Double Dice Truck, By Funyards Australia - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:            Wooden pull toy

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  

Recommended age:   3 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Young kids / Collectors of timeless/ vintage wooden toys 

I love timeless, vintage-looking wooden toys. You can get this “Double Dice Truck” from Funyards Australia - not only that it’s adorable in its non-flashy simplicity, this is also a functional and educational toy that can serve as a cute decor piece at home. 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) 3D Wooden Puzzle + Stacking Toy + Dice  

This adorable truck is a 3D wooden puzzle and a toddler-friendly stacking toy. It’s made up of 3 separate parts: Two removable dice, and a vehicle “base” with four rolling wheels and two vertical pegs where the two dice / cubes can slide in easily. I can imagine this being a lovely “first stacking toy” for toddlers to train up their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. I really love the chunky size of the dice; they are functional, with bright colourful pips on each surface, and ready to be used and incorporated into activities and games. I also really love the slightly concave appearance of the colourful dots/ pips. These dice are fun tactile toys, and would make great early learning resources for counting and colour-recognition. 

(2) Classic Pull Toy For New Walkers  

This Double Dice Truck is also a classic, good old-fashioned pull toy that can move around the house on its functioning, smooth-rolling wheels. I also love the long blue string attached to it with a wooden ball at the end for little hands to hold. I think this is a nice early companion for new walkers who are learning to take their first few steps with confidence. 

(3) Quality Wooden Material 

I love the sturdy, wooden quality of this truck. It’s solid and durable, not too heavy, made with beautiful craftsmanship and smooth finishes. I love the wooden material that gives each of the separate pieces some differing natural timber shades. This is a lovely toy for kids, and a minimalist decorative item at home that will never go out of style. 

Funyards Australia is a family owned business located in the beautiful Blue Mountains in New South Wales, specialising in quality wooden toys and educational products. Check out their website for more beautiful handmade items that would guarantee to bring you smile! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

Contact Funyards Australia 

Check out more reviews of wooden toys for your little people from Funyards Australia: 

• Elephant Pull Toy, By Funyards Australia 
• Spinning Top Roulette, By Funyards Australia 
• Snakes and Ladders, By Funyards Australia 
• Wooden Firetruck, By Funyards Australia 
• Simulation Toolbox Kit, By Funyards Australia 
• Wooden Nesting Dolls- Spotted Dog, By Funyards Australia 

Enjoy the video! 

Circle the Wagons, By Button Shy / Even Toys and Games - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:            Card game

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:   8 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Board-gamers who enjoy strategy games 

Button Shy makes “small” games - like, 18-cards-only small games. We are BIG FANS of Sprawlopolis and Skulls of Sedlec. So when Even Toys and Games sent over a few more Button Shy games, we were THRILLED! Today, I’m going to start with “Circle the Wagons”. 

Why I love ❤️ this game: 

(1) Maximise Your Scores With The Best Strategy! 

“Circle the Wagons” feels similar to “Sprawlopolis” in a few ways - both games centred around a “building” theme and have similar placement rules. Each of the card has 4 quadrants on it, and each quadrant has a background represents a territory (Desert, Forest, Mountains, Plains, Snow, Water) and an icon (Beer, Fort, Gun, Pickaxe (Mines), Cow, Wagon). First, randomly select 3 cards to set the scoring objectives. Next, take turn to draft a card from a circle for your boomtown. Similar to Sprawlopolis, a newly placed card must touch or overlap an existing territory card. Players score 1 point per quadrant in their largest area of each of the 6 types of territories. Players may also score points (or get their points deducted) depends on the 3 scoring conditions (eg, you might get a “scoring condition” where 2 points will be earned for every Beer adjacent to a Wagon, but a point deducted for every Beer not adjacent to a Wagon). 

(2) Clever Cards- Drafting Mechanism 

I LOVE the cards-drafting mechanism that really elevate the strategic perspective of the game! Cards are arranged in a circle and each player draft the card in clockwise order. When it’s your turn to draft, you can choose the next card available, or skip over 1 or more cards. But there’s a catch: any cards you skip over are then immediately drafted by your opponent (and your opponent cannot say “no” to those cards)! It’s STRATEGY everywhere! 

