Bamboo Construct & Roll, By Expore Nook - REVIEW

Nature/ Type:          Beautifully-crafted bamboo pieces to construct your own ball-run track  

Rating:                     ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Recommended age:  3 year-old ++   

Who would love this: Parents/ kids who love open-ended resources for indoor/ outdoor play 

We love dynamic constructions toys involving rolling balls. They are like a personalised playground of our own - offering boundless possibilities and exciting outcomes. “Bamboo Construct & Roll” from Explore Nook is probably one of the most open-ended ball-run sets I have ever seen. I’m loving how it encourages imaginative play and creativity in such unrestrained way! 

Why I love ❤️ it?: 

(1) Design & Construct - Included within are 8 ramp channels, 6 tubular stands, 4 base stands, and 4 upper stands. When I first saw this toy in the website, I wasn’t too sure how the pieces can stay together during a ball-run. I was delighted to discover the little “secrets” behind it - all the tubes and curvy stands are thoughtfully crafted with dowel pegs and holes, so we can simply push and wriggle and connect the pieces. I’m impressed with how sturdy the construction result is; the pieces attached tightly together, and the ramp tracks lean on the upper stands comfortably. The illustrated guide suggests a “basic construction” form, using different number of tubes for height adjustment to create a continuous and descending ramp. But of course, the kids’ imagination always travels beyond the “basic”. They modified the angles and directions, built-up tunnels, “mixed it up” with other loose parts and blocks, and wanted to explore the interaction between the momentum of a fast-rolling ball and spinning wheel. 

(2) Compactly-Packed - The completed structure might seem massive, but once we disconnect the separate pieces, they can be compactly and conveniently packed into a reasonable-size box for easy portability. 

(3) Open-Ended Ball Run Track - The set goes well with anything that “rolls”, including the “3 Large-Sized Wooden Balls” set from Explore Nook (which allows us to test out the varying force, motion, sound, and action produced by 3 sizes of balls). 

(4) Natural Bamboo Material - Each piece is made of 100% natural bamboo that possesses unique DNA and character of its own. The tubular stands have slight differences in diameter and height. The ramp channels have its personal shades and inimitable markings. They are light weight and sustainable, designed in Australia and beautifully-crafted in Vietnam. 

# gifted in exchange for review 

Where to buy this: 

https://explorenook.com.au/product/bamboo-construct-and-roll/

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! 

Bamboo Building Set with House, by Qtoys

Nature/ Type:         Construction and Building Toy of Natural Materials

Rating:                   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Recommended age: 3-year-old and above

Who would love this: Montessori-inspired parents who love toys with natural materials; kids who love building houses and structures  

It’s no secret that I love Qtoys - its unique and earthy design, using natural materials, in line with Montessori-inspired educative concepts. Bamboo Building Set With House by Qtoys is one of my other favourites. There are something special about toys made of natural materials: they are pleasing to the eyes, each set is slightly unique on its own, and crafted with so much love and care. 

Why I love ❤️ this toy: 

(1) Creative Design: It comes with 40 pieces of bamboo and acacia wood of all sorts of heights and shapes. Houses, ladders, stilts, walls. It encourages flexible play and story-telling. 

(2) Beautiful Set: it looks pretty in any toy rooms and makes instagram-worthy pictures. 

(3) The Materials: Safe and eco-friendly natural materials. 

(4) Building Skills: to balance and build a structure that can withstand weight, that’s our little engineers in the making! 

 Love this!! Enjoy the video below and watch the building in action!