Ad disclosure: This product was sent to us free of charge for the purpose of this review, and represents our honest opinion of the product.
Product: Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Giddy Bug Tent and Jewellery Box
Price: £35.99 for the tent, £12.69 for the jewellery box
Age Range: 3 years+ for the tent, 4 years+ for the jewellery box
Manufacturer’s Description: The Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Giddy Bug Tent is a colourful, easy to set up play tent which can be used indoors or outdoors. The tent’s entrance flap features Giddy Bug’s happy smiling face and its bright stripes and blue feet will brighten up any garden.
The Melissa & Doug Jewellery Box is a cute set to make your own trinket box. Kids can add their own creative touches to this Melissa & Doug Jewellery Box, which features a mirror inside the lid and a velvet ring holder.
Review: We were sent two different Melissa & Doug toys to review by Hello Baby; the Sunny Patch Giddy Bug tent and the Jewellery Box. Two very different, but much enjoyed by the girls, products.
The Sunny Patch Giddy Bug Tent is a decent sized play tent that can be used either indoors or outdoors. Inside the zip up storage bag you get the tent, two tent poles, a vent cover and an instruction sheet. I used to put up a lot of dome tents back in my air cadet days, so I had no trouble straightening out the folded tent poles and putting the tent up.
Made up of a single layer of polyester with a built in ground sheet, I wouldn’t want to use this tent outside in bad weather, especially as there are no pegs to secure it in place. It is only really suitable for use outdoors in the day time during the summer months.
Of course, it is ideal for some indoor camping! The girls enjoyed playing and sleeping in it – they spent two Saturday nights happily camping in the living room. The tent was filled up with bedding, toys & books. I was amazed how much stuff came out of it when it was time to tidy it away!
The door to the tent is a large flap that can be rolled up and secured with ties out of the way. It doesn’t zip closed, but as this tent is only for playing it doesn’t really need to. Putting the tent away was easy enough too; just remove the poles, fold the tent and roll it up around the poles, and slide it into the storage bag, which is a nice generous size to make this a doddle.
As for the jewellery box set, I requested this with our pink & sparkly loving Lydia in mind. The set consists of a decent quality pink painted wooden box, a wooden tray with compartments that sits inside the top of the box, a velvet ring holder, and some craft supplies to decorate it with.
The craft supplies included are some glue, sparkly gems, holographic stickers, and glitter glue in pink, purple and silver. Lydia had a great time giving her jewellery box some bling and is very pleased with the finished creation. It was very sparkly by the time she was done!
I was pleased with both of these products. The girls have enjoyed them and I think both of them are going to last us a good while. The girls have already decided where they are putting the tent in the garden next summer! As for the bejewelled jewellery box, that is all ready in use in the girls room, full of Lydia’s treasures.
The Scoop
Be sure your little baker uses the oven mitt to remove these 4 delectable-looking wooden cupcakes from their cupcake baking tray! This special set has 3 dry-erase markers shaped like icing tubes to decorate the smooth, removable, wipe-off cupcake tops. With 8 colorful baking cupcake sleeves and 4 decorative wooden candles, these low-cal cupcakes will be the hit of playtime birthday and tea parties!
Details
Colorful wooden play-food set
4 cupcakes, 4 cupcake tops, 8 cupcake sleeves, 4 candles, baking tray, and oven mitt
High-quality materials ensure durability and safety
A “sweet” introduction to pretend-kitchen play
Encourages hand-eye coordination and imaginative play
Scoop & Serve Ice Cream Counter
The Scoop
Scoop up some cool treats with this all-inclusive, 28-piece pretend play ice cream counter! The sturdy wooden tabletop counter holds eight wooden scoops of different-flavored ice cream, six assorted toppings, two cones, a plastic cup, an ice cream scooper, tongs, and a wooden spoon. The scooper fits into a hole on top of the scoops to lift, stack, and release. Take orders on the reusable menu card, pay with play money, and serve up delicious fun!
Details
- 28-piece wooden ice cream play set
- Includes wooden ice cream counter, eight ice cream scoops, six toppings, two cones, cup, scooper, tongs,
- wooden spoon, and six $1 bills
- Scoops stack on cone or in cup and toppings fit snuggly over scoop
- Lift and release scoops with realistic scooper
- 3+ years
Triple-Layer Party Cake – Wooden Play Food
The Scoop
This play-food set contains a very special cake for very special occasions . . . like pretend play any day! With self-stick tabs on each piece, the wooden sections stick together easily then slice apart with the included wooden knife. Pretty decorations can mix and match to make every party unique!