(3) LARGE Combinations Of Variables With Just 18 Cards 

I love how the game creates large combinations of variables by using just 18 cards. Players need to formulate new strategy each round depending on the 3 objective cards being drawn and the order of the cards in the circle. We have played more than a dozen rounds of this game and each time it truly felt different! There is also rules included for a solo play variant. (4) This game is light weight, compact, travel-friendly. Seriously, I can’t ask for more. 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://games-toys-specials.com.au/games-toys.asp?i=102581 (Australia) 

https://www.m-g.com.au/product/circle-the-wagons/ (Australia) 

https://www.gamesworldbrisbane.com.au/circle-the-wagons (Australia) 

https://www.presentsofmind.com.au/game/circle-the-wagons/ (Australia) 

https://vaultgames.com.au/products/circle-the-wagons (Australia) 

Enjoy the video! 

Fluffy Valley, By LOKI - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:            Board game for kids  

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:   6 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Young board-gamers, especially those that enjoy cooperative games! 

LOKI makes spectacularly CUTE board games - complete with amazing artwork, creative use of game box, and incredibly adorable components. Thank you VR Distribution for providing Fluffy Valley - this is officially our latest most-demanded board game by the kids! 

Why I love ❤️ this game: 

(1) Cooperative Game - Mission To Get Ready For Winter! 

We love a game with an important “mission” to accomplish! Fluffy Valley is a cooperative game where our little people work together in a team, helping a colony of hardworking prairie dogs to get their burrow ready for the harsh cold winter. The aim is to gather sufficient resources and fill-out the reserve (honey, berry, hay); but be warned: you have only 9 rounds to do that before winter kicks in (the season board is keeping tracked of it). In the process, you will meet weasels, foxes, badgers, and eagles - trying to sabotage and hinder our resources-collection progress by taking prairie dogs away from work, stealing resources, and blocking the holes. 

(2) Interesting Decision-Making & Strategic Options 

lt’s GREAT to see a board game for young kids equips with interesting decision-making options. In each round, we move the prairie dog figurines into other unoccupied holes face-down; each of the hole brings different special effects - draws a shrub token (and get either a ripe berry or a spoiled one), get a hay token, take a chance with Tunnel token, exchange a hay for a beaver upgrade, take an action twice using the River’s power, remove a weasel by seeking help from Piper the Viper, exchange spoiled berries with Roger the Hedgehog, or slide a resource token into the burrow. The actions are complex, but also comes naturally once we start playing with it. I love the fun strategy in a game full of choices and chance! 

(3) Awesome Components & Ingeniuos Game Box Conversion 

Loki is a true expert in converting a seemingly ordinary-looking game box into part of the game. Place the Prairie board on top of the plastic inserts, and the box will instantly transform into an adorable game setting with harvest table, token slot with slide to the burrow, holes with special effects - oh and I just can’t resist the cuteness of the prairie dog figurines, peeking out from the holes with their cheekiest, playful look! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://starfishstore.com.au/products/loki-fluffy-valley (Australia) 

Check out my other reviews on LOKI games: 

• Kraken Attack, By LOKI 
• Detective Charlie, By LOKI 
• Carla Caramel, By LOKI 

Enjoy the video! 

12 Puzzles In A Gift Box, By Funyards Australia - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:            Wooden puzzles 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:   10 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Collectors of timeless, wooden puzzles 

I am fascinated by the beauty of wooden brainteasers and Kumiki puzzles. They are timeless, ingenious, never go out-of-style! If you don’t know where to start your collection, have a look at the beautifully curated products at Funyards Australia - and don’t forget to check out its “12 Puzzles In A Gift Box” set! 

Why I love ❤️ this set: 

(1) 12 Wooden Puzzles In One Gift Box 

Well, what can I say? Imagine unlocking secrets of 12 mechanical puzzles, each unique and distinctive in its own right, all attractively wrapped-up in a handcrafted box completes with an enchanting white floral ribbon at the top. It’s hard not to get excited about these mesmerising puzzles; 7-piece 3x3 Soma cube in a container with lid (don’t forget to explore the 240 possible solutions available), the challenging Snake Puzzle (the included solution guide came to my rescue for this one!), Falling Star Burr Puzzle (my personal favourite), Round Saucers Puzzle (that looks a little like a mini wine barrel), Star Puzzle (really fun to build!), Lumber Jack, 2 different “Diamond Puzzles”, Squares Cube, Notched Stick, Soccer Puzzle, and the almost impossible “12 Puzzle”.

