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What my kids are playing with: Enchantimals
I always feel like I’m winning at life when I find a toy that keeps my precocious 3 year old busy for long periods of time. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love the little bugger, but she constantly needs to be entertained! And I don’t always wake up feeling like Beyonce, if you know what I mean. So when I received a special Enchantimals blog drop from Mattel the other day, I gave myself a metaphorical high5!
Well, for starters the cute Enchantimal characters are really pretty and their unique features and outfits are simply fabulous, dahhling which means Kari will be instantly hooked. But (and this is the winning part) they also each come with an animal bestie! That’s right, each of these rather whimsical half-animal, half-girl characters has a quirky animal best friend. I love this so much!
The Enchantimals story lines encourage friendship, compassion and harmony, and its “Caring is our everything” slogan sums it up rather nicely. Each doll shares a ritual with her animal friend that celebrates their unique traits and personalities. Together they work to create balance, peace and harmony among all living things.Some of the Enchantimals characters include:
Felicity Fox and Flick – Felicity is a nifty, curious little character, who loves exploring with Flick
Danessa Deer and Sprint – These two love racing through the forest to see who is fastest
Sage Skunk and Caper – A great problem solver, Sage loves music and she and Caper are always working on new songs together or planning a clever prank
Bree Bunny and Twist – This DIY duo has a penchant for creating things and are like twin fountains of bubbling creativity
Patter Peacock and Flap – Patter is a fashionista extraordinaire, and she and Flap enjoys singing together
The Enchantimals are available at selected retailers nationwide. Product princes range from R129.99 to R719.99. The play sets are super cute and your little one will enjoy collecting the various dolls and their matching accessories. You can following along on the Enchantimals journey on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. -
What my kids are playing with: Mega Bloks Treehouse Adventures
When it comes to raising actual human beings, there’s so much that one has to consider. I sometimes feel as if I would make a pretty good policeman, yo! I mean, I basically police what they eat, who they play with and what they watch on TV. I investigate every bump and scratch on their bodies. I even check and double check to make sure the toys they are playing with are kid friendly and safe. I take their “toy-playing” very seriously, you guys! Toys, like the Mega Bloks Treehouse Adventures, that provide an educational benefit is a must!
A clever parent (me.. I’m talking about me…) will sneakily use playtime as opportunity for their child to learn. The best type of toys are the ones that engage senses, encourage interaction and spark imagination. The Mega Bloks Treehouse Adventures from Fisher Price helps with this!
This 120-piece play set includes colorful building blocks and special parts such as a moving swing and a window that really opens. The easy-to-build tree house and cottage, with woodland decoration, makes for a complex construction site for little minds. I love watching the wheels in Kari’s head turn as she puts it together.
Her favorite part is when she gets to sit the 2 Block Buddy’s on top of her creation. I’ve probably seen 50 variations of her tree house design and yes, that means 50 over emphasized “wows” as I pretend to be utterly amazed at her sheer brilliance.
The Mega Bloks Treehouse Adventures is ideal for kiddies aged 1 to 5, but clearly our little boetie also wanted in on the action. I totally appreciate that the pieces are not hazardous or a choking risk. Do your kids enjoy playing with blocks as much as mine do?
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What my kids are playing with: Transformers, Fantastic Gymnastics and Yo-kai
It’s almost the most wonderful time of the year and if you’re anything like me, you have your Christmas gifts list covered. Spreadsheet brain, remember? Christmas shopping for my kids is usually a mild affair anyways since they are all so very predictable. Kyle wants electronics. Seth loves to learn new things, and Karis… well, she’s a princess. If your kids are not as predictable as mine are, then this post is for you. My friends over at Hasbro is keeping us in the know, with all things toy-related, and sent me some information for moms and dads who leave toy stores with a “huh” expression on their faces. Some of my favorite picks, from Hasbro, for this year’s Christmas stockings, are: Transformers, Fantastic Gymnastics and Yo-kai.
Transformers
If you didn’t know (who evens are you), Transformers are human-like robots with the unique ability to turn into vehicles or beasts. I’m sure you knew that though. Right? With the newly released Transformers: The Last Knight movie, Hasbro has released a bunch of updated Transformer toys and regalia that is sure to make your little one squeal with delight on Christmas morning. Karis had a ball of a time transforming Optimus Prime (head honcho over at Transformers headquarters) from standing mode into truck. Considering the fact that the movie did really well in South Africa – ranking number 1 at the Box-office in South Africa during opening week – these toys are still pretty popular. Kids are also encouraged to #pledgeYourAllegiance and join #teamautobot to help Optimus Prime save the world by defeating the Decepticons or join #teamdecepticon and help Megatron take over the world. Choose your faction on www.morethanmeetstheeye.co.za
Fantastic Gymnastics
If you have a big family and are looking for fun group games, Fantastic Gymnastics is the perfect game for you! So basically the game requires players to flip the gymnast figure around the high bar, hitting release at the right moment to let him fly and try to stick the perfect landing. It’s super fun! You can play solo, head-to-head or challenge friends to a tournament. Get into the swing of things with this compelling and fun game, ideal for ages eight and up.
Yo-kai
If you’re down with having your kids stretch their imagination, then you should totally allow them to experience the world of Yo-kai with the Yo-kai Watch and Medals. Yep, I know that you know what a Yo-kai is because kids are going nuts over this children’s anime series based on the video game of the same name. So anyways, with the Yo-kai watch toy, children can imagine summoning Yo-kai characters, and when used with the medals, the Yo-kai watch plays sounds, music, and phrases. Insert one of the collectible medals displaying a Yo-kai into the watch to hear the character’s name, tribe song and more sounds.The latest board games and toys from Hasbro are available from Toys R Us, ToyZone, Toy Kingdom, Hamleys, Lilliputs and other major retailers. You can also shop online at Takealot.com
Disclaimer: All product mentioned above was sent to me by Hasbro, but the opinion in the post is entirely my own, I promise.
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What my kids are playing with: Play-doh and Busy Box toy review
So my little miss has been giving me all the love because I brought home a couple of ultra cool toys from some of our blog friends. Hands in the air if you’re okay with being the cool parent. I know I am. I’ll take my cool points wherever I can get ’em from, thank you very much. Anyways, so you know how I love to give kids educational toys as gifts? Well, the toys I’m going to chat about today tick all the right boxes AND they encourage imaginative play, which is always a winner in my books!
