Posts Tagged ‘construction toys’

Playmobil has arrived

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

We are delighted to reveal that Mimitoys now stocks the widest range of Playmobil toys available online in Ireland.

Our children have always loved playing with Playmobil toys and we have wanted to offer them for a long time but felt it wasn’t worth doing unless we could stock a substantial range, so here we are!

Even though our family has enjoyed Playmobil for so long, I had no idea of the variety of themes offered and of how dedicated some of its collectors are. There’s a whole world of Playmobil obsession out there! I hope that we have a wide enough range to keep everyone happy.

Some of the newer products we stock were completely unknown to me and I have had great fun introducing them to my younger children (and my older ones had a play too, when they thought no one was looking). Amongst my new favourites are the Clip Ons, like this Hot Rod Pick Up and Power Boat - great fun for young enthusiasts on the go.

I still love the Playmobil farm and forest range - we have had years of play out of these sets. The level of detail and imagination really pulls children in. I will be doing my best to persuade my younger daughter that she would like the Playmobil Childrens Zoo for her next birthday as I think it would combine perfectly with the farm toys (Playmobil and others) that we already have.

I also like the Playmobil character sets, like the Fire Rescue Squad and Prince and Princess. They are good value impromptu presents or treats, and much better quality than most other toys in this price bracket.

I hope you enjoy browsing our Playmobil range. I’d love you to share your Playmobil stories and hear your comments on the choices we offer.

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Educational toys

Friday, January 21st, 2011

I just had a request via Twitter (follow me @Mimistores) about small toys for pre-school fun and learning about abcs and numbers. I though that it would be a good opportunity to share some ideas with everyone and ask for other suggestions. Besides, I don’t like to restrict myself to 140 characters!

My favourite fun and educational pre-school toys are:

  • Doowell Alphabet Animals - Magnetic animal shapes with corresponding letters
  • Shapes and Numbers - A very simple wooden puzzle that will get little ones working things out
  • Sorting and Teaching Clock from John Crane - A big, bright wooden clock
  • Triangular Activity Centre from Big Jigs - With spinning blocks and an abacus, this toy is suitable right up to school age
  • Fishies - A very simple linking game for the younger child to encourage colour recognition and counting
  • Magnetic Blocks - Easy construction set for little ones
  • Alphabet and Number Blocks - No home should be without them!
  • Fantacolor Daisy - A chunky peg board and one of my favourite toys
  • Djeco Wooden Puzzle - Shapes or Colours
  • Magnetic Numbers and Letters
  • 100 Wooden Blocks - So many ways to play and learn with these

These are just a few of my favourites. We have carefully thought about and picked all the toys stocked on www.Mimitoys.ie so it’s hard not to list every toy we have! If I have left off one of your favourites, or one you would recommend to other customers, please leave a comment.

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Top Up Toys

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

These are a selection of my favourite Top up Toys - ideal for presents for nieces or nephews, or as extra-special Santa treats. All are available from www.Mimitoys.ie where you’ll also find photos and more detailed descriptions.

For smaller stocking fillers, have a look at the ideas on http://tinyurl.com/Mimisstockings

You can also see photos on our Facebook page http://tinyurl.com/MimisFacebook

Daisy’s wardrobe - Daisy has such a cute pink wardrobe and loads of fashionable clothes, bags and hats….Sigh…we wish we were Daisy! Try on loads of different outfits and then tidy them all away into the pretty pink wardrobe. Make sure you hang the clothes up properly on the hangers! This toy combines three games that children love: dressing up, role play and playing with dolls. €12.95

Dragon hand puppet - A　good choice for boys’ tales of derring do and girls’ tales of princesses in peril.　Stories can be made up, told and retold using this soft to the touch hand puppet, keeping lively minds enthralled for hours. A beautiful hand puppet with vibrant colours. €16.95

Fairy hand puppet - Who can conjure up a fairy wonderland and make up a tale of magic and wishes? 　An original and fun way for children to develop their communication and language skills whilst putting on their own puppet show…or an engaging way for adults to tell stories to children. The Fiesta Crafts Fairy hand puppet has expressive embroidered features, pretty clothes, wool hair and a magic fairy wand for banishing evil witches. €16.95

Pirate hand puppet - Who can make up a tale of swashbuckling pirates? 　An original and fun way for children to develop their communication and language skills whilst putting on their own puppet show…or an engaging way for adults to tell the stories to children. The Fiesta Crafts Pirate hand puppet has expressive embroidered features, wool hair, fur beard and a fearsome looking detachable sword for running brigands through. €16.95