(2) Varying Difficulty Levels For All Ages 

I love that the puzzles are of varying difficulty levels. The 6-piece Star Puzzle is straightforward and I love how the pieces joined together in such believable clever way! The Soma Puzzle is pretty kids-friendly and the 7 polycubes can be stacked randomly to build various miniature structures. Don’t be deceived by the innocent-looking Lumber Jack and Diamond, and I have yet to figure out the steps to put this “12 Puzzle” (with an encased ball) back into its original structure. This is an awesome gift for anyone who enjoys stimulating brain activities and solving addictive logical challenges. There is an illustrated solutions included for all 12 puzzles. 

(3) Beautiful Craftmanship & Natural Wooden Material 

The craftsmanship of the puzzles is fantastic, and I especially love the natural wooden material of the products. The precision of the puzzle pieces is impressive, each smoothly-finished to high quality. (4) The gift box itself is an elegant work of art. It has two levels within, with individual compartment for each of the 12 puzzles. 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

Funyards Australia 

Check out more reviews of similar wooden puzzle sets from Funyards Australia: 

• 51-Piece Pagoda Burr Puzzle, By Funyards Australia 
• Ship- 3D Interlocking Wooden Puzzle, By Funyards Australia 
• Wooden Stacking Puzzle - Tower of Pisa, By Funyards Australia 
• Airplane - 3D Interlocking Wooden Puzzle, By Funyards Australia  
• Helicopter- 3D Interlocking Wooden Puzzle, By Funyards Australia 

Enjoy the video! 

Race to Pattern Palace!, by hand2mind - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:            Board game for kids  

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:   3 year-old ++ (but my two kids, 5 and 7 year-old, love it too!)

Who would love this: Kids that love games and maths. A must-have for all Numberblocks fans! 

Numberblocks is one of the selected few TV animated programmes that I truly enjoy watching with the kids - it’s witty, cute, and educational! Clover Street sent us this new “Race to Pattern Palace!” from hand2mind recently - and I can’t wait to tell you more about this spectacular game today! 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) Learn Counting/ Colours/ Patterns In A Fun Way! 

This game has 4 of our favourite Numberblocks characters as “heroes”- racing to the glamorous “Pattern Palace”, building bridges, whilst solving a series of maths-related problems! Seriously, how great is that! First, each player selects a Numberblocks Pawn (One, Two, Three, or Four) and places it on the starting space of the game board. Now, each player takes turn to press the dice popper. If you roll a colour, move your Numberblocks character to the next space with that colour/ or a multicolor space (whichever’s the nearest). If you roll a “6”, draw a “Six’s Tricks Card” and follow its directions (e.g. go forward 4 spaces, go back 3 spaces, roll again, skip a turn, move to the next bridge, and more). Along the way, players would also need to build “pattern bridges” to cross the rivers. The game reminds me slightly of the classic “Snakes and Ladders” game - but with more twists and turns, more cheerful and adorable graphics, and more “hidden” learning opportunities!

(2) Build Your Pattern Bridges With Challenge Cards 

The kids absolutely LOVE building their pattern bridges! The set includes 4 bridges, 25 bridge tiles (5 colours), and 40 pattern challenge cards (divided into 2 levels of 20 each). Each bridge has empty spaces where 6 tiles can be clicked onto it. Level 1 is pretty straightforward (eg patterns with two colours alternating between each other), and level 2 consists of mostly challenges with three colours and trickier patterns (and also a chance to create your own pattern bridge!). Solutions are provided. This is a GREAT game to promote pattern and colour recognition. 

