View Full Version : Top five ?
I am starting to look at what resources I need/want for CM at home, I work in a pre-school (which I gave all my old toys to doh!!) and I know what works there toys/resouces wise (ones like not liked), but am interested in what you feel are the best or worse so..........................:idea:
please
what would be your best top 5?
and what would be your worst top 5?
xxxx
gigglinggoblin
07-06-2011, 02:38 PM
stuff that we use the most:
garage & cars
painting / drawing stuff
building blocks
play food & kitchen
bob the builder toys
train track
I have all boys!
suzyblue
07-06-2011, 02:54 PM
My top five would be....
Loads of duplo
Loads of wooden train track and trains
Loads of card and garage
Cooking and kitchen
Cozy coupe cars (ALWAYS HAVE MORE THAN ONE!)
1. Cars, cars and more cars
2. Toy kitchen
3. Doll Pushchairs
4. Dinosaurs
5. Swing.
Forgot to do worse 5.
1. Stickle bricks
2. Wooden farm set. The kids can't put them together and when I build it they just destroy it again.
3. glitter. Kids love it but you just can't clean it up.
4. scooter. Kids love it but they seem to only ride it for 2 mins then get bored and I end up carrying it on school run.
Can't think of a 5th right now.
gigglinggoblin
07-06-2011, 03:16 PM
I would also say that good quality second hand toys are much better than cheap new ones. You will probably pay less for the quality ones and they will last longer. The garage we have cost £2 and looks like something we had in the 80s. The new one I bought a few years ago for £15 broke long ago!
blue bear
07-06-2011, 03:33 PM
5 best
Art area
Dolls
Book corner
Kitchen
Slide/ sea saw
As per my 4 and 7 year old
miffy
07-06-2011, 04:46 PM
Kitchen and play food
Dressing up clothes
Dolls/cots/buggies
Paint and craft stuff
Play tents
Miffy xx
loocyloo
07-06-2011, 06:01 PM
think everyone has covered top 5! (or 10;) )
worse 5 for me would be loads of board games! we only tend to play snakes & ladders, some orchard toys games and then the MB games like guess who, frustration, connect 4 etc that have been around for ages. but i have lots more games that get played once in a bluemoon:(
another toy that rarely gets played with is the playmobil, mainly because of all the little pieces! i do get it out for the older ones, but recently the children were more interested in lego!
can't think of anything else!
Milli147
07-06-2011, 06:27 PM
I think biggest waste of money toys are the specific educational toys like counting cookies and compare bears. Expensive, and nothing you can't make or get for free with a little imagination (fir cones spring to mind) My mindees do like both the aforementioned but not for the purposes I bought them for!
sarah707
07-06-2011, 07:45 PM
Our current favourites include...
Lego
Train tracks
Cars and more cars
Building blocks -small inside and big outside
Musical instruments
Paper and crayons / pencils / felt tips etc
The older children also enjoy making tea parties, dancing to different types of music and reading books.
Waste of money include...
Stickle bricks
books to go with toys - they just get thrown aside
I have 6 boys under 6 and 2 older girls :D
auntym
07-06-2011, 08:06 PM
Cars and garage are top for boys and girls. Lego of sorts. Kitchen play stuff. Play dough and arty stuff. Trains and tracks . The worst I find are glitter top 3 lol. Books with toys as mentioned. Barbies they always end up naked and a, mess
auntym
07-06-2011, 08:08 PM
Oh I have two boys and a girl under 4
SandCastles
07-06-2011, 08:20 PM
My top 5 are
Trains and track (wooden ones)
Cars (chunky for lo and hot wheels for older children) and garage /ramps
Barbie with all her accessories & Baby Born with all her accessories
Aquadraw
Mega bloks - I have lots of different sets for boys and girls
Worse 5 are
StickleBricks
Jigsaws (multi puzzles in a box)
Glitter
Build your own models with plastic nuts and bolts
Shake a maker plaster of paris models to paint.
The Juggler
07-06-2011, 10:04 PM
toy kitchen/home corner (buggies, dolls etc)
sandpit
selection of construction
selection of smallworld sets
paint/playdoh glue for rotation
mumto3
07-06-2011, 10:50 PM
This is interesting reading, as i have 3 of my own children of a range of ages i have all the top toys that were mentioned which makes me feel hopeful about the toys i could provide straight away
For babies i love treasure baskets and home made sensory bottles
I love story sacks
Theres a website but cant remember the name of it where u can buy recycled items and odds and ends like bottle tops, buttons, different shaped tubes, washing machine pipes, washers, nuts and bolts, everything. It was great esp the large stuff for the garden, kids love it
I also like lightboxes, expensive but worth it
BlondeMoment
07-06-2011, 11:36 PM
Well I couldn't agree more with everyone's top 5.
Worst 5 would have to be:
Puppets - I spent loads on some ethnically diverse ones and the kids just don't play with them. They weren't even interested when they were brand new.
Hamma beads - they just go everywhere and babies can swallow them
Swords / light sabers / weapons of any kind - Just a nightmare
Teddies - One or two may be so they can attend a pic nic or be fed after play cooking but they're not really played with - more of a bedtime thing so no good for amusing kids during the day
err... can't think of a 5th. husband just came home drunk and has passed out hiccupping on the sofa LOL (we both on a week off)
AliceK
08-06-2011, 10:01 AM
Why does everyone think stickle bricks are a waste of time?
