This post is sponsored by Moose Toys.
I have a confession to make. When I was asked to review the Beados range by Moose Toys, I actually didn’t think I would like them….BUT we love them! You see I have never been a huge fan of those sets with little plastic beads that you have to iron together to make anything. I mean I don’t like to iron for (house)work, let alone for play! What I am learning though, is that Moose Toys have an answer for seemingly everything – first the Glow Show glow-in-the-dark stickers that are removable and now Beados that absolutely DO NOT require an iron but actually stick together with a light spray of water. Genius!
In fact, Beados have earned a place right at the top of my list of gift suggestions for creative kids. My girls have been making with them non-stop. As they play with Beados I can see them applying creative skills, problem solving skills, concentration and task perseverance, they are developing fine motor skills, and they’ve even inspired imaginative play – my girls have been using a set of different shaped Beados creations as magical elements in fairy figurine play.
They’ve also made…
…bag tags (are bag tags insanely popular at your school too?)…
…rings and necklaces…
…and sun catchers.
We also got our creative on and decided to have a go at creating our own Christmas ornaments. Cool, huh?! You’ll find a printable version of our three ornament patterns – a tree, star and bell, and a blank grid for your own designs, below.
Beados are available in a large range of themed playsets. The smaller Refill Packs include themes such as the winter Wonderland Castle, Precious Pendants and Family Playtime. They are great for getting little fingers busy….
…even our littlest fingers are enjoying the workout…
The Sunshine Butterfly Activity Pack is a medium sized sun catcher kit that includes these funky tweezers. We gave them a good go but my two actually prefer using their fingers to the tweezers.
The Beados Gem Design Studio includes a fancy bead dispenser. It would be fair to say Immy loves it.
So the Beados kits score a definite two thumbs up here. There will be more packs wrapped and waiting under our tree for family and friends this Christmas!
For those in Australia and the USA, be sure to keep an eye out for Moose Toys’ Beados Activity Packs in major department stores, toy stores and via your favourite online toy retailers. You can also check out Beados on Amazon.com or contact Moose Toys for stockists in your country.
Print our Christmas Ornament Designs
To download and print: Click here to download. Download or save the PDF file to your own computer. Open the PDF and print. When printing, print at 100%. Personal, non commercial use only.
WIN A BEADOS PRIZE PACK
One Australian Childhood 101 reader will win a Beados Prize Pack (total value $114.97) consisting of one Beados Gem Design Studio, one Beados Gem Sunshine and six Beados Refill Packs.
Entry is simple. This is a game of skill and entries will be judged based on creativity and originality. To enter, leave a comment on this post in response to this question:
Tell me – which toy inspires the most creative play for kids at your house?
Australian entrants only. One entry per IP address. Entries close 5pm AEDST 26 November, 2015.
P.S. Pop over to Picklebums to see another super cool product using this same water technology – QIXELS. With a pixelated 8bit look they are sure to be a hit with those who love Minecraft or Lego.
Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.
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