(3) Great Components (Including A Durable Dice Popper) 

My two kids are “aggressive” dice-throwers - I love the idea of a Dice Popper that keeps the dice safe within a durable plastic dome. I also love the foldable game board and the solid storage box. 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://sistersensory.com.au/product/hand2mind-numberblocks-race-to-pattern-palace-board-game/

Check out my other reviews of Numberblocks products from hand2mind: 

• Numberblocks MathLink Cubes 1-10 Activity Set, by hand2mind
• Numberblocks MathLink Cubes 11-20 Activity Set, by hand2mind
• Numberblocks Stampoline ParkActivity Set, by hand2mind
• Numberblocks Reusable Clings, by hand2mind
• Numberblocks Plush, by hand2mind

Enjoy the video! 

Multiplication By Heart, By Math For Love - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:            Multiplication learning kit 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:   3 - 8 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Parents / teachers looking for creative multiplication learning resources. 

Mathematics used to be THE subject that I feared the most. Hence, I’m very excited each time when I discover a new learning aid that shows the fun part of maths. Today, I would love to show you “Multiplication By Heart” by Math For Love (thank you Divisible by Zero for another fantastic product!). 

Why I love ❤️ it: 

(1) Creative System To Learn Multiplication

The set includes 3 decks of cards (total of 162 cards), a spinner, and a box with sorting pockets. These are more than just ordinary flashcards. It’s a learning system, with different visual representations, teaching kids about multiplication in a non-overwhelming and effective way. It encourages short and sweet daily practice, starting with the simplest numbers, and gradually adding more (complicated) cards to build up confidence! First, shuffle the first deck of cards, and separate them into those that the kids got it right (grouped under tab “b”), and those that the kids got it wrong (tab “a”). On day 2, kids will start with cards in tab b, and again, divide the cards into those that they got it right (moved to tab”c”), and those that they got it wrong (moved to tab”a”). Next, follow the same pattern for cards in tab a. The spinner shows which tabs to practise for each day (day 1 to 20). The aim is to slowly move all the cards into the final “mastered” tab, where the kids would have done sufficient daily practise by then and “mastered” their multiplication skills. 

(2) 3 Decks Of Cards, 3 Ways To Learn 

I LOVE the design of the 3 decks. Deck 1 (25 cards) covers 1x1 to 5x5 using “equal groups of” visualisation (eg 3x5 cards shows three green circles (groups) with 5 white dots within each group, and the answer on reverse side). Deck 2 has 100 cards covering 1x1 to 10x10 with “grid” representation (5x6 shows 5 columns and 6 rows of purple squares, and the reverse side shows the relevant timetable sums 6, 12, 18, 24, 30). Deck 3 has 37 cards visualise prime factors (eg 4x6 is paired with 3x8, 2x12; factors of 2 is represented in green, and factors of 3 in orange). 

(3) Compact Set With Mini Games Included 

The instruction guide also includes mini games. I LOVE the organised, compact and solid box - easy to bring around to keep the daily practice going! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.thetherapystore.com.au/multiplication-by-heart (Australia) 

https://www.sensoryoasisforkids.com.au/multiplication-by-heart/ (Australia) 

Enjoy the video! 

Magical Lights, By Lekkid - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:            Building toy with glow-in-the-dark feature 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:   6 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Kids that love building and creating! 

I have been following Lekkid (a Barcelona toy brand) in social media for quite some time - the toys look intriguing and they genuinely captured my interests. Imagine my THRILL when Lekkid reached out and asked if I would love to test out its toys! Today, I would love to share about “Magical Lights” from Lekkid. 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) 36 Uniquely-Designed Modular Pieces For Building Fun 

The set contains 36 modular pieces, a base and a stand. The building pieces look like some kind of funky pencil toppers; they are roundish at the bottom, slim and slightly “pointy” at the top. Most of the pieces are hollow within and have an opening hole underneath. 12 of them come in single units, and 24 come in “double” (two single units stick together). Almost intuitively, the kids started connecting the pieces together, joining one to another. I highly recommend that you have a watch of the “Step-by-Step” videos uploaded in Lekkid website prior to playing, just to get some tips / ideas on the building techniques. We can do more than just simply stacking the pieces up vertically. The units can also be connected facing horizontally, joined in a “criss-cross” manner to strengthen a structure, be inserted upside-down, and more. We built a chicken (I love how we can use the “double” unit to create two big round eyes), an extremely cool jet-plane, a dog, a crown, a rocket ship, and a festive Christmas Tree with base and stand. I can’t verify whether we can indeed create “1,000,000” lamps with the pieces (as claimed on the packaging), but I can definitely see the BIG potential and the open-ended nature of this set! 

