer. 

The suggested age range for this set is 6 - 12 years and I would agree with that for putting it together as we did this as a family but once it was constructed my four year old has had so much fun playing with it that I would say that it would be a suitable gift for Frozen fans aged four and above as long as an adult is happy to help with the construction.

LEGO Disney Princess 41062: Elsa's Sparkling Ice Castle has an RRP of £34.99 which is high for a LEGO set of this size but is justified in play value and I can see it becoming a very popular and sought after set.

We love it!

Like this? Check out our other Frozen posts:

Disney Frozen Anna Dress

Singalong with Sing-a-long-a Frozen

Frozen Elsa's Magic Snow Sleeve Review

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How do you Make Time To Play?

Making time to play is important for any family but for us I find it even more significant because the time we get to spend together is so limited. As working parents we are out of the house from dawn till dusk most days and both the children spend weekdays in childcare. We only have the weekends and around an hour a day during the week so I try to make the most of it.

Play does not have to be heavily planned or involve expensive props or toys. Anything from a tea party with imaginary friends to playing catch in the playground, building with some bricks or going on a nature walk in the local park will help to build your child's confidence, develop their social skills and help them understand the world around them.

I love impromptu play with my children, when we are walking home from nursery my 5 year will start to tell his sister a silly made up story about a trip to the moon or his job as a train driver or we'll play eye spy or a shopping game. We can quite often be found walking down the street in fits of giggles listing the things we bought from the shops! As well as a fun way to pass the time on our daily walks I believe this has helped to develop my daughters language and communication skills. At two and a half she is a little chatterbox and it's often observed that her language is very mature for her age.

I make time to play because I feel it is an important part of my children's development and it's also lots of fun!

Launched in 2010 by the British Toy and Hobby Association, Make Time 2 Play aims to promote to parents the many benefits that play has for the healthy development of children. 

So why is play so important?

Dr Gummer explains why play is so important for kids and not just a reward or a waste of time...

In the past, little thought was given to the importance of play and how it contributed to the developing child, so it is natural that some parents see it as simply a fun activity, a reward, or even a waste of time.

However, the government, teachers and Ofsted have all realised that play helps children learn.  Incorporating fun themes to children’s learning makes the experience more memorable for them and also less daunting so they will be more likely to do it again – bingo, they’re learning!

Think about your own childhood… Did sitting writing under the instruction of a teacher help you prepare for adulthood, or was it the real-life experiences where they developed new skills and understanding?

Did reading a parenting book prepare you for changing their child’s nappy perfectly, or was it through the trial and error of practical application?

There is a difference between helping a child to learn and pushing a child to learn. Books such as “Einstein Never Used Flash Cards…” explain how children who are pressured early on do not fare any better than children who are allowed to take their time.

The advice is simple: children learn best through simple playtime which enhances problem solving skills, attention span, social development and creativity.

When it comes to play, what’s most important are the social skills children learn. Relationships are the bedrock of society and children who play develop mutually rewarding relationships learn to compromise, communicate and negotiate, all of which give them much better outlooks for future careers and mental health.

The mistake that many people make is to believe that because you don’t always know what the child is going to learn through play, they’re not learning anything.

Even the most frivolous activity is beneficial for children as it helps them understand themselves better – learning what makes you happy and what makes you laugh helps children cope with challenges and acts as a buffer against mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.

So remember – play is vital to a child’s healthy development and not just something to be done as a reward or an afterthought.  

The Make Time 2 Play campaign uses many channels to get the message across to parents ad children with @maketime2play on twitter, Facebook and a website www.maketime2play.co.uk 

They now also have a new play app full of free play ideas for parents to fit into their children’s’ day

If want to find out more then you can take a look on the website by clicking on the below badge....

I'd love you to comment tell me your quick and easy play ideas... 

How do YOU make time to play?