Gift Idea’s

Not really a gift guide in the regular sense rather this post looks at the most played or loved toys in the Mamma Fairy house throughout 2017. Some of the toys we bought, some were hand me downs other we were gifted via the blog.  In no particular order….but first up we have….

1. Arckit  – This is a personal favourite of my own. It is made and developed in Ireland by an Irish Architect. Its basically a free form modelling system that allows you to build model towns and landscapes.
   

   ArckitPlay

   I have heard it being called a real life Minecraft and that’s exactly what my older man thinks it is! Its really good and gets tonnes of play in our house. The possibilities of what to build are vast. This is toy with a huge educational element which is always a big advantage for me. The Dada Fairy is involved in the construction industry and when the pair of them get together to build their town it gets very serious!!  We have Arckit Play Cityscape and hand on hears its a brilliant, the set is a good size and contains lots of pieces for the money. For more see – Arckit

2. Hexbug Battle Ground Tarantula – My oldest loves this! Ill say at the outset having two greatly adds to the fun as they “battle” so when he catches up with his best buddy they have serious battles! The hexbug’s battle with fire using high-tech infrared technology against each other and the impact sensor measures each strike and damage. They make lots of noise and effects and actually creep along like real life spiders!! I can really see the appeal of these for when friends get together.  They are also surprisingly durable. Available for most toys shops including Smyths.
3. Mi-Mic Microphone – This for me is the surprise of 2017! We were sent this and I really didn’t know what the boys would think. However countless headaches (mine not theirs) later and this is a much played with toy in our house.  In summary its contains a Bluetooth karaoke speaker which allows you to play any song direct from your phone. You can even ad
   

   My First Scalextric

   d pretty cool extra’s to your voice.  What the boys also love is  the 7 colour beat matching LED lights. The Mi-Mic’s arrival coincided with start of this years X-Factor so most evenings we had our own version complete with judges panel. Great fun! Again readily available in most toy shops.

4.   My First Scalextric Set – I have a sneaky suspicion that the Dada Fairy wanted this one for himself! However I will give him the benefit of the doubt as the kids love this set. It’s the toddler version of the old classic. The power controllers are the ideal size for little hands. Its durable and all round good fun. Kids love this and it does become very competitive! It really is an ideal starter set for the younger car fanatic and has become a firm playdate favoruite here.
   

   Rubik’s Junior

5. Rubik’s – while speaking of new takes on old classics, the Rubiks cube has come out with junior version of the classic cube but this time shaped like animals. These are suitable from age 3 upwards and what I like about this is they are a great shape and size for little hands without too many combinations which means it is doable for younger kids.  This would make an ideal stocking filler. 
6. Paw Patrol Sea Patroller – my youngest is utterly obsessed with this! I have a full post on this from earlier in the year but suffice to say this is a mega hit in this house! A little on the pricey side for what it is but it is has got tonnes and tonnes of play in this house.

Aside from the above toys other items that we loved during the past year include

• books, books and more books – see here for some inspiration from our great reads of 2017. Since this post we have added another couple to our nightly stash:
  • Manny Man Does Revolutionary Ireland – the oldest loves this book, the illustrations are really engaging and the text sucks them in.  This book is a great introduction to history for younger kids.
    

    Published by: OUP

  • Dot in the Snow – My littlest man loves this book, its so adorable and beautifully illustrated. Its a really lovely Winter tale.
  • The Turkey that voted for Christmas – A funny Christmas tale and again another beautifully illustrated book. I love when 1 December begins that we can introduce some Christmas books to our evening story time.
  • One third Stories – This is a subscription box which comes out monthly in either Spanish or French which contains an original story, activities and an audio book. The story begins in English and finishes in either Spanish or French. This is a really clever concept and metholodogy and to be honest the type of gift that keeps them interested with the new story box arriving monthly. The world is so much more multi cultural and multi lingual and languages will always be at the forefront of this.
• Don’t forget the ultimate stocking filler of Christmas sweets my pair love to see candy canes and gold coins in their stockings.

Hopefully the above has been some food for thought. Id love to know if you have any ideas we should be considering.