Haba Blocks - why every toy box should have some!

No toy box is complete without some Haba blocks! From the moment you open the box (which is attractive in it's own right, but i'll leave that for now) you will fall in  love with these unusual building blocks - and that's just the parents! Take a good look mums and dads, because once you give them to your children you will never get the opportunity to play with them again. You might think that one building block is much the same as any other, but almost every Haba block is different. We love that about them - the variety of shapes and colours is fantastic and there really is no limit to the number of different buildings you can create. Each Haba block is made from the smoothest beech wood and although the colours are the most vibrant we have seen yet on wooden toys, they are achieved using only non toxic stains and lacquers. I don't want to start throwing them around - they are almost too beautiful to play with - but I am assured by parents that they stand up to repeated throwing, dropping and chewing!



I'm Toy: Beautiful wooden toys at Toyjeanius

If you follow Toyjeanius at Twitter you've probably heard us mention I'm Toy more than a few times already, but as we haven't blogged in ages we thought it would be a good time to show them off here too! Wooden toys in general are proving to be extremely popular with our customers, and lots are attracted to the colourful fun activity toys designed by wooden toy company I'm Toy.

I'm Toy have strong environmental policies, work to strict safety regulations and are very creative in the design of their toys. Each toy is made from sustainable rubberwood thus helping to preserve forests for future generations. This is something which we, as parents ourselves, are very passionate about and we are looking to expand upon the ranges of  'green toys' that we currently sell.

Two of our favourite toys from the current I'm Toys range are the Geo sort n drum roller, and wooden alphabet blocks .  To discover a 10% discount code to use at Toyjeanius just watch this short video showcasing another of our favourites: I'm Toy Tutti Tune Bench.

Set sail for the seven seas in this toy pirate ship

There are so many diffferent toy pirate ships, that it took a while for us to pick our favourite. In the end it was a unanimous choice and we voted for Plan Toys wooden pirate ship. The attention to detail is amazing and everything the crew needs is included with the ship. Accessories include cannons, barrels, anchor, treasure chest, flags, sails and a rowing boat. All Plan Toys are made from sustainable rubberwood, making them truly green toys. The quality and workmanship of their toys is extraordinary, ensuring that they will last for years and can be passed from one generation to the next. 

 When I was one i sucked my thumb

the day i went to sea

i jumped aboard a pirate ship

and the captain said to me

'were going this way, that way

forwards and backwards

over the irish sea

a bottle of rum to fill my tum

and thats the life for me!

Fire engine toys for budding firefighters

What do you want to be when you grow up? We've been asking parents what their children are answering to this question and we've had a massive response. In our survey more than 50% of little boys said they want to be a fireman, policeman or ambulance driver. Other popular choices were lorry drivers, farmers and astronauts!

For all the budding firemen out there we have got some fantastic new fire engine toys in the shop. For tiny hands we have a range of mini vehicles from green toy company Plan Toys. The chunky wooden fire engine is one of our favourites, and our young toy testers have been putting them through their paces this week. The Plan Toys mini fire engine has a rotating fire ladder; twist it around and it makes a clicking sound. The fire hose also spins around and there is a jingly bell to let people know you are on your way to another emergency call! Aside from looking good, these toys are very sturdily built - our testers have been whizzing them around this week and even after one took a detour down an entire flight of stairs it was good as new!

The I'm Toy Walker Wagon Fire Engine is the most beautiful baby walker we have seen in a while. Made to look like a fire engine, even the handle has been designed to look like a ladder. This clever design feature makes it easy for babies to pull themselves up rung by rung. The fire engine also doubles up as a toy box, which should encourage small children to tidy up at the end of the day.

For a fire engine themed toy that will keep your childs attention at different stages in their development, then the I'm Toy Fire Engine Work Bench is just perfect. This fantastic toy is a wooden pull along fire engine that becomes a shape sorter. And as if that wasn't enough, older children will have great fun using the wooden tools and accessories to build the fire engine ladder on the construction work bench.

Babies First Shape Sorting Toys

Once babies get the hang of sitting up and reaching for toys without falling over they are ready for a new challenge. This is the perfect time to introduce basic shape sorting toys as by now they are more in control of their movements and can pick up a toy and pass it from one hand to the other quite easily.

Round shapes are the easiest to master, and it is best to start with toys that have just a few basic shapes. This will build your child's confidence and encourage them to persevere when they come across shapes that need a bit more manouvering before they will fit through the hole! Shape sorting toys with additional features will capture the attention of younger children who may otherwise discard the toy before they get the knack of posting the shapes. We particularly like the I'm Toy Geo Sort n Drum Roller - a beautiful chunky wooden toy made from sustainable rubber-wood that combines a simple first shape sorter with a drum. Another favourite is the Plan Toys pull along Sorting Bus. This wooden toy from green toy company Plan Toys combines a shape sorter, pull along toy and push along toy in one great product. Small children will love the bright colours, removable bus driver and tipping action!

Winners of our Half Term Kid's Competition

Last week we asked children to send us poems or stories about their favourite tv characters and we had a great time reading them all! In the end we chose 5 winners, who each won a Peppa Pig Ladybird book from Toyjeanius. Our favourite entry came from Jessica, aged 8, who sent us a Horrid Henry poem complete with picture. Our team of judges (my teenage children) were very impressed with Jessica as she entered the competition hoping to win something for her friend Millie who is in hospital at the moment, so we're hoping she likes the little extra surprise we sent with the book! Well done Jessica:-)

Our youngest entrant was the four year old son of one of our followers at Twitter, Piperty. He's obviously a big Sonic fan, but we hope that he likes Peppa Pig too!

"Sonic is as speedy as he can be, Sonic is beautiful!"

The judges were all agreed that 5 year old Alex should win a prize, as everyone thought his poem was very funny! (one of the judges even snorted with laughter just like Daddy Pig!) He was also 1 of only 2 entrants to include a Peppa Pig character in his poem!

"I love Bob The Builder, and Winnie The Pooh of course, but my fave is Daddy Pig, especially when he snorts!"

Sarah aged 7 from Lincs sent us this lovely Winnie the Pooh poem. I'm a huge Winnie the Pooh fan so i made sure the judges noticed this entry;-)

I love winnie the pooh

and I think tigger is great

I think its funny what they do for hunny

and they are best mates

When we read the poem Robert, aged 9 from Aberdeen sent us, all our judges said that they wished they had an older brother like him! Abigail is a very lucky little girl having such a wonderful brother!

Thomas the tank is the best

and I like Percy and James

the fat controller is in charge

as they go along the rails

my little sister loves Peppa pig

so I want to win for abigail

Well done to all our competition winners, and thankyou to everyone else who sent us their poems and stories! They were all fantastic and the judges had a really hard time choosing the winners!

Toyjeanius Competition Winner!

Just 18 days ago we announced on our Facebook page that we would be giving our first 100 fans the chance to win £30 of toys from Toyjeanius. By pure coincidence we ended up with a Valentines Day draw and one lucky winner has been chosen at random!

Congratulations to Kim from Devon (and her children!) who are our lucky competition winners this month!

Make sure you hear about all our competitions, special offers and discount codes by following us at www.twitter.com/toyjeanius, become a fan of www.facebook.com/toyjeanius and bookmark our blog and toy shop!!

If you are a competition winner we'd love to see pictures of your children with their toys! Or get them to send us a review...good or bad!!

Valentines Day Cupcake Challenge

Everwhere i look today i keep seeing mention of the Great Cupcake Challenge  and i know my daughter would never forgive me if i didn't give her a mention! My 17 year old is the Queen of cupcakes and is in charge of making cakes for the whole family (although i think i may have to make one for her 18th!). She decided to celebrate Valentines Day by making this GIANT cupcake....hands up who wants a piece;-)