Wooden Water Ways, by Explore Nook

Nature/ Type:            Wooden tool for water play 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Recommended age:   3 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Outdoor + natural environment lovers! 

Water is a source of inspiration and creativity. Cascading water fall, slow-flowing canal, fast-running river. Water brings calmness, freedom, and fascination. We love how Explore Nook “Wooden Water Ways - Starter Family Set” allows us to explore, experiment, and experience the beautiful nature of water. We are in love with its versatility and quality craftsmanship! 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) Outdoor Play- We love that it is an outdoor toy! We get to be a little messy and chaotic when testing out the toy and immerse ourselves in an open-ended beach play while discovering the potential and fluidity of water. The set includes 3 wooden channels, 3 chunky wooden blocks for height adjustment, and a wooden funnel. We love how the three channels, blocks and funnel can be attached to each other using the concept of “hole and dowel”. I love how we can design and construct our unique watercourses in different angles, directions, and heights using these versatile tools. We love our experiments, investigations, and stories behind our creations.

(2) Beautiful & Unique Design - I love the thoughtful and meticulous design. Each of the three channels are crafted differently; one has rounded grooves which create tiny friction to the flow of water, another has a protruded middle line that splits the water into two separate paths before leading them back to a single point, and a third “unobstructed” smooth channel. The funnel is crafted artistically in descending circular movement leading to the bottom. We love watching the water pouring downwards in circular motion through the funnel, and slowly guiding itself through the channels, one at a time. They are so aesthetically pleasing and functional at the same time. 

(3) Wooden Material We love the wooden material; the toy is made of sustainable approved pine wood. I love that each of the pieces is printed with their unique DNA and retains the natural character of the wood. The craftsmanship is nicely done with smooth surfaces. They are “made by nature” toy that meets quality control and stimulate curiosity. 

(4) Compatible- The set goes well with the “Wooden Water and Sand Wheel” set, also from Explore Nook. 

This is a truly awesome toy! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where can I buy this: 

https://explorenook.com.au/

Enjoy the video! 

Maths Cubes, By Daju Toys

 

Nature/ Type:            Versatile, useful mathematics visual aid  

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:   3 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Colours, shapes, mathematics, or construction loving kids! 

One of our favourite animated television series is “Numberblocks” - we love the colourful block characters, the mathematical adventures, and the funny storyline. Daju Toys linking maths cubes reminds us to have fun while learning, to sprinkle some magical creativity when it comes to serious mathematical concepts and theories, just like what NumberBlocks have been teaching the kids! 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) Perfect For Maths Lessons- The set comes with a total of 100 cubes, in 10 colours grouped in 10 pieces each. These are fantastic visual aid to mathematical lesson; almost immediately, the kids discovered the magical 100 and how the number is made up of 10 x 10 rows of cubes. We snapped them into lines of 10, we combined them into a huge cube, we tested the weight and balanced them on a scale, we explored interesting ways to do adding, subtracting, dividing and multiplying. We love how educational and versatile these clever cubes are! 

(2) Smart Connection- The cubes can be connected at all sides - left, right, bottom and top. Just imagine the things that can be built using a little imagination and “out-of-box” thinking. The boy interlocked the cubes and created a green alligator, a black and orange tiger, a rainbow robot, and “Star Wars” styled lightsabers and many more. Yes, the structures might look “abstract” and required some explanations, but oh, how the kids love them! 

(3) Shapes- Each side of the cube has a shape cutout: triangle, square, pentagon, and a protruded circle. These cubes can also be used for matching, sequencing, and other pattern-sorting activities. 

(4) Colours- The colours are gorgeous, which makes the building exercise so interesting to do! Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, pink, black and white. They have the “basic” rainbow colours and more! 

Having said that, snapping and disconnecting the cubes do require some fine motor skills and reasonable strength. My three-year-old was unable to do it and she felt utterly frustrated to manage them. My five-year-old struggled sometimes, but that doesn’t take away his joy of connecting and taking them apart, and he absolutely loves these cubes! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.daju.com.au/

Enjoy the video! 

Noah’s Ark Puzzle, by Serenitoys

Nature/ Type:            Handmade wooden, Bible-themed puzzle 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Recommended age:   3 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Lovers of wooden toys and exquisite puzzles 

Kids ask the toughest, most unexpected, and thought-provoking questions. The kids love Bible stories and have a millions of “whys”, “hows” and “whats”; Genesis and science, faith and evidence, miracles and possibilities. Serenitoys appeals to me with its rare handmade wooden range that focuses on the Bible theme. Head over to its website and you will find spectacularly designed puzzles inspired by the stories of Genesis, Tower of Babel, Exodus, Jonah, and THIS Noah’s Ark puzzle! 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) Bible-Themed- I feel that Bible-inspired toys is an apparent gap in the market. Imagine my JOY the first time when I saw Serenitoys and its unique range. The Noah’s Ark puzzle captures the essence of the story using straightforward and simple representations; Flood, Ark, and Rainbow. To me, these three elements symbolise Danger, Faith, and the Promise of God. I think Serenitoys incorporated and interwove the essential elements of the story perfectly! I also love its story guide page that gives more insight into the story of Noah’s Ark. 

(2) Different Ways To Play With This- I love that the puzzle is designed with versatility and open-ended play in mind; Soothing waves of different shades of blue represents the flood and the fluidity of water. The ark has a curvy hull that reminds me of a cheerful smile with upwards tilted lips. The rainbow is our kids’s favourite - six arches of exciting colours that can nest or stack perfectly onto one another. I love that the 17 separable pieces can be arranged and fit into the sturdy puzzle board to form a heartwarming artwork; they can also be “taken apart” and be included as part of an imaginative play and be converted into a scene of multiple tunnels of love, lake of tranquility and adventurous journey of sailing ship. Each of the pieces stand well vertically and can be used to build 3D structures. 

(3) Handmade Product- All Serenititoys are handmade with love in Tasmania, using sustainably-sourced wood that are FSC certified and non-toxic paint. The craftsmanship is impeccable, and the colours are heart-meltingly gorgeous. I love the smooth and rounded finishes on each piece. 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.serenitoys.com/

Enjoy the video! 

Wooden Water And Sand Wheel, by Explore Nook

Nature/ Type:            Wooden water and sand wheel 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:   3 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Any kids- this is perfect for beach, park, backyard, indoor or outdoor play! 

My kids love Richard Scarry’s and his ridiculously busy Lowly Worm series. One of their favourite spreads of pages is the exciting illustrations about hydropower. We love tracing our fingers along the flowing stream, watching the force of gravity interacting with the water turbine, creating mechanical motion and energy. It’s a process that constantly fascinates us! Explore Nook sent us this “Wooden Water And Sand Wheel” recently, and we are absolutely loving how a simple device can incorporate so much science and amazing theories! 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) So Many Different Ways To Play- I love how versatile this toy is! The set comes with a cleverly-designed stand, removable wheel and a funnel; a simple tool to explain complex engineering terms to young kids in a visualised and interesting way. We tested it out with fine-grain sand, with cascading water, and 100 cute translucent “gummy bear” counters. The kids skipped with joy watching the fast rotating movement generated when different types of material poured and rush downwards, touching the vertical wheel and sending it into a quick spin! The fact that the funnel can be removed means the kids get to investigate and experiment the potential of this toy with other bigger items, like chickpeas, coffee beans, marbles, wood chips, and you-name-it! This is a delightful learning resource that is fun to play with and thrilling to watch! This toy is educational, relevant, and a potential “power machine” in a simplified and unassuming form. 

(2) Wooden Material- We love the sustainably sourced, durable and quality wooden material! This is a beautiful toy designed by an Australian Early Childhood Teacher and crafted in Vietnam. I love the meticulous craftsmanship and the emphasis on natural resources. 

(3) Open-Ended- This is one of those open-ended toys that can be played indoor and outdoor. The wheel is a perfect tool for backyard muddy-play, a fun beach toy for a sunny excursion, a cool device for messy water play in nature, or a stay-at-home companion on a Melbourne-insane-weather day. 

Nothing beats learning physics in a gripping and inspiring way! Thank you Explore Nook , we are enchanted! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://explorenook.com.au/

Enjoy the video! 

Drawing Dough Kit, by Tookyland

Nature/ Type:            "Paint" with dough creative activities 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:   3 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Play-dough and craft lovers!

We love sculpting and creating our mini world of imagination using play dough. But to make a painting of art using colourful modelling clay? That’s new to us! Tookyland Drawing Dough Kit from Eleganter Australia opens our eyes to a new possibility of crafting with play dough. We are loving our newfound creative activity! 

Why I love ❤️ this kit: 

(1) New Creative Activity - The kit comes with 6 tubs of play dough of different colours (red, yellow, green, blue, purple, black) and 10 sheets of pre-printed pictures to go with the “paint with dough” activity. We were pretty excited to try out this new crafting experience. It was a flurry of busy and a little chaotic 🤣 activities; from flattening, rolling, squeezing, moulding, cutting, matching, and pasting. We turned the dough into miniature 3D dots on T-Rex, colourful tentacles on octopus, wavy auburn hair for mermaid, straight serious mane for lion, swirly icing on multi-tiered cake, and many more. Some shapes were easy to form, some were trickier than the rest. I love how the dough-painting activity kept the kids thoroughly engaged, while polishing their fine motor skills in a stimulating way! We enjoyed the “special 3D effect” and vibrancy created using this unique art technique. Of course, we can also use the play dough in its “ordinary” way to form any shapes, creations and imaginary yummy treats. These are fun and versatile resources that can be used for multiple purposes! 

(2) Non-sticky Dough - I like the non-sticky nature of the dough. This is one of the most mess-free play dough sessions we ever had. The colours are bright and bold; the texture is soft, light-weight, non-greasy, easily separable from the picture sheets or any other play dough accessories and tools, and super convenient to be packed away. 

(3) Organised Container - I love the clear transparent mini tubs for each play dough and the very handy box to store everything away neatly after the play. I am loving how organised and clean everything look! 

Thank you Eleganter Australia for recommending this interesting product to us! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.eleganter.com.au/

Enjoy the video! 

Paint Your Own Tea Set Craft Kit, by Kaper Kidz

Nature/ Type:            Craft set with miniature porcelain tea pot set  

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Recommended age:   8 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Craft-lovers! 

My three-year-old is super adorably teapot-obsessed. It’s always amazing to see how a tea set can have such calming effect on her. We have had plenty of imaginary tea parties, but we had never done a “teapot crafting session” before. Eleganter Australia sent us this Paint Your Own Tea Set Craft Kit from Kaper Kidz, and goodness-me, the FUN that we had playing with this! 

Why I love ❤️ this kit: 

(1) Customise, Design, Paint! - The set includes 12 pieces of white porcelain tea-set: a teapot with lid, sugar pot, milk jug, 4 teacups, 4 saucers. Everything looks dainty and classic; the teapot is one of those “short and stout” type in the nursery rhyme. It’s timeless and traditional with smooth round body, short spout, and tiny handle. The sugar bowl is a simple “retro” type with a hint of curviness, and the milk jug is pure minimalist in style. The English teacups and saucers are simple yet vintage. I LOVE that we get to customise, design, and paint each item, and let our imagination runs wild. None of my kids are Picasso when it comes to mastering the magic of colours, but I love watching them having fun brushing the tea-set in their freestyle method while admiring their final works in joy. Each item is unique and individualistic. It was a morning full of brightness of colours.

(2) All-Inclusive- I love that the craft kit is “all-inclusive” and comes with a paint brush and 12 colour paints, each contained in a mini pots. The paint has sufficient thickness and sticks well to the porcelain material; we can add water to the paint to gives it a softer texture, or mix the colours to create whole new hues of fun! 

(3) Tiny & Cute- Whilst the recommended age of this set is 8 year-old (probably due to the delicate nature of the material), I find the miniature size of the tea set works just perfectly for my three and five-year-old. Everything is tinier than a usual functional tea-set, but also so much cuter! 

(4) Bake It or Do-It-Again- After a 24-hour gap to allow the paint to dry, we can “bake” our painted tea set in oven to turn the vessels into a permanent keepsake or tableware for our next pretend tea party. We can also wipe or wash away the colours if you want to “do it again”. 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.eleganter.com.au/

Enjoy the video! 

Creative Math Sticks, by Tooky Toy

 

Nature/ Type:            Innovative magnetic mathematic sticks 

Rating:                       ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Recommended age:   3 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Maths, patterns, and creativity- kids that love learning through play! 

