MEGABLOKS BAG
NES ARNOLD
AGE RANGE: Two years plus
PRICE: £19.95
CONTACT: 0845 1204525
www.nesarnold.co.uk
This set contains 100 large blocks in a zipped storage bag and is designed as a starter set or to add to an existing set.
Tested by Julie Mortimer, Childminder, Sudbury, Suffolk
'It is user friendly and the children enjoyed it. It covers many areas of learning: counting as towers were built, imagination, sharing, taking turns, identifying colours and physical play. The pieces are large and chunky and safe for very young children and the bag is useful for storage. We liked it so much that I have had requests for more.'
Rating: 5/5
PLAYBRICKS IN WOODEN BOXES
GALT
AGE RANGE: 3-5
PRICE: £579.95
CONTACT: 08451 203005
www.galt-educational.co.uk
There are 145 blocks of varying sizes stored in stacked wooden trays on castors. The container measures 68(w)x39(d)x49(h)cm.
Tested by Mulberry Bush Nursery, Halesworth, Suffolk
'The children had great fun and built various constructions, ranging from roadways to castles. The blocks are quite big and heavy, so need adult supervision. The set encourages imagination and use of construction skills. We would love to buy the blocks for our nursery, but could not afford them.'
Rating: 4/5
CREATILES STARTER SET
FIESTA CRAFTS
AGE RANGE: 3-5
PRICE: Approx £74.99
www.fiestacrafts.co.uk
CONTACT: 020 8345 6865
Creatiles are soft fabric tiles, which can be attached to each other to build houses, boats, etc. The set has 49 tiles and four play people.
Tested by Marigold Day Nursery, Heswall, Merseyside
'This enhanced play. It encouraged the children to work co-operatively, to make models based on the pictures on the box and their own ideas We found this very creative, but there are not enough pieces. A busy nursery would need add-ons, like more pieces of window and more people.'
Rating: 3/5
KIM BUNI
WESCO
AGE RANGE: One year plus
PRICE: £25.50 for pack of 36 pieces
CONTACT: 0115 989 9765
www.wesco-group.com
These large rounded plastic 8x8cm pieces slot together.
Tested by Footsteps Nursery, Newcastle upon Tyne
'This set encouraged social interaction. The children enjoyed building models together and making individual pieces. We provide daycare for children from birth to five and used this pack across the entire age range. The youngest children enjoyed the bright, chunky shapes and toddlers could slot them together, while the older ones built more complex models, such as houses and rockets. This set is reasonably priced and is durable and easy to clean.'
Rating: 3/5
CREANIMALS
ASCO
AGE RANGE: Two years plus
PRICE: £23.95 per set
CONTACT: 0113 2707070
www.ascoeducational.co.uk
A set of 52 animal blocks allows children to build familiar animals and fantasy creatures. The giraffe's head measures 6.5x5cm. A set of 16 Creanimals laminated work cards can introduce the concept of building to a plan (£21.50).
Tested by Ashbrow Children's Centre, Huddersfield
'Activities included identifying colours and parts of the animal's body, counting, creating stories and making animal noises - as well as aiding motor skills and following visual instructions. The children enjoyed making their own 'animals'. The pieces are attractive and high quality. They worked well with some special needs children. The blocks are good value, but the workcards are quite expensive.
Rating: 4/5
ANIMO FIX
GALT
AGE RANGE: 3-5
PRICE: £44.95
CONTACTS: As before
The 85 chunky pieces are designed to encourage children to make animals and develop basic construction skills.
Tested by University of Teesside Day Nursery, Middlesbrough
'This appealed to boys and girls. It is good for hand-eye co-ordination and children worked well together to achieve a finished product. We would consider buying it.'
Rating: 4/5
FEATHERLITE BRICKS
TTS EARLY STEPS
AGE RANGE: 3-5
PRICE; £19.95
CONTACTS 0800 318 686
www.tts-shopping.com
Each pack contains 12 realistic building bricks, each weighing 1.5lb and the same size as a normal house brick. They break and crumble like ordinary bricks. Used with wet sand, they offer a real life building experience.
Tested by Kids Korner Day Nursery, Halesowen
'These were a real success and something we would buy. The children loved mixing the sand and water to cement the bricks. The activity encouraged lots of conversation and the children also counted the bricks. The bricks break quite easily but are safe. We really had fun with them.'
Rating: 5/5
KAPLA and KAPLA COLOURED SETS
ASCO
AGE RANGE: Three years plus
PRICE: £29.95 and £15.95 per set, respectively
CONTACTS: As before
Kapla pieces are designed for simple and sophisticated structures. The main set has 200 pieces of pine measuring 12(l)x2.4(w)x0.8(d)cm. Supplementary sets come in a range of colours.
Tested by Bolsover Infant and Nursery School, Chesterfield
'I was impressed with the way our children played with this. Boys were especially drawn to it. The girls liked making patterns out of the coloured pieces of wood. The pictures in the books are complicated and children needed help to copy them. But they began to create individual designs the more they played, testing fine motor control. Some children lost patience, but I felt it was worth persevering.'
Rating: 3/5
ATTRIBUTE NUTS AND BOLTS
LEARNING RESOURCES
AGE RANGE: Three years plus
PRICE: £16.95
0845 241 0484
www.learningresources.co.uk
These large nuts and bolts are designed for basic building and fit together easily. The set of 64 pieces has four shapes in different colours.
Tested by Claire's Flying Start Nursery, Barnstaple, Devon
'We found this encouraged the two- to three-year-olds to use their fine motor skills, but the older children soon lost interest. They would have gained more had there also been a construction set. The set is safe and good value for money.'
Rating: 3/5
BEST BUY
For Sally Batchelor at St Paulinus Pre-School Playgroup in Crayford, Kent
'For indoor play our favourite is the Manetico magnetic bricks. Children across the age range enjoy them. We like to use natural materials and are very happy with the Tree Blocks, which are irregular pieces cut from trees. We have a set of wooden bricks which we combine with junk pieces for heuristic play. For outdoor play you can't beat the big wooden blocks from Community Playthings. When outside the girls participate as much as the boys in construction'
- Manetico from Nes Arnold: from £39.95 for the Nursery Starter Pack. www.nesarnold.co.uk
- Tree Blocks from The Consortium: £26.95 for a set (orchard prunings). www.earlyyears.co.uk
- Hollow Blocks from Community Playthings: from £296 for a set. www.communityplaythings.co.uk.