Frog Skittles - Line ‘em up and knock ‘em down. How can something so straightforward be so much fun? Small and lightweight, these little frogs are ideal for indoor play when the weather isn’t being kind, but can also be set up outside when it’s nice. Just remember to bring them back inside when you’ve finished. Contains 6 skittles and 4 differently coloured wooden balls.　€12.95

Large family calendar - Want to know what’s happening this week? Go check the calendar. For a family on the go, what better way to plan the week than a family calendar? With all the pieces you need to plan the week ahead, it’s ideal for keeping track of everybody’s busy lives. This is a great visual way to involve the children in planning the family’s week and there should be fewer arguments　about less popular tasks when they have been agreed in advance. €19.95

Shape sorter castle - An appealing wooden shape sorter with 9 coloured blocks. There is a sliding board on top which gives the younger ones a better chance to check if they have the right match without the pieces falling through too quickly. Because of the shape of this sorting toy I’m sure that it will used as a castle, garage and house for other toys as often as it is used as a sorter! €16.95

Magnetic Theatre - Children will love to act out their favourite stories with the help of the 15 adorable wooden characters in this beautiful magnetic theatre. They have everything they need to tell the tales of Cinderella, Pinocchio, Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Pigs, even the words! The wooden characters can be moved from under the stage using the magnetic wands and the backdrops for each of the 4 tales are included. €17.95

Mama K Aromatic Play Clay - This play clay combines aromatherapy and creativity. It feels great to play with, smells divine, and the fabulous colours are not day-glo! 100% natural, certified Gluten Free flours are used, as well as all natural dyes, but like all play clays - please don’t eat it! The tube of 5 individual 4oz pots have the following incredibly soothing scents: lavender (relaxing), sweet orange (uplifting), bergamot (ease anxiety), lemongrass (inspiring), geranium (balance). €29.95

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Top Christmas Toys for Older Kids

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
Wondering what to buy older kids for Christmas? Have a look at this list for ideas, or use the Shop by Age filter on our home page www.Mimitoys.ie
What are my favourites? Either the Djeco Art Sets (represented here by the Art Nouveau set), or the Sticky Mosaics (see http://tinyurl.com/mimimosaics for our full range).

See our website for photos, or join us on Facebook http://tinyurl.com/MimisFacebook

Art Nouveau - Kids will love creating their own Klimt-like masterpiece with these detailed Art Nouveau cards. It’s very easy to produce beautiful pictures that they’ll be proud to hang on the wall. The detailed coloured booklet suggests which colours to use on the outlined cards, and how to decorate with stickers. The quality of the art materials is wonderful and the brush pens can be used for many other art projects once the pictures are complete. €22.95

Clics Turbo - Need some more vehicles for your garage? You’d better get building! With this Clics set, little ones can create 6 different Turbo models…or just build whatever they like! Clics are colourful plastic building blocks that click together to form a huge variety of models. Each piece clicks to another in loads of different ways to add extra flexibility. Produced in bite-proof, safe polypropylene, Clics are able to withstand prolonged use. €42.95

Draw a Fashion Show - Awaken your inner fashionista with this fabulous art set from DJECO. Your little designer adds clothing outlines to their model and then colours them in or adds patterned paper, before finishing it all off with a choice of accessories. The results will make lovely pictures because of the high quality paper and pens in the set. Everything can be stored in the pretty, sturdy box when not in use. €22.95

Horrid Henry - HENRY! Act out naughty scenes from your favourite Horrid Henry story with this gorgeous hand puppet. Or, even more fun, make up your own wicked adventures. Parents can also add real magic to bedtime stories by using this puppet when reading. Based on the books by Francesca Simon. €18.95

Perfect Peter - Ahhh, dear Perfect Peter - he never puts a foot wrong. Act out scenes from your favourite Horrid Henry story with this big hand puppet. A quality hand puppet that is based on the books by Francesca Simon. Perfect Peter will add magic to bedtime stories or will happily take part in any adventures children make up. €18.95

Moon in My Room - A unique bedroom decoration and an amazing educational toy. Moon in my Room is authentically detailed and projects an image of the moon, as it really is, with twelve different moon phase settings. The Moon phases can be automatically or manually controlled by the infrared remote control. This 28cm moon is easy to hang and auto shuts off. Also included is a 15min audio CD which provides a guided tour of the moon. €36.95

Sew a Puppy - This craft set is a great way to introduce kids to sewing. Sew an adorable puppy in printed cotton. Simply cut out and stitch together the fabric pieces using running stitch or back stitch.  Fill with stuffing then create a pink felt flower to decorate your pup.  Includes a paper pattern to make more puppies from recycled fabrics, so you can make your own litter of cute pups! €15.95