We only have a very limited number of them (the rest have been lost over the years) and my own 2 children and the older mindees just love them. I have been trying to search for some more to buy and can't seem to find them anymore.
Agree with everyone's top 5 though :thumbsup:
xxx
mumto3
08-06-2011, 10:04 AM
Why does everyone think stickle bricks are a waste of time?
We only have a very limited number of them (the rest have been lost over the years) and my own 2 children and the older mindees just love them. I have been trying to search for some more to buy and can't seem to find them anymore.
Agree with everyone's top 5 though :thumbsup:
xxx
Ebay sell lots of stickle bricks :)
AliceK
08-06-2011, 11:23 AM
Ebay sell lots of stickle bricks :)
Thanks :thumbsup: . I never use e-bay but I will have a look now you've said that.
xxx
Tealady
08-06-2011, 12:11 PM
Thanks :thumbsup: . I never use e-bay but I will have a look now you've said that.
xxx
Perhaps you could do a deal with some of those on here that say they are no good ;)
mumto3
08-06-2011, 12:26 PM
Thanks :thumbsup: . I never use e-bay but I will have a look now you've said that.
xxx
I love ebay, ive bought and sold lots on there :)
I see ur from Berkshire, me to ;) small world, where bouts are u?
Stickle bricks :eek:
my lot LOVE them, so if you guys are happy to sell ;) :thumbsup: :D
:laughing:
my BEST buy has been our rose petal cottage :D
Louise317
08-06-2011, 12:38 PM
I use to love Stickle Bricks :)
My own kids love
Small world playing, fairy boot and farm
Building blocks
Cars
Musical instruments
Arts & Crafts
Baking
Mumto3 and AliceK i'm Berkshire too, Cippenham area :)
Louise x
Chatterbox Childcare
08-06-2011, 12:40 PM
My older ones love UNO and Happy Families and Monopoly - we spend hours with these and some games of Monopoly go on all week in half term! :laughing:
mumto3
08-06-2011, 01:03 PM
I use to love Stickle Bricks :)
My own kids love
Small world playing, fairy boot and farm
Building blocks
Cars
Musical instruments
Arts & Crafts
Baking
Mumto3 and AliceK i'm Berkshire too, Cippenham area :)
Louise x
Im not sure where Cippenham is :rolleyes: is it past slough, sure ive seen signs near that way
Im near Bracknell ;)
lol!! and I am just up the M3 x small world indeed x
In our setting the children seem to avoid all the things Ofsted love, not either way on sticklebricks, but keep them coming x
AliceK
08-06-2011, 01:35 PM
Im not sure where Cippenham is :rolleyes: is it past slough, sure ive seen signs near that way
Im near Bracknell ;)
oohh just up the road from me (well A329m actually) I'm just past Winnersh :thumbsup:
xxx
mumto3
08-06-2011, 01:49 PM
small world then, my son gets his glasses from a private opticians up near asda in winnersh :thumbsup:
There is nothing wrong with stickle bricks I used to love playing with them. I put them in my 5 worst list because I have had them in one of my trofast drawers for ages and they never get played with. I've even tried getting them out and they sometimes have a look but they get bored after a few mins or they just use them as a chew toy.
I would pass them on but I use them for my toddler group where they do get played with but probably cause I don't have much toys there.
Louise317
08-06-2011, 09:29 PM
Im not sure where Cippenham is :rolleyes: is it past slough, sure ive seen signs near that way
Im near Bracknell ;)
Yes it's between Slough and Maidenhead
Louise x
Kezzle
13-06-2011, 07:17 PM
Any one know if sylvanian families is a good thing to have or not? I quite like the idea of it. I remember my friend having them when i was younger and i was jealous and wanted some. I only ever grew up with trolls and barbies :/ and a pop up tent.
BlondeMoment
16-06-2011, 06:20 PM
Any one know if sylvanian families is a good thing to have or not? I quite like the idea of it. I remember my friend having them when i was younger and i was jealous and wanted some. I only ever grew up with trolls and barbies :/ and a pop up tent.
Definately! They're so cute and appealing. I used to have a big bus with open upstairs deck. My sister had a canal boat with otter family that our biy neighbours used to love!
Kezzle
16-06-2011, 06:43 PM
Good stuff i'll have to start saving the pennies for that then.
DD loves Sylvanian Families, Ebay and Amazon (of course using this forums link) better than new x
Kezzle
16-06-2011, 07:14 PM
DD loves Sylvanian Families, Ebay and Amazon (of course using this forums link) better than new x
I'm always trawling those sites for bargains :) It's a pain for me at the moment with getting to carboots as i work all day every sunday!
boxtree7
16-06-2011, 08:42 PM
Little people
Football net in garden (sometimes in the house)
Slide
cars and more cars and more cars
angelina ballerina
miss mopple
16-06-2011, 09:42 PM
My lot LOVE sticklebricks :D
My top 5:
duplo
play food
treasure basket
till
cars and garage
Worst 5:
puppets
anything that makes a noise :laughing:
knex
pom poms (of the craft type- useless things!)
moonsand
loocyloo
17-06-2011, 08:30 AM
oo, i'd forgotten about moonsand! awful stuff. went everywhere! we ended up putting it in the sandpit with all the normal sand!
DD has just been given some aquabeads ... we won't be getting anymore! we can't get the bead pen thing to work and then you have to wait for an hour for the beads to dry! give me hama beads anyday! :laughing: