Sensational Sequins Kittens by Galt Toys – Review

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Fiona Martin

We were really pleased to try the Sensational Sequins Kittens craft kit by Galt Toys for the Izziwizzi Kids Play Fest. It looked shiny, sparkly and like a lovely craft kit for girls. Miss M is also a cat lover and was thrilled when I showed her the box and couldn’t wait to get stuck in.

The Kit contains two different pictures each covered in a paper layer which you can peel off in sections to reveal a sticky surface on which to place the sequins. There are colour guided circles on which to stick the matching colour sequins, which you apply using a wax crayon, which strangely enough works perfectly at picking up each sequin and allowing you to place it on the picture.

Included are five bags of various coloured sequins which I laid out on a tray for Miss M to use. She then proceeded without any assistance to cover the picture with the appropriately coloured sequins – in fact mummy wasn’t even allowed to try!!

I thought this made a lovely craft activity with each picture keeping Miss M occupied for about half an hour. The result is a lovely shiny picture that would look great on a bedroom wall.

With Miss M only just age 5, I did feel that she was more than capable of this kit although it does suggest being suitable for ages 6+. I do feel that even a child of 4 could do this with supervision.

We loved this kit and would highly recommend it, especially at the very reasonable price of £5.99 – this would make a great present for friends parties!!

Please watch our video review for izziwizzi kids below:

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.

First Sewing by Galt Toys – Review

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Fiona Martin

When we received the First Sewing kit by Galt Toys for the Izziwizzi Kids Play Fest, Miss M was very excited and keen to have a go. She’s watched me sew and mend various holes in clothes etc and has always asked for a go, so this was the perfect starter kit to let her experience sewing for herself.

I was impressed with the contents of the Galt Toys sewing box which contained five individually packed kits to make, a butterfly bag, neck purse, picture frame, notepad cover and pencil case. Each kit contained pre-cut foam pieces and cord to sew with along with 2 plastic needles. There is also a sheet of stick on gems to decorate the finished designs and a notepad and pencils to add to the notepad holder.

The first project Miss M wanted to do was the butterfly bag. As Miss M is new to sewing I started her off and also did the more awkward parts like sewing the butterfly onto the centre, but Miss M was very keen and was desperate to finish the rest herself. I kept an eye on what she was doing and guided her to the correct holes to put the needle through but on the whole she managed the projects very well herself.

A really nice finishing touch to each kit is adding the sparkly stick on gems which all little girls love. Miss M was really proud of her finished projects and used the bag to carry a couple of the other items round in.

I think this is a really lovely first craft set and a great introduction to sewing. The foam shapes are really bright and colourful and I think the selection of different kits to make are well thought out. The set is aimed at ages 5+ which Miss M just is and I think this is perfect to her with a little supervision to guide her along. The Galt Toys First Sewing kit retails at £7.99 which I think is excellent value for the contents and the craft value to the child. This would make a great birthday present for any little girl and I would definitely recommend.

Please watch our video review for izziwizzi kids below:

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.

A Guest Post by Izziwizzi for Play Fest

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Fiona Martin

Fiona of Mummy’s Little Stars invited Izziwizzi to create a guest post on her blog today which I was so pleased about. Fiona and I have known each other now since 2011 and have enjoyed a common interest in kids, toys and play.

Since knowing Fiona she has been involved in making lots of fabulous toy reviews, she has helped to shape the design of Play Fest and has been there supporting me at every stage of the journey.

For those of you not familiar with Izziwizzi Kids or Play Fest I am Al Boxall-Gordon of the Izziwizzi Kids Play Fest. I’m a mum of three children aged 8,6 and 4 and host the Play Fest which is a FREE weekly event on Twitter and Facebook. As part of building this up over the last two years I have also established a social media marketing business Buzz Internet Marketing supporting brands and businesses to use social media effectively to get closer to their customers.