Star Theatre - Turn your bedroom into a real planetarium! Watch as hundreds of stars and constellations are projected on your ceiling and walls. Set to season, month, day and hour and tour the night sky guided by the 45min CD. Extra features are the hand-held Meteor Maker that projects streaking comets and meteors. The Star Sphere also detaches for use outdoors as a 3-D star finder and has a directional built-in compass on base. €36.95

Sticky Mosaics Ballerina - Add sparkles and stickers to these 4 beautiful ballerina designs….what little girl wouldn’t be enchanted? Add the sticky pieces to the numbered cards and create 4 beautiful pictures to hang in her bedroom. With 5 sparkling designs and hangers and more than 2400 sticky jewel and foam mosaic pieces, this mosaic set provides hours of creative fun. €18.95

 

 

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Top Boys’ Toys for Christmas

Monday, November 8th, 2010

Here is a list of favourite boys’ toys to help you make your Santa list this year. The new Pedal Train and Coal Truck are my favourites and are obviously great for girls as well as boys. For photos, see our website, or join us on Facebook. All toys are available from www.Mimitoys.ie

Carpenter’s Belt - Now even 2 year old carpenters can wear their tool belt with pride. A full set of wooden tools that can be carried around in a belt. Great to introduce early role play- little ones will be so proud to have such grown up tools. €12.95
Cottage Farm - This big portable wooden toy is half farm and half cottage with all the role play fun offered by both scenarios. Easily carried, the busy farm includes animals, tractor and trailer, wheelbarrow and loads of house accessories to keep their imaginations fired up. €79.95
Debut Scooter - Now you can zoom around in style with this ultra cool wooden Debut Scooter. It has 3 non slip wheels to keep you on track both inside the house or outside in the garden. Simple, safe and stunning for kids over 3 years. €49.95
Fire Engine and Fire Fighters - 999 emergency! Who is going to save us from the fire raging behind the sofa? Here come our heroes screeching around the side of the chair in their big wooden fire engine with all the equipment they need to douse the flames. Wonderful role play fun with this bright wooden fire engine,　cute firefighters　and their realistic accessories. Fire Engine and Fire Fighters sold separately, Fire engine €46.95, fire fighters €24.95
Police Van Set - Hello, ‘ello, ‘ello! What’s going on here then? I think it’s obvious that someone’s going to get nicked. The police man has his wooden truncheon at the ready, whilst the robber could have made more of an effort to hide his burglary tools! Painted wooden police van with hinged doors includes posable policeman and robber Budkins. €39.95
Transport Train Set (124 pieces) - How do you want to travel today? Catch a Hi- Speed Train at the station. If that’s too fast, what about a slower ride on the local line? If you want to go by car to the airport to watch the planes and helicopters don’t forget to fill up at the petrol station before you go. This 124 piece wooden train set also includes brightly coloured houses, buildings, people, tunnel, trees, and vehicles. €84.95
Coal Truck - All aboard and join in the fun with this Little Play Train Coal Truck! This superbly designed pedal powered coal truck has a storage compartment, electronic sounds and brakes. It has automatic freewheeling so the pedals stay still even when the train keeps moving. Great for children to enjoy outdoor interactive and imaginative role-play. Can be used on its own or with the little play train pedal steam engine. €179.95
Pedal Train - All aboard and join in the fun with the Little Play Train Steam Engine! This superbly designed pedal powered steam engine has a working headlight, electronic sounds and brakes .It has automatic freewheeling so the pedals stay still even when the train keeps moving. Great for getting kids active outdoors and engaging in interactive imaginative role-play. A Coal Truck that can be attached to the train is available separately. €189.95

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Too much to do?

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

The summer passed by in a blur and suddenly here we are, 3 weeks into the new school year and the kids are already exhausted. I know that a lot of the tiredness comes from settling into a new routine  and new classroom, with new teachers, but I also think that the modern approach to parenting could also be to blame.

When I think back to my childhood, I remember a lot of “down time”: home from school, something to eat, relax a bit, watch telly, play with my toys and then homework. After school activities were restricted to once or twice a week and every evening was spent with my family.

Consider the 3 or 4 after school activities, the 2 evening activities and the weekend exploits of my kids, and there doesn’t seem to be much time left for the family to spend together. I don’t think that we  have signed our kids up for more than other parents and I think that there is great peer and school pressure to get involved in everything. Obviously the opportunities offered to our children are much more exciting than those offered in our youth, but I wonder whether we have got the balance right?

