Category: Wooden Toys
Tegu magnetic wooden blocks
You know that moment you see something and think, ‘What an excellent idea. Why didn’t I come up with that?’ Well, I’m experiencing that over Tegu magnetic (yes, magnetic!) wooden blocks. Handcrafted in Honduras from sustainable woods the ‘blocks’ are actually a mix of cubes and planks containing inaccessible magnets within. There are three different [...]
10 best: buys from museum shops
Museums have come a long way in recent years. Gone are the days of the provision for children being limited to a photocopied worksheet – today’s institutions have all-singing, all-dancing interactive exhibits and activities galore. Look out for Myf’s upcoming post on Eureka! – it sounds amazing. Clearly launched as a bid to augment [...]
Hot Preview: Muji Christmas Gifts
Here at BG, we’re mega Muji fans and every year I keep an eye out for their always amazing Christmas collection of gifts which are always high quality, well designed, lots of eco friendly wood, and popping with imagination and style. This year, Muji have actually tipped us off early and given us a preview [...]
10 Best: Ideas for an aviation-themed room
Neee-oowww! Planes and all things aeronautical are flavour of the month here in Brighton, so I couldn’t resist bringing you a round of goodies for your little high flyer’s room. We’ve raved about Paperboy’s wallpaper designs in the past and their latest, Spitfire (which celebrates the 75th anniversary year of the iconic World War II aircraft) [...]
Stacking Rings
Sometimes you see a product which blows your socks off. These Stacking Hoops from Play to Z are one such product. Taking the classic stacking rings toy and mixing it up with treasure basket principles a brand new sensory toy is born. There are twenty different stacking hoops made of diverse tactile materials including banana [...]
Hot Shop: Little Home
I do so love discovering a new online shopping destination and Geneva-based boutique Little Home is one such place. Featuring furniture, toys and accessories for small people, there are goodies from big brands such as Vilac, Moulin Roty and Momoll, labels we love (think Atsuyo et Akiko, Donna Wilson, Famille Summerbelle) and new names like [...]
10 Best: ideas for a robot-themed room
In the 50s, pretty much everyone believed that robots would be commonplace in every home by the year 2000, and I have to admit, having grown up with Tomorrow’s World in the 80s, I kinda hoped it would be true, too. Sadly, with maybe the exception of Japan, our world is lacking in automated help, but [...]
Playsam – a lighter side
I’ve always found the glossy, black and red products from Swedish company Playsam a little too macho for my tastes: indeed, a lot of their range is labelled as ‘executive toys’, and clearly isn’t aimed at kids at all. But I was won over by the simplicity and bright colours of their little sail boat. Plus, [...]
Little Sapling Toys Brainbow
One of the loveliest presents Alfie received as a baby was a Grimm’s wooden stacking rainbow. He loved fitting the arcs together then and still enjoys playing with it now. I really love Little Sapling’s neutral take on the theme, the Brainbow, about £20 – a beautiful set of six arches in Maple, Cherry and [...]
Build-A-Robot by Plan Toys
We’re huge fans of eco friendly toy company Plan Toys whose toys made from rubberwood are synonymous with pretend and imaginative play and tiny world. This Build-A-Robot is a definite future buy as aside from being ridiculously cute, it features interchangeable heads that teach your child about emotions – happy, sad, angry, and surprised. The [...]
Cubebot wooden robot
How cool is this little chap? I can’t get enough of Cubebot’s cheeky obsession and ability to squidge down into a cube, like some sort of retro transformer. Made from cherry and beech and keenly priced at £23 for small and £32.40 for medium, it’s an affordable way to own a piece of David Weeks’ [...]
To Be Us wooden car
To Be Us is an ultra-cool Italian design company who have created a range of minimalist wooden toys. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to track down the whole collection on sale anywhere available to the UK, but style spies Orfeo Design do stock the La Berlina car, £39, designed by Matteo Ragni and handmade in Brianza, [...]
Alfie’s presents: gift ideas for two-year-old boys (and girls)
I always ask people what their children received for birthdays and Christmas. Call me nosy, but I often get inspiration for my own gift purchases. And I’m always happy to return the favour, so just in case any of you have two-year-olds to buy for, here are some of the pressies Alfie received from his [...]
10 Best: percussion instruments for toddlers
As I mentioned a while back, we’re lucky enough to attend a Music for Aardvarks class every Friday. One of the toddlers’ highlights is when the teacher, Emily, brings out her rainbow parachute full of percussion instruments, plonks it on the floor and they can shake, bang and clash to their hearts’ content. I come [...]
Mini ice-cream shop… or open-topped building
We all know that, provided with nothing else, kids will play with three pebbles and a bit of string. That is the beauty of open-ended toys like this piece from Mouta. It’s sold as “a small open-topped building… or an ice cream shop?” – the question mark is theirs. I could form a theory that [...]