(2) Glow In The Dark! 

Our kids were overjoyed when they discovered the “glow in the dark” feature! The building pieces have special luminescent pigments that accumulate light and release it slowly in the dark. We love building our fascinating night lights! 

(3) Luminescent Plastic + Beech Wood Materials 

The pastel-coloured building pieces are made of luminescent plastic, and have a nice “silicone-like” appearance. The set also includes 8 special building units, a base and a removable vertical stand - all made of beech wood. 

(4) Safety Standards 

The toy conforms with international safety standards, including ASTM F963 and EN71.

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.lekkid.com/magical-lights/

Enjoy the video! 

Rainbow Sentences, By Junior Learning - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:            Language learning set 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:   5 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Parents/ teachers looking for creative and fun educational kit 

So, what’s next after the kids have learned about phonics and words? My view - It’s putting the words together and constructing sentences time! You might have seen my recent review on “Rainbow Phonics Tiles”. Today, I would love to share about the “next level up” learning tool - “Rainbow Sentences”, from the same amazing Junior Learning . 

Why I love ❤️ this set: 

(1) 160 Word Tiles For Sentences-Forming 

We were pretty excited to see a box with massive number of tiles with words on them - 160 of them, to be exact! There are 12 articles/pronouns, 17 adjectives, 39 nouns, 44 verbs, 37 prepositions, and 11 punctuation marks. A pretty impressive set with sufficient forms of word to test out your sentence-making skills. Be creative, arrange the tiles, put them into proper order. We can make sentences from “The cup is pink.”, “What a silly game!”, “How do I look?”, to “She found my blue bike under the little bed.” - and many more. All sentences can be formed using proper punctuation marks, complete with capitalised first letter of the first word in each sentence. It’s a really stimulating and fun exercise. It’s like building a solid Lego construction using whatever types of bricks we have at home. It sharpens the kids’ creativity, develops their sentence-building skills whilst learning the correct written-language rules. 

(2) Colour-Coded Words For Visual Clarity 

The words are “colour coded”. For example, the adjectives (“good”, “happy”, “cold”) are in sky blue colour, verbs (“use”, “found”, “went”) are in red, and nouns (“bird”, “school”, “Emma”) are in purple. I love the visual clarity of it, and how the clever design facilitates word recognition to help the kids with basic sentence construction. 

(3) Magnetic Tiles + In-Built Pop-Up White Board 

The word tiles are magnetic and can be attached easily onto the in-built, pop up whiteboard comes in the box. The white board has black lines on it to help guide the sentence-building. The magnetic feature makes it easy to arrange the tiles, inter-change and replace the words to explore different sentence-forming possibilities. 

(4) Self-Contained Storage Box 

I love that the tiles are encased in a self-contained storage box, held together securely with elastic band for easy storage and portability. Love it! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://juniorlearning.com.au/products/rainbow-sentences?_pos=1&_sid=b71a42746&_ss=r

Check out my reviews on other Junior Learning products: 

• Spelligator, By Junior Learning 
• Rainbow Phonics Tiles, By Junior Learning 
• Rainbow CVC Objects, By Junior Learning
• CVC Bubble Boards, By Junior Learning
• Flashbot, By Junior Learning 
• Phonics Tri-Blocks Tub, By Junior Learning 
• CVC Tri-Blocks Tub, By Junior Learning

Enjoy the video! 

Story Time Backgammon, By Thinking Cup Learning - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:            Backgammon learning set

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:   3 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Young kids that enjoy stories + learning a new game  

I never really understood how the game of Backgammon works - having grew up learning the game entirely through words of mouth and “make-up rules”. I’m super grateful to VR Distribution for providing a copy of this “Story Time Backgammon” by Thinking Cup Learning for review. I’m thoroughly impressed and I can’t wait to share more about it with you today! 

