Leaps and Ledges, by MindWare

Nature/ Type:          Super fun family board game  

Rating:                     ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  

Recommended age:  8 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Board game families 

I needed to bring a game for our post-lock-down gathering. Few conditions: the game can’t drag on for too long (because as typical Asian-style reunion, we devote most of our time, ehem, eating); it needs to satisfy the competitive instinct of a bunch of adult cousins, but it must also be entertaining for a five-year-old. It must be light-hearted, with soft strategising elements (not “win by pure luck” sort of game). I chose “Leaps and Ledges” by MindWare , and ohhh, the joy! 

Thanks Leisure Learning for recommending and gifting this awesome game to me so that I can share my experience here! 

Why I love ❤️ this game: 

(1) Competitive Game: This game stresses on competitiveness almost to a “brutal” (but super fun) level; there are loads of “knock the opponent down” and unpredictable moments. Players take turn to move their pawns up the 16-level tower, whilst “sabotaging” the opponents’s progress along the way. Some cards allow us to move other player down a few levels, some allow us to knock everyone off in a “rampage” while climbing the ledges, some give us the greatest power to swap position with another player. The first player to get all four of their pawns to the top wins the game. I love the combination of luck and skill (each player has 3 cards to choose from each round), and how it makes my five-year-old counting the entire night 🤣. Everyone laughed, felt frustrated, and laughed again. 

(2) Visually Stunning: The rainbow-coloured tower is visually stunning. I love the uniqueness of how the game is set up vertically. The base is sturdy, the translucent platforms are bright, vibrant and fit together nicely. The meeples pose in four different styles which is an interesting touch. One issue; the blue and green meeple look relatively alike under the refraction of the coloured ledges, which can be a little confusing. 

(3) Organised Storage Box: The game comes packaged in a box with plastic insert to keep all components organised (which is great), but the box might seem a bit bulky and larger than most other board games. 

Overall, this is a great family game (one that you can definitely bring to your Christmas feast). 

For 2 to 4 players.

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.leisurelearning.com.au/leaps-and-ledges

Enjoy the video! 

Stress Relief Sticky Balls, by Tastic Toys

Nature/ Type:          Sticky and Squeezable sensory toy

Rating:                     ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:  3 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Anyone! 

I recently discovered this unique online toy store called Tastic Toys ; When I looked at its website, what captured me instantly is the comparatively small array of product selections, but each toy and puzzle made me pause and eagerly wanting to learn more. They are rare-to-find, probably hot-trending in TikTok at the moment (which I for sure wouldn’t know much about), and have so much interesting features pending to be explored. So when Tastic Toys agreed to send me a box of miscellaneous innovative toys and magic bean puzzles in exchange for review, I WAS THRILLED! For today, I’m going to share about these super squishy and addictive 5.5cm Stress Relief Sticky Balls. 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) Versatile Sensory Toy: This is a versatile sensory toy that goes beyond for just being squishy and sticky and really fun to squeeze. We can throw it at any hard surface without fear of collateral property damage or accidental “ouchy” moment for kids (the advantage of being so weightlessly soft). Their inherent stickiness create various potentials; we can watch the balls stick to each other in a lump of tower before collapsing one at a time, or throw it against a wall or glass window surface and see how it slides down in fascinating slow-motion. 

(2) Calming: When my two-year-old threw an angry “nap-deprived” tantrum recently, she asked for “sticky balls”. I was amazed at the immediate calming effect these balls produce. I read that these tear-resistant fidget balls can reduce stress, relieve anxiety, and are helpful for kids with ADD / ADHD, and people with OCD, high stress or anxiety level. 

(3) Glow in Dark: The balls GLOW IN THE DARK! I’m loving how these balls can turn themselves into luminescent orbs emitting beautiful lights in fluorescent colours in the dark. (4) Like any sticky thing, the balls attract dust and all sorts of random impurities. I find the washing part really therapeutic; once the balls get a great rub under running water, they would restore into their original sticky selves. (5) According to its website, the balls are made of high‑quality plastic material, nontoxic, and free of BPA. 

Stay tuned for more Tastic Toys reviews! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://tastictoys.com.au/products/stress-relief-sticky-ball

Enjoy the video: 

Apple Twist, by SmartGames

Nature/ Type:          Really clever and visually appealing brain teaser  

Rating:                     ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:  5 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Puzzle & the very hungry caterpillar lovers 

We LOVE THIS GAME!!!! Apple Twist by SmartGames elevates the concept of abstract puzzle game, transforming an ordinary into an adorable, visually-stunning, brain-stimulating challenge, with a nostalgic “Hungry Caterpillar” theme! Thank you Leisure Learning for generously gifting this set to me for review. 

Why I love this game: 

(1) Loved by Kids and Adults: This is one rare gem - not only does it look cool, it’s also interesting for adults, yet sufficiently simple for a 5-year-old. The set comes with a double-sided apple game board (which has 5 horizontal segments that each can be rotated 180 degree), 3 caterpillars that can be bended in different ways, a booklet with 60 challenges / solutions. First, choose a challenge, create the depicted game board by turning the apple segments. Next adjust the 3 caterpillars into the right shapes and forms so that their entire bodies can fit into the dimples on the board. The rules are so straightforward it requires not much explanation. The kid got into action right away, and is really proud to be able to complete the starter level. 