Details
- Tiered wooden play cake for pretend play celebrations
- Includes 8 cake slices, 8 mix-and-match toppings, cake plate, serving knife, and candle
- Self-stick tabs connect pieces and separate easily
- Sturdy wooden construction
- Encourages hand-eye coordination, creative expression, and imaginative play
Slice and Bake Cookie Set – Wooden Play Food
Scoop
Slice and “bake” a dozen wooden cookies for a sweet playtime treat! This colorful wooden set includes 12 wooden, sliceable cookies and 12 toppings, wooden knife, spatula, cookie sheet and a kitchen mitt for safe, deliciously imaginative play! The cookies store in a durable dough tube.
Details
3+ years
Colorful wooden play food set includes 12 sliceable cookies, 12 toppings, knife, spatula, cookie sheet, and kitchen mitt
Cookies store in a durable dough tube
High-quality materials designed for long-lasting play and safety
A “sweet” introduction to pretend kitchen play
Scoop & Serve Ice Cream Counter
The Scoop
Scoop up some cool treats with this all-inclusive, 28-piece pretend play ice cream counter! The sturdy wooden tabletop counter holds eight wooden scoops of different-flavored ice cream, six assorted toppings, two cones, a plastic cup, an ice cream scooper, tongs, and a wooden spoon. The scooper fits into a hole on top of the scoops to lift, stack, and release. Take orders on the reusable menu card, pay with play money, and serve up delicious fun!
Details
28-piece wooden ice cream play set
Includes wooden ice cream counter, eight ice cream scoops, six toppings, two cones, cup, scooper, tongs, wooden spoon, and six $1 bills
Scoops stack on cone or in cup and toppings fit snuggly over scoop
Lift and release scoops with realistic scooper
3+ years
Slice and Bake Cookie Set – Wooden Play Food
The Scoop
Slice and “bake” a dozen wooden cookies for a sweet playtime treat! This colorful wooden set includes 12 wooden, sliceable cookies and 12 toppings, wooden knife, spatula, cookie sheet and a kitchen mitt for safe, deliciously imaginative play! The cookies store in a durable dough tube.
Details
3+ years
Colorful wooden play food set includes 12 sliceable cookies, 12 toppings, knife, spatula, cookie sheet, and kitchen mitt
Cookies store in a durable dough tube
High-quality materials designed for long-lasting play and safety
A “sweet” introduction to pretend kitchen play
My Magnetic Daily Calendar
The Scoop
What is today? For a child, that simple question can have so many answers–and this daily calendar helps satisfy them all! Kids will feel a greater sense of control and responsibility when they help post the day of the week, date, weather, and special events on the large magnetic board for all to see. There’s even a space to post their mood–an excellent way to open communication and encourage children to gauge their own emotions. Updating the information is simple: Simply take a preprinted magnet from the lower magnetic board (which hangs below the calendar to keep magnets within easy reach). Then place it on the calendar to fill in the information . . . or make a custom magnet by writing on one of two dry-erase magnet tiles! There are fields for day, date, season, weather, temperature, activities, holiday, and mood.
Details
Daily magnetic calendar to display day of the week, date, weather, and special events
Includes a pair of fabric-hinged dry-erase boards (one with calendar template, one blank for magnet storage).
Includes 80 magnets including years, months, numerals for dates, days of the week, holidays, special events, emotions, and a
A sturdy cord is attached for hanging.
Encourages communication and a reassuring expectation about the events in a child’s life.
Standard Unit Blocks
The Scoop
With blocks, the possibilities are endless! These beautifully crafted traditional blocks are ideal for stacking, building, and hands-on creative learning. Sixty natural-finish, smooth-sanded hardwood unit building blocks are packaged in a handsome wooden crate for easy storage. Ideal for building, balancing, and hands-on early-math learning, these traditional unit blocks are a great value!
Details
3+ years
60 natural finished, smooth-sanded hardwood blocks to inspire hands-on, imaginative play
Packaged in a handsome, wooden storage crate for easy storage
Ideal for introducing early math concepts, including shapes, parts-to-whole, and sorting
Magnetic Responsibility Chart – Chore Chart
Catch children in the act of behaving well and reward them with a magnet on their hanging chore chart . . . then watch those good habits multiply! Open the fabric-hinged boards to reveal a behavior chart on one board, while the other board keeps all the magnets close at hand. A sturdy cord is attached for hanging. Includes dry-erase board and 90 magnets, including responsibilities, positive behaviors, and rewards.
Details
Encourage good behavior with this wooden magnetic tracking-and-reward chart
Includes a pair of fabric-hinged dry-erase boards (one with spaces to track seven goals, one blank for magnet storage)
90 magnets include behaviors (Clean Room, Set Table, No Teasing) and rewards (Well Done!, Excellent!, You’re a Winner!)
Chart has spaces for each day of the week
Includes sturdy cord for hanging