Why I love ❤️ this game: 

(1) Learn Classic Backgammon Game Through A Story 

“Story Time Backgammon” adopts the same story-telling approach from its previous successful “Story Time Chess” project - it uses adorable illustrations, cheeky storyline, and wacky characters to introduce a tactical and kind-of sophisticated (grown-ups’) game to kids! We read about the tale of a swashbuckling pirate Peglegra the Bold who couldn’t wait to explore the legendary Diamond of Icelandic, and a Viking Chieftain who (having had enough of frozen potato diet) desperately wanted to explore to legendary Land of Fruitlandia. We read about high sea adventure of pirate ships and Viking boats, ship-bumping to the “sandbar”, a wooden gate that would only open when a whole fleet (15 ships) has arrived, a “Great Vortex” that changes the direction of the ships, and the rule of “bearing off” through the use of magical dice and power of Wind and Wave. Seriously, I never knew that the game of Backgammon can be THAT interesting. 

(2) 27 Mini Games To Practise Your New Moves 

I love the 27 witty mini games that help kids to practise the moves in an interactive and visual way. We started with the simple “reading the dice” game, “getting around the board”, “Rolling with 2 Dice, to the more complicated rules of “Rolling Doubles”, “Rolling Back into the Race” (after being bumped off to the middle sandbar), and “Bearing Off” (after assembling a whole fleet at “home board”). 

(3) Large & Double-Sided Game Board 

The game board is LARGE and double-sided - a colourful “story-side”and a more “serious” classic board on the reverse. I love the clever cutouts that can transform “boring” discs into exciting fleet of ships, the kids love shaking the Custom Dice Cups (that also can serve as storage containers), and everyone loves the sparkly “Wixi” dice (to help kids with the counting when they roll doubles). 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.bigw.com.au/product/story-time-backgammon/p/9900033963 (Australia) 

https://shop.goodgames.com.au/products/story-time-backgammon?variant=43348722581662 (Australia) 

https://www.gamesworld.com.au/product/story-time-chess/ (Australia) 

Check out also my other review on Story Time Chess (By Thinking Cup Learning). 

Enjoy the video! 

LOGICO Piccolo & Language - Picture Stories, By LOGICO - Review

Nature/ Type:            Educational learning kit 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Recommended age:   6 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Parents looking for screen-free educational learning kit 

One frame, many uses. With LOGICO, kids can learn at their own pace and skill level. We can use the same board for a variety of activities - solving tricky mathematics questions, geometrical challenges, logical puzzles, learning about colours, or doing simple counting exercise. Today, I would love to share about another LOGICO Piccolo activity book - “Language - Picture Stories” (thank you LOGICO (Australia) for providing a copy). 

Why I love ❤️ this set: 

(1) Screen-Free Frame With 10 Moveable Buttons 

LOGICO Piccolo board looks like an iPad with blue frame - but it’s screen-free, non-electronic. It’s a handheld frame with 10 moveable, colourful buttons that can be used together with various LOGICO Piccolo activity booklets. First, insert an activity card into the slot. Read the instructions, identify the problems, recognise the connection, and push the coloured buttons to the correct spots. Concept wise, it’s similar to a “draw a line to connect” activity, but LOGICO makes the exercise more engaging with its cleverly-designed activity frame and tactile experience. The kids enjoy the games and love pushing the buttons around the frame. 

(2) Activity Booklet With 16 Learning Cards & Games 

LOGICO Piccolo is designed for kids from 5 to 9 year-old (for younger kids - check out LOGICO Primo). I love the selection of LOGICO activity booklets that cover a wide array of topics - from basic numbers and counting, colours and shapes, thinking skills, geometry, and more. This “Language - Picture Stories” has 16 learning cards in it - focuses on time sequence (which picture comes first and which next), causal relations (which tool was used that caused the change), and recognises object that is out of place/ does not match a picture story. I love that the activities use settings familiar to the kids, and accompanied with bright and interesting illustrations. 

(3) Self-Checking Feature For Independent Learning 

I think the self-checking feature is the BEST part! Once the puzzles are done, kids can flip the cards over and independently confirm the answers by comparing the colour of the buttons. 