(2) Wide difficulty Levels: I love the wide difficulty levels. The easiest challenges offer hints about the position of the bendy game pieces with coloured circles representing their heads. The master level shows only heads in white of certain caterpillars. We had so much fun twisting the caterpillars, figuring out the orientations, whilst ensuring that the caterpillars have the curvy side of their heads nicely fit within the dimples (the presence of antennae means the caterpillar can’t be placed upside down).

(3) Great Game Components: The game components are top-notch! The game board design is ingenious, with a possibility of 32 different setups. Both the game board and caterpillars are fun to manipulate. The game can also be played without using the challenge booklet; just mix up the board randomly and place the delightfully flexible caterpillars onto the board. It’s outrageously fun! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.leisurelearning.com.au/apple-twist (Australia) 

Enjoy the video! 

EasyRead 29cm Wall Clock, by EasyRead Time Teacher

Nature/ Type:          Functional Clock and Teaching Tool 

Rating:                     ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:  5 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Perfect for parents and teachers, and kids who love to learn

I grew up in a culture where we read time a little differently. Even after years of residing in Melbourne, I still struggle whenever I hear the expression of “minutes past” or “minutes to” - my brain freezes whilst it frantically trying to convert the information into my preferred “time format”. So when I see this EasyRead Time Teacher , my heart skips excitedly. I knew instantly this is something I must share! Thank you EasyRead Time Teacher for sending this EasyRead 29cm Wall Clock to me for a review and write-up. 

Why I love ❤️ this clock: 

(1) Clever Design: I love the cleverly revamped clock surface that helps us identify time in nearest minutes but in a straightforward and “obvious way”. The circular clock is divided into two major colour zones - the “green zone” on the right points us to the “minutes past”, and the left “red zone” tells us the “minutes to” time. I have never seen any clock that focuses on telling time in such a conversational and traditional English style before. First, read the number at the end of the long hand, and observe if it is pointing towards the green or red zone. Then read the number at the end of the short hand. For example, the first picture above shows a time of “14 minutes to 5” (long hand pointing to 14 at the outer ring of red zone, and short hand pointing towards the big “5” area). My 5 year-old is not quite yet familiar with numbers beyond 20, but he can sort of grasp the idea of how this works. I think this is an amazing educational resources that we will be using for the next good many years! The fact that it is an actual workable clock means we can use and immerse time-learning in our daily routine. 

(2) Silent Clock: I love how silent this clock is, without any distracting ticking sound. 

(3) Lovely Colours: I love the 12 major numbers are in exciting rainbow colours against a white background. (The clock is also available in a plainer version of red, blue, white and grey colours scheme).

 (4) Versatile: The clock can be mounted on wall as a regular clock, but it’s also light enough to be held in hands as a learning tool. 

The EasyRead range also includes an alarm clock (which I will write about soon) and watches. 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.easyreadtimeteacher.com/buy/easy-read/wall-clock/

Enjoy the video! 

Natural Healer Kit, By Make Me Iconic

Nature/ Type:          Unique and wooden natural healer set for imaginative play 

Rating:                     ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:  3 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Kids full of imaginations and love pretend-play

This Natural Healer Kit from Make Me Iconic is truthfully, absolutely, undisputedly the most ICONIC pretend play toy I have ever seen! The kids laughed so hard trying to mix and create their “itchy-cure lotion” and “wonder coughing syrup”. It was a non-stop process of crush and grind, squeeze and stir. Thank you Make Me Iconic for gifting this amazing toy to us for review. We are 100% IN LOVE with it! 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) Unique Theme: I have never seen a toy that focuses on the theme of natural healing ingredients before. This set is unique and original. We savour some “simmering” bone broth with nutritious greatness, rub on hint of Epsom salt using a mini scoop, inhale the sweet aroma of Manuka honey, have a taste of Elderberry Syrup remedy, pump out some “boo boo lotion” (my two-year-old LOVES the super cute name), apply tea tree oil using the specially-made dropper top, try out soothing arnica cream, enjoy citrusy vitamin C pills, complemented with a bowl of awesomely blended tea (made of two tea bags, squeeze of lemon wedge, mint leaves, garlic bulb, ginger, and aloe vera, - all nicely crushed up with pestle and mortar 🤣). 

(2) Educational: I love the variety of healing ingredients and the originality of the toy. We learned so much about the benefits and healing effects of these natural ingredients, from treating scrapes and bruises, improving digestive system, reducing inflammation, to boosting immune power. I love how the inspiring kit encourages imaginative play whilst promoting educational values of using nature-based elements. 

(3) Wooden materials: I love the wooden materials of the jars, tubes, pestle and mortar, spoons, scoop, lids, and vitamin pills. They are durable and beautifully-crafted. The felt material of the ginger, garlic, mint leaves and aloe vera stem give a soft, squeezable and playful texture. I also love the sturdy cardboard box. 

(4) Safety: The toy is in compliance with Australian and New Zealander toy standards. (4) I love the little thoughtful touches like the press-able pump bottle of the boo-boo lotion, good-sized scoop for the Epsom salt jar, and adorably-made tea bags with thick strings. 

We LOVE it, Make Me Iconic ! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://makemeiconic.com/products/iconic-toy-natural-healer-kit

Enjoy the video!