Tidlo High Tea Shape Matching Set by John Crane – Review and Competition Giveaway

THIS COMPETITION GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

It’s been so great being able to run some lovely giveaways in the run up to Christmas and this week’s competition is no exception. Firstly this week's giveaway begins on a very special day indeed; the 12th day of the 12th month of 2012 - 12.12.12 at 12.00am !

And secondly, we have been given this gorgeous wooden Tidlo High Tea Shape Matching Set by John Crane Toys as a giveaway prize in addition to one given to myself and the girls to try out for this review.

It arrived just before we moved house again - we’ve had to move twice in a space of 11 weeks! Don’t ask, it’s a long story ;0) – so I put it away and decided to delay this giveaway by a week giving us extra time to review it properly. One day last week whilst little Jess snoozed, I set about putting it together. It comes with 19 pieces (16 cakes and 3 pieces for the cake stand) and the first thing I noticed when I took everything out of the box was the quality and vibrant colour of the items. They are really well made, there’s lovely detail to each cake and each one is unique.

 

The box says that this set is suited to 3 years upwards because of small parts but I personally couldn’t see Jess (who will be 2 at the end of December) managing to put one of the cakes in her mouth in its entirity. Looking at the make up of each cake, you would have to be quite rough with them to get the decorations off. However, I can see why the age restriction is there. For some children parental presence/guidance is often a must ;0) The toy helps with spatial awareness, hand to eye co-ordination and communication and role play. Each cake has a number on the base and is matched up to the corresponding number on the cake stand. However, many of the cakes fit elsewhere which is great for smaller children who will just place the cake where it fits instead of looking at the number.

Once the cake stand was assembled and the cakes were placed on top I was quite excited about waking Jess to see what she thought. I knew Sophia would just love it. She loves to have tea parties, play shops, etc so this addition to her café set would be most welcome indeed.

When Jess spotted it on the coffee table, she made straight for it taking the cakes off, telling me what toppings they had (strawberries, cherries, apples) and then she proceeded to get her Halloween bucket out and put them all in to carry around with her. She was very chuffed indeed with her new cakes particularly the chocolate ones – she is after all her mother’s daughter ! As I thought, she matched them to any shape that would fit, a bit like a puzzle. Number matching will come later on for her, but it doesn’t stop her playing with it and getting maximum enjoyment out of it.

 

When Sophia came home from school, she again made straight for the cake stand and cakes. She set up a bakery with Jess & I as her customers. As she is 6 she matched everything precisely and was quite bossy when telling Jess she had wrongly placed a cake on the stand. Sibling love eh? ;0)

The following day Sophia wrapped all the cakes up for her beloved cuddly toy doggy’s birthday. Oh yes, we were having a birthday party and the cakes were part of that, placed in party bags. It’s so wonderful to watch children imagination play. Jess however, was a tad miffed that “her” cakes were being wrapped up and hidden away. Not a happy camper !

This high tea cake set has been played with a lot since its first appearance and I am fairly sure it will be coming out many more times in the future. The lovely thing about it is that your child can grow with it. They start by playing with it for what it is; a matching set, but then when they can read numbers they learn to place each piece in its correct spot not just where it may fit. They can also role play with it, using their own imagination; cafés, shops, tea parties, picnics. The options are really only limited by them.

The set is vibrantly colourful and beautifully made. The more wooden toys I see, the more I fall in love with them. I know some people say “But they are more expensive”, but I’d rather save up, give my girls less items and buy wooden than have a room full of plastic. The selection of wooden toys out there now is vast, and there is something for everyone.

So, to be in with a chance of winning this delightful Tidlo High Tea Shape Matching set, simply click on the Rafflecopter link below, answer the question AND leave a blog post comment below as to why you would like this High Tea Shape Matching Set (or on our FB page www.facebook.com/SophiasChoiceUK if you have difficulty leaving a comment on the blog).

You will need to complete these 2 bits correctly for your entry to be valid and to be in with a chance of winning this prize.

In addition, you can tweet about this great competition, and like John Crane's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/JohnCraneToys - these are optional.

This competition giveaway is open to UK and Ireland residents only.

Good luck x

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About John Crane:

“John Crane was established in 1984 as a family business. It was the start of a long and fruitful relationship with wooden toys. John Crane are proud to be associated with some of the best loved brands, offering top quality, timeless toys.”


Congratulations to Becky Gower who won this fabulous competition !

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was given a Tidlo High Tea Shape Matching Set free of charge to test out for this review. In addition John Crane will be giving one away for our competition giveaway. I’d like to extend my thanks to them for this kind donation. All opinions given in this post are my own and no one else’s.