(4) Light-Weight & Compact Travel Kit 

Piccolo board is light-weight, compact, with no loose components. It’s a fantastic on-the-go activity set to bring along for short travel or family vacation! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

• LOGICO Piccolo Frame: https://www.logicotoys.com.au/collections/logico-piccolo/products/logico-piccolo-frame
• Language Picture Stories (Activity Booklet): https://www.logicotoys.com.au/collections/logico-piccolo/products/language-picture-stories

Check out my other reviews on LOGICO products: 

• LOGICO Piccolo & Geometry 1, By LOGICO 
• LOGICO Piccolo & School Readiness, By LOGICO 
• LOGICO Primo - Numbers Up To 10, by LOGICO 
• LOGICO Primo - Comparing Quantities, by LOGICO 
• LOGICO Primo - Thinking Skills, by LOGICO 

Enjoy the video! 

Itzi, By Carma Games - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:            Board game/ card game 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:   8 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Kids + grown-ups that enjoy quick, fast-paced word games 

Our family loves Slapzi, Buildzi, Tenzi, and we are super excited to add Itzi into our “zi-series”game collection, all from the spectacular Carma Games. Thank you Divisible by Zero for providing a copy! 

Why I love ❤️ this game: 

(1) Fast-Paced Word Game - Match Your Itzi Card With Letter Card! 

As per Carma Games usual style, Itzi is easy to play, with no fancy gadgets, fast-paced, and keeps things exciting. The set includes 120 Itzi cards (double-sided, each side contains a theme or feature of an object), and 75 letters cards (double-sided, 4 letters on each side). Each player starts with 5 letter cards. Next, flip over an Itzi card that defines a category to be matched (eg “it’z a board game”, or “it’z noisy”). Be the quickest player to slap your letter card on top of the Itzi card, and shout out an answer that starts with a letter from your letter cards (eg “m” for “monopoly” board game, and “n” for the noisy “monkey”). The first player to use up (and get rid of) all 5 letter cards, wins the game! The game is straightforward, takes (literally) a few seconds to learn, and has no downtime. 

(2) BIG Playability - Wide & Interesting Categories of Themes! 

 The Itzi cards cover a range of categories - from the no-brainer (eg “it’z a number between 3 and 13”), a slightly trickier type (eg “it’z a kitchen appliance”), and those with potential for a great laugh (eg “something you wouldn’t want to hold in your hand”, or “another way to say Hi”). The letter cards are double-sided - which really adds on to the fun! Players have to frantically flip our letters cards around -checking them from front to back, whilst squeezing our brain searching for the right word. 

(3) More Than One Way To Play 

There is more than one way to play Itzi! There is “Colour Itzi” (use only letters that match the Itzi cards), Icon Itzi” (use only letter cards that have the same icon as the one on Itzi card), and more variants! 

(4) Great Design & Detail 

The words on the Itzi cards are printed twice on each card, facing two directions. In other words, you can have multiple players sitting around the table / or opposite of each other, and no one would have a disadvantage because the words are easily readable by all. I LOVE this thoughtful detail! I also love the unique long rectangular game box. 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.colourfullearning.com.au/products/itzi (Australia) 

https://www.m-g.com.au/product/itzi/ (Australia) 

https://www.laughandlearn.com.au/product/itzi/ (Australia) 

Check out my other reviews of Carma Games: 

• Slapzi, by Carma Games 
• Buildzi, by Carma Games

Enjoy the video! 

Clixo Grip and Stick Pack (24 Pieces), By Clixo - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:            Magnetic building toy 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:   4 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Kids and parents that enjoy innovative building/ construction/ creative toys 

“Uhhh mummy, look! This one has a rainbow on it!” The more you play with it, the more intriguing it is- that’s the magic of Clixo! Clixo is innovative, unique, inspiring, simply “wow”. Today, I’m going to share about Clixo Grip and Stick Pack (24 Pieces) from Clixo (thank you Divisible by Zero for providing a copy!). 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) New Exciting Clixo Parts With Suction Cups! 