What do kids do when there is nothing organised to amuse them? What happens when they get bored? I don’t think our kids are learning to amuse themselves and think that it’s interesting that nearly all activities are adult-directed and not led by the children. Will this breed a generation of passive adults, waiting to be told what to do? Or will it create a well rounded group who have experienced everything and therefore made informed choices about their lives?

I don’t know the answer, but I do know that if I have to stand on the side of a sodden football pitch one more time this season…

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Outdoor Toys

Monday, May 17th, 2010

When I look at toys on our suppliers’ websites, their stands at toy fairs and their brochures, it’s always in the back of my mind, “Would my kids play with that?”. I have to stop myself just shopping for my children. I know that all kids are different and have different tastes, but I think that I cover a good selection amongst my four - the Quiet, Booky One; the Noisy, Physical One; the Inquisitive One; and the Nurturing, Caring One. The trouble is that any one of my kids could be all of these in one day!

With that thought, I want to share my selection of toys that any of my kids and their friends will play with. Bearing in mind that the weather has been so kind recently (just turn the temperature up a bit and we’ll be even happier), I thought I would look at outdoor toys. None of these toys is particularly expensive or sophisticated, but I challenge your kids not to enjoy them:

  • Our fabulous Gunther Kite selection - just add wind (never in short supply in Ireland) and you’ll have rosy cheeked laughing kids in no time;
  • Spring Ball set - once they get the hang of this, they’ll be twanging around the garden (great for the beach too);
  • Disk Balance - it’s egg and spoon racing, but not as you know it;
  • Super Torpedo with Whistle - well, it just makes throwing the ball at each other even more fun; and
  • Our cool Gunther Wind up Planes - excellent competition potential!

All these toys are available in our Outdoor Toy category http://tinyurl.com/mimioutdoortoys

Have a look and let me know what you think www.mimitoys.ie

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Compromise, compromise, compromise…

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

An extended weekend with the family playing together (and obviously bickering too) has got me thinking about an issue that we have to address regularly - when a child gets hooked on a particular computer game. For a while recently we had an absent child - he was there in body, but there was no interaction with us or his siblings and all he could think about was when he could get home to play his game.

We talked to our friends and our family. We tried allowing him to play as much as he wanted until he got fed up (that just didn’t happen). We tried restricting it to specific times (that just caused arguments and resulted in his “killing time” until it was allowed). We tried removing it all together (all hell broke loose and life was unpleasant for everyone).

Finally we hit on something that seems to have worked - we talked to him! Myles and I sat down and discussed with our son what would be a suitable compromise. We talked about how he was missing out on family time by playing his games all the time, that his brother and sisters missed him and how there were many more interesting things that he could be doing. So far, so “in one ear and out the other”, but then we asked him what he thought. Together we drew up a contract scheduling out agreed times for gaming. He signed the contract, content that he had been part of the decision making process.

Three weeks in and things are going well. Our son doesn’t feel punished by having his game time restricted yet the rest of the family see more of him. Of course there are still times when he wants to play outside the agreed times, but he backs down more readily in the face of the contract and we in turn are more likely to concede to those extra 5 minutes!

If you have any more tips for getting them away from their consoles, please let me know! www.mimitoys.ie

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Exciting New Toys

Monday, April 12th, 2010

We have been busy in the last few months looking at our already wide range of toys and furniture and wondering how we can build on it. Myles and I have visited toy fairs and talked to our existing suppliers to find exciting new toys to add to Mimitoys. If some of the toy fairs meant that we had to spend long weekends in hotels in interesting places then we were willing to make that sacrifice for our customers ;)

After much discussion, the odd argument and a lot of playing with new toys (our family and friends make for an interesting and very honest focus group), we have finally added loads of new toys to www.Mimitoys.ie 

My blog is not about just promoting toys that we sell on our website, but when my kids really like a toy I think it’s good to pass on a recommendation. Clics has always been a favourite in our house. They are flexible construction pieces that click (no surprise there!) together to make up lots of different structures. My kids love them because the pieces aren’t too fiddly and are easy to put together, but don’t fall apart when you then play with your creation.

I love it because it has no commercial tie-ins with blockbuster Hollywood movies (ahem!) and the kits are completely open ended when it comes to designing your own toy. Many of them come with instructions, but they also encourage kids to make up their own design.  It’s not just a question of following step by step instructions to build one model that is left to gather dust, get broken up and clog up the hoover…or maybe that just happens in our house?

Have a look at the Clics we offer and let me know what you think http://tinyurl.com/mimitoys-clics  Or if your kids already have them, let me know if they share my enthusiasm!

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