Geosafari Jr Kidnoculars, by Educational Insights

Nature/ Type:           Binocular that works! 

Rating:                     ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:  3 - 6 year-old

Who would love this: Kids that love to explore and observe. 

This is Geosafari Jr Kidnoculars from Educational Insights. I wasn’t too sure about this toy when I first saw it. Appearance wise, it looks pretty “plastic” and unrealistic. So I was really surprised and happy to find that it actually does function as a “binocular”, albeit in a more kiddo way suitable for preschoolers. 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) Binoculars for Young Kids: According to online resources, this is the only (or one of the rare few) binocular toys in market designed specifically for young kids between 3 to 6 year-old. It is a sturdy toy, easy to be carried around by small little hands, not heavy, and with sharp colours that kids love. My four-year-old was pretty excited when he saw this kidnoculars and immediately wanted to have a try.

(2) 2 x Magnification: it actually works and functions as a “binocular”, although in a much lower 2 x magnification. I personally think this distance range is sufficient for young kids to have a first taste of how a binocular works. 

(3) Child-friendly Features- there are other child-friendly features such as enlarged, comfy and focus-free eyepieces, perfect-fit goggles, and a breakaway safety strap. 

The online reviews are kind-of mixed for this toy so it’s probably not for everyone. But my kid loves it and has been using this for indoor objects observation, and also bringing out for “expeditions” including a recent zoo visit. 

Enjoy the Video: 

Slope Tumbler Roller, by I’m Toy

Nature/ Type:           Wooden Toy with tumbling-down fun

Rating:                     ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:  3 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Kids that love watching things dropping and falling down (gravity is fun!)  

I’m super excited to share about this Slope Tumbler Roller by “I’m Toy”. At first glance, we might think that this is just another ordinary ball-run sort of game. But wait till you see the surprises installed (swipe left to watch the videos!!!) 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) The “Surprises”!!! We can drop the three balls from the top of the colourful rainbow slope and watch them run from one level to another. Now comes the “unexpected”. Pick up the cute wooden acrobat (the original set came with two of them), drop him from the top of the ladder, and watch an amazing stunt being performed where the acrobat does some somersaults and drops down in style! The surprise doesn’t stop here! Next, place the slope roller structure on its side, and watch the little bright red tumble bean rolls down the wooden step in great action and fashion! The kids giggled and laughed, and we had so much fun watching the objects tumbled, rolled and slipped downward three ways! 

(2) Wooden Echoing Sound: I like the beautiful wooden echoing sound when the balls run from level to level of the slope. 

(3) Cuteness! the red tumble bean is too cute! It’s smiling at one side, but gives us an “unhappy” face when it’s being turned around. 

(4) Wooden Materials- like most of the other “I’m Toy” products, this Slope Tumbler Roller is made of sustainable rubber wood, finished with non-toxic child-safe paints and lacquers. 

I love it!!! 

Enjoy the video: 

Rapido, by Hape

Nature/ Type:           Bamboo and Colour Recognition Learning Toy 

Rating:                     ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:  3 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Kids that love a quick, speed, learning game. 

Rapido by Hape is all about ball, ball, ball and ball! 😊 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) Speed & Colour Recognition: It’s a game about speed, concentration, visual memory and colour recognition; this is a perfect little game for small kids that love “picking things up”. 32 colourful balls released and ran wild within a roped boundary; the object of the game is to pick up the balls according to the colour sequence shown on the dotted bamboo strips, quickly and correctly. The four clever cylindrical collecting pipes remind me of a mini tennis balls pickup-tube that my 1 year-old really loves handling every weekend during her big brother’s weekly tennis class. So naturally, the girl was obsessed with the activity of pressing the pipe down onto each ball, and finding real joy doing just that. My four-year-old enjoyed a mini “race” with me and felt pretty proud with what he could do with the pipe. 

(2) Natural Materials: I love the bamboo materials; they are light weight, lovely to touch, feel natural, and eco-friendly. 

If I can change a few things, I wish there were more balls of different colours (perhaps purple, orange and white for more challenging levels?), and also more strips with coloured patterns. I also wish they can replace the rope with a sturdy bamboo boundary as the balls can easily escape and make a mad mess in the house. 

Overall, I think this is a good toy to train-up hand-eye coordination, and is a nice “occasional” game that can bring some giggling fun to the kids. 

Enjoy the video!