Play Fest is an opportunity for all families to get involved and have a say about something

topical in the field of toys, games and play. We get brands, retailers, bloggers…you name it

involved. We partner up with lots of fabulous brands and retailers to giveaway lots of goodies

and discounts.

Fiona get’s involved in Play Fest just about every week. She’s a lot of fun, has an amazing knowledge of

toys from the products she reviews and always has an open and honest opinion. When you join in Play Fest for the first time Fiona will often be there to warmly greet you with open arms.

Fiona is absolutely brilliant with her enthusiasm to get to Play Fest. Whether she’s rushing in at the last minute from a Zumba class, or has poorly children by her side on the sofa, Fiona is certainly one of the Play Fest Little Stars and we’d love for you to join her in Play Fest.

It’s FREE! It’s every Thursday evening on Facebook and every Tuesday evening on Twitter. It’s easy to access via any computer, tablet or mobile phone. You can find more details by following Izziwizzi on Twitter or liking the Izziwizzi Kids Facebook Fan Page.

Over the coming weeks you can enjoy Play Fest with Slow Toys (with Selfridges) and Galt Toys with some stocking fillers for Christmas. Follow Izziwizzi Kids to keep up with more exciting things in the pipeline.

Marble Run by Galt Toys – Review

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Fiona Martin

We received Marble Run by Galt Toys to review for izziwizzikids.co.uk. It is a traditional style marble run with plastic chutes and glass marbles aimed at 4 to 8 year olds.

My initial impressions were that this looked like a lot of fun but I was slightly concerned whether 4 and a half year old Miss M would be able to play this independently. My first thoughts were that she would require adult supervision and we would need to help construct the runs but actually I was completely wrong!! Her eyes lit up when I showed her the box and she couldn’t wait to get stuck in. Apparently they have a similar toy at nursery and before I got a look in, Miss M had taken control and built a tower!!

The plastic chutes and connectors are easy to assemble and relatively sturdy. The only thing you need to ensure is that you don’t create an empty column that the marbles drop down. You need to place the pieces in alternate directions in order to create a run but this concept was picked up by Miss M immediately.

This toy is fun, addictive, challenging and helps develop problem solving skills. I never envisaged how much Miss M would get out of it, but it has become a firm favourite that she has played with again and again. I think construction style toys are always a hit with children due to their varied nature in producing different creations everytime you get them out of the box. This helps keep their engagement with the toy but also stimulates them to experiment with new ideas and challenge themselves to create something bigger and better than before.

At £10.99 I would definitely say it is good value for money although I would opt for the larger set “Super Marble Run” which is £19.99 if you can, purely to have more pieces enabling bigger, higher runs – something Miss M is very keen to do!!

We have loved trying Marble Run by Galt Toys and summarise it as follows:

“A durable, lasting toy that sparks imagination and creativity giving your child many challenges and lots of play value along the way”

Please watch our video review for izziwizzikids showing Marble run in action!!:

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.

Fab Fairies by Galt Toys review

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Fiona Martin

A few months ago I was lucky to be asked to review Fab Fairies by Galt Toys for izziwizzikids.

It is essentially a very girlie Arts & Crafts kit to create two cute fairies! Simply glue together the heads, cord, fabric pieces and then stick on some gems. The skirts, hands and feet are made by simply fraying the thick cord.

Due to my daughter being under the recommended 5+ age she did require supervision, so I happily identified the pieces and handed them to my daughter to glue, copying the picture on the front of the box. As glueing and sticking is one of my daughters favourite activities she throughly enjoyed it especially when it came to finishing the fairies by added gems and sequins.

The 2 fairies now take pride of place hanging from the picture rail in my daughters bedroom (I stuck a loop of ribbon to the back of their heads).

We would definitely recommend this as fun crafty activity and for a slightly older girl it would be something she could sit and do independently. It is a fantastic kit to help encourage creative play.

Here is the video review we produced for izziwizzikids:

This would make a fab birthday present or great for Christmas for any young girl.

It currently retails for £4.99 and can be purchased directly from Galt Toys.

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.