I love simple, battery-less, and creative teaching resources that encourage learning through play. I am so pleased to receive this Tooky Toy Creative Math Sticks from Eleganter Australia . This cleverly-designed kit ticks all the right boxes in what I’m looking for in a great educational toy. 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) Creatively-Designed Math Sticks- The kit comes with 36 wooden magnetic sticks in various lengths, 12 double-sided printed sheets, an idea booklet, and an innovative compact box with magnetic lid. The sticks remind me of a “modified” version of Cuisenaire rods that we commonly see in Montessori classroom. I love that they are elegantly-done with a unique “cube” design in its natural wooden texture. These sticks incorporate the characters and concepts of the famous mathematics rods and linking cubes, creating a brand new form of learning material for shapes, pictures and patterns building.

(2) Magnetic - The sticks are magnetic and stick easily on the inner lid of the box. I love the thoughtful magnetic touch that makes this toy frustration-free for young kids. Instead of manipulating multiple wooden sticks that move about, the magnetic nature ensure the sticks and printed sheets stayed in place, making it a breeze for kids to complete the building challenges. 

(3) Mathematics Learning- This is an awesome toys to learn the concepts of length, addition and subtraction in a great fun way! Each of the sticks are made up of 2 to 10 visible cubes. The three year-old soon discovered the key of locating the right sticks: she counted the cubes, compared the lengths side-by-side, and used “trial and error” technique. I love the joy in her face when she completed various shapes and images using the sticks: Lion with fiery mane, ladybug with spots, cool rocket, adorably tall giraffe, majestic castle etc. I love how versatile the toy is: we can build the outlines of pictures, we can fill up the images with sticks, or we can mix and match for pattern creations. 

(4) Compact Storage Box- I love the organised storage box with magnetic lid, the thick and colourful cardboard printed sheets, and the sturdiness of the sticks. I am very pleased with the quality of this toy! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.eleganter.com.au/

Enjoy the video: 

Yellow Learning Binder, By Wondertivity

Nature/ Type:          Creative learning binder 

Rating:                     ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Recommended age:  3 - 7 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Kids who love learning through play

My five-year-old has a cute fascination with doing “homework”; he finds tracing, colouring, writing, matching, circling very calming and enjoyable. I knew from the start that this Yellow Learning Binder from Wondertivity would interest him greatly, but what I didn’t expect was HOW MUCH he loves doing the activities! He sat through over an hour in ONE go, patiently completing one task after another with such joyful delight! “BEST homework ever!”, he called this 🤣. 

Why I love ❤️ this learning binder: 

(1) Creatively-Designed Pages- This lovely set consists of 30 beautifully illustrated and designed pages, full of FUN, FUN, FUN and more FUN! I love the careful and creative thoughts put into the pages - interactive, engaging, and educational, all in one amazing binder! I love the removable and stick-able numbers, words and counting fingers, accompanying the number-tracing activity from 1 to 10. I love the little test of “which number comes next” and “which comes in between”; I love the clever farm-themed puzzle that incorporates the element of number sequencing. We had loads of exciting moments doing addition, drawing lines, and colouring-in. My personal favourite is the colour-matching pages with super adorable monkeys and fuzzy beanies accessorised with pom pom at the top. I also love the pattern creation, shape recognition, dot-to-dot connecting, and I-spy pages with heartwarming objects like butterflies, honey pots, dippers, bee hives etc. They are AMAZING! 

(2) Reusable Binder- I love that the binder is reusable. The pages are durable, thick, glossy, and wipe-able. The set comes with 5 multicoloured pens, neatly stored in a zip-locked sleeve pocket attached to the binder. The removable pieces with Velcro dots can be detached and re-attached numerous times. 

(3) Match with Playdough- I love the smart collaboration with Dough My Dear - the play dough is such a cool sensory addition to the fantastic binder. We can stick the dough onto the pages, squeeze them like pancake, and create different shapes and sizes out of the gorgeously scented, luxuriously crafted dough. 

Seriously, learning doesn’t have to be boring! Thank you Wondertivity , this book is WONDERFUL!!! 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.wondertivity.com.au/

Enjoy the video! 