Clixo is one of the COOLEST toys I have ever seen! It’s a blend between paper origami, magnetic tiles, building blocks, and tactile play. It bends, folds, connects, curves, spins - and NOW, with this “Grip and Stick” pack, it can even attach to windows and other smooth surfaces! This set comes with 24 pieces in 10 unique shapes - 2 Flops, 5 Quad, 1 TwoDot, 4 Longy, 1 Flap, 4 prismatic pieces in 3 styles, 2 spinners, and 4 suction cups. Clixo encourages intuitive and creative play; the pliable pieces can be twisted and folded, the structure can be snapped and secured together using the colour-coded magnetic dots (simply match the blue button to the red one to connect). The suction cups are such a fantastic addition! The kids had a blast adorning our sliding doors with their Clixo whirligig, flora pattern, ball-run tunnels, “hanging” jet, Queen’s necklace, and many other wild creations! We love the spinners that really bring the objects “alive”. 

(2) Enchanting Holographic Pieces 

This set contains pieces in blue and green theme. They are compatible with other Clixo packs (if you are looking for more multi-coloured options to expand your Clixo collections). One of the most exciting thing in this “Grip and Stick” pack is the holographic pieces that can create enchanting, iridescent-like effect that dances under the sunlight with dazzling colours of rainbows! 

(3) Made From Recyclable Synthetic Paper 

Clixo pieces are made from durable, recyclable synthetic paper with good strength. The magnets are impressively strong; the materials are non-toxic and kid-safe, and the products are in compliant with toy safety standards (ASTM, EN71). The packaging is sustainably manufactured using recycled and compostable bamboo pulp. I love that Clixo is light and compact, easily stackable, space-saving, and perfect for on-the-go play. 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.coolthings.com.au/clixo-grip-and-stick-pack-24pcs (Australia) 

Check out my other Clixo reviews here: 

• Clixo Wheel Creator Pack
• Clixo Rainbow Pack 42 Pieces 

Enjoy the video! 

LOGICO Piccolo & Geometry 1, By LOGICO - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:            Learning Activities 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Recommended age:   6 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Parents looking for fun, screen-free activities for school-age kids 

There are so much to love about LOGICO Piccolo. It’s screen-free and non-electronic, although its tablet-like appearance might remind you of an iPad from a quick glance. Both of my kids love LOGICO! Today, I would love to share about LOGICO Piccolo and another activity booklet that we really love - “Geometry 1”. (Thank you LOGICO (Australia) for providing a copy!). 

Why I love ❤️ this set: 

(1) Colourful & Engaging Activity Board 

LOGICO Piccolo is an activity board targeting kids of the age from 5 to 9 year-old (for younger kids - check out LOGICO Primo). Piccolo consists of a cleverly-designed handheld board with 10 colourful, tactile and chunky buttons that can move around the frame. There is a great selection of activity booklets that go with the Piccolo board. Insert an activity card into the slot, read the instructions, identify the problems, recognise the connection, find the matching colours, and push the buttons to the correct spots. There is an incredible series of “complex” thinking steps involved here, and I’m pretty impressed watching the kids enjoying the experience and “playing” with it like some really cool games! 

(2) Activity Booklets With 16 Learning Cards 

LOGICO activity booklets cover a diverse range of topics from colours, shapes, numbers, mathematics, language readiness,  and more. We tested out the “Geometry 1” booklet recently. I really enjoy the wide array of problems and logical thinking issues featured in the 16 learning cards. There are puzzles on finding the geometrical shapes that composed a figure, recognising objects from different perspectives, matching the position of an object, building patterns, and completing a sequence of patterns etc. The illustrations are colourful, and the activities are thought-provoking and fun! 

(3) Self-Checking Feature For Independent Learning 

We LOVE the self-checking feature! Once the puzzles are done, kids can flip the cards over and confirm the answers independently by looking at the coloured buttons printed on the reverse of each card. 

(4) Light-Weight, Compact & Travel-Friendly 

This is a fantastic educational resources which would stand the test of time. Similar to the Primo frame - Piccolo board is light-weight, compact, with no loose components. It is a marvellous travel companion! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.logicotoys.com.au/collections/logico-piccolo/products/geometry-1 (Australia) 

Enjoy the video!