There’s lots of people talking about fast fashion at the moment but can we talk about fast toys as well?
I’ll definitely put my hand up and admit that I’ve bought MORE than my fair share of sh*tty toys for my kids, knowing full well that they probably won’t last a week, let alone a year and DEFINITELY not an entire childhood.
Well if you need some inspiration to buy your kids beautiful, quality, gorgeous toys that have the potential to become hand me downs through the years (remember those things……the teddy that used to be your grandpas? The wooden animal that used to belong to your Nanna?) look no further than LOCAL ADELAIDE BUSINESS Oskar’s Wooden Ark
We stumbled across the Oskar’s Wooden Ark online store by chance a few weeks ago and we’re obsessed!
A few of the KiA team have been trying out some of the best sellers including the Wobbel board, Magnetic Tiles, MOOV Baby Climbing Frames, the Sow n Sow Flower Press and my personal favourite, a new Senger Naturwelt teddy bear, who has instantly shot to #1 cuddle/bedtime/most special toy in my 2 year olds life. She’s called him Buddy. He comes everywhere.
Our kids have been asking for these magnetic tiles for about 3 years and when we finally got some from Oskars Wooden Ark they lost their minds! Not only did we bring home the magnetic tiles just like they have at school, but Oskar also has these amazing magnetic ball run sets that add a whole new dimension to the creating. Both our kids LOVE these sets. One enjoys creating using the regular magnetic tiles. We have space ships, teddy houses and castles galore. The other loves to create endless ball runs and is especially keen on getting two runs up at the same time so that both children can race against each other.
These Learn and Grow magnetic tile sets are so different than the cheap ones I’ve seen elsewhere – they are much stronger so they hold together and support the marble runs many levels tall and allow a huge assortment of creations without the frustration of low magnet strength that leads to the collapse of precious towers and castles! Their bright colours and shapes make them a real hit for families of primary and pre-school kids. There are heaps of possibilities and at least a few mornings a week they are both ready for school early so they have time to make some new tile creation. For boys who usually struggle with anything creative (and quiet!) this set has been amazing and an absolute gift during isolation especially.
No. These toys are not cheap. They’re not cheap in price because they are not cheap in quality. Simon (the shop owner) told us that his range of wooden animal toys are all cut by eye, not en masse by a machine and they are lovingly hand painted so that no two are ever the same. They’re beautiful, and such a special gift.
Make yourself a cuppa and when you next get a few minutes to sit down take a look at their range online and instead of buying 10 bits of crap this year, make an investment and buy a toy that will last, be educational and best of all support a local SA small business.
The toys mentioned above we received free of charge for the purpose of this review however as for all reviews from Kids in Adelaide the above is honest and in our own words.
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