Determinedu Dino, Blue Felt Brontosaurus, by Dashdu

 

Nature/ Type:          Made-in-Nepal felt toys 

Rating:                     ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Recommended age:  3 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Dinosaurs + felt toys lovers 

Behold, the “Thunder Lizard”! Since the day the boy got bitten by the invisible “Dino bugs”, our family has been dragged (either willingly or unwillingly) into the study of “paleontology”: reference books, encyclopaedia, documentaries; one after another, learning the pronunciation of each bewilderingly long names and bone structures of these prehistoric creatures. The Brontosaurus has always been a favourite; they are the “big friendly giant” with long bulky neck and heavy torso, but a kind, plant-loving nature. Dashdu has a series of super-adorable dinosaurs range that melts our heart, and makes us go “ahhh….”. We received this “Determinedu Dino, Blue Felt Brontosaurus” recently from Dashdu for a review, and yes: WE ARE IN LOVE! 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) Beautifully-Designed Dinosaur- Dashdu captures the essence and characteristics of this magnificent herbivorous creature beautifully; it is gentle, cuddly, soft, cute, and heart-warming. It has a graceful curvy long neck, glancing backwards with a slightly docile and curious gaze. The whip-like tail extended majestically from its wide strong body. This is a perfect addition to our imaginative play scene and a “hero” in many of our jurassic adventures! Dashdu Brontosaurus comes with a wide array of unique colours, but I am loving this shade of azure blue - mysterious, regal, and determined in a sweet, calm way. By the way, do you know that scientists believe that brontosaurus had a lifespan up to (or even over) 100 years? Spectacular! 

(2) Quality Felt Toys- Felt toys are timeless, classic, and magical. They are biodegradable, light in weight, durable, and non-toxic. Dashdu toys are handmade from 100% pure wool, and can be cleaned using a damp cloth. They are safe, durable toys that can last for a long, long time. 

(3) Ethically-Handmade- I think what makes me truly excited with Dashdu is the inspiring story behind these ethically handmade products! Dashdu works with highly skilled local artisans in Nepal to produce a range of amazing felt toys. They are quality toys made with love and bought with a fair price. Each felt toy brings hope to the real, hardworking families in Kathmandu. Love, love, love Dashdu! ❤️

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.dashdu.com.au/

Enjoy the video: 

Bentley Banana, by Dashdu

Nature/ Type:          Made-in-Nepal felt toys 

Rating:                     ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Recommended age:  3 year-old ++ 

Who would love this: Pretend play + felt toys lovers 

Banana, the crescent-shaped fruit with soft delicious flesh and fun-to-peel skin, goes marvellously with sundae. Throw a few felt bananas to the kids, they would make a magical tale out of them; these fruits are ammunition against monster attack, material for “statue of liberty” in the Kingdom of Banana, and “boomerang” fairies that live in enchanted forest. Thanks Dashdu for providing us this Bentley Banana set for review; they keep our imagination active and we are absolutely loving them! 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) Realistic Design- Bentley Banana is a bomb of sweet yellow consists of five banana pieces (5cm diameter each) with realistic-looking black strips, and a matching yellow sorting bowl of 15 cm diameter. The short, curvy and slightly “over-ripe” banana appearance reminds me of the tropical Pisang Raja (the “Banana King”, literally), best used for banana fritters and all sort of South East Asian delicacies. They bring back nostalgia, and I really love how natural they look! Our two year-old spent an afternoon “mixing” the banana pieces in her fruit salad bowl. The cute banana pieces are just the great size for sorting, and the felt texture is so lovely to touch! I love how the set can be easily incorporated into any role-playing or imaginative drama. 

(2) Quality Felt Toys- Felt toys are biodegradable, light in weight, durable, and of heirloom quality. Dashdu toys are handmade from 100% wool. It has that lovely softness, can’t be easily damaged, and can be cleaned using a damp cloth. These are smooth, non-toxic, compostable, eco-friendly toys that would never go out of style! 

(3) Ethically-handmade- Dashdu toys are ethically handmade in Kathmandu, Nepal. It’s inspiring to read how Dashdu has worked with highly skilled local artisans in Nepal to produce various range of heart-warming felt toys that capture the hearts of kids and adults. I love that Dashdu makes a stand to offer fair price for the goods to enhance the lives of these resourceful artisans so that they can financially support their families. I love that each beautifully-made Dashdu toy brings hope and true benefits to the real, hardworking people behind the scene. 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://www.dashdu.com.au/

Enjoy the video: