Floppy Jalopy building fun hits the UK

The new Floppy Jalopy Gears! Gears! Gears! construction kit has arrived in the UK. A 133 piece set including windscreen, headlights, bumper with number plate and even a bonnet mouth that opens and closes.

All powered by a motor controlled by an infrared remote cotrol with a 25 metre range. You can either build the Floppy Jalopy from the included instructions or create your own unique creation.

Click here to buy the Floppy Jalopy in the UK.

Kid K'Nex Range Expands

We have two new items from the Kid K'Nex range.

The new sets are aimed squarely at girsl and should encourage more of them to take up playing with construction kits!

Available as the Kid K'Nex Pixie Princess and the Kid K'Nex Flower Fairy they are sure to be a big hit.

Click here to buy Kid K'Nex in the UK.

Click here to buy construction toys in the UK.

Illuma Bot is here!

Our great new Gears! Gears! Gears! robot construction kit Illuma Bot was featured in the Independent this weekend.

Click here to buy Illuma Bot in the UK.

Cooking up fun with Bella Bistro

Role play is a great way for children to learn about the world in which they live, and kitchen play has always been a childrens favourite.

We are delighted to have the new Bella Bistro range for you to add a stylish touch to your childs play.

The Bella Bistro Cookie Baking Set comes with a baking tray, cooling rack, wooden rolling pin, spatula and 3 cookie cutters plus recipes.

The Bella Bistro Delux Chefs Set includes tea towel, hot pad, oven mitt and apron plus a wooden spoon and rolling pin.

The Bella Bistro Non-Stick Bakeware Set has four recipes and is suitable for real baking - it is also diswasher safe!

Click here to buy Bella Bistro in the UK.
Click here to buy Roleplay toys in the UK.

National Geographic Kits

Spring is sprung and we all want to get the children outside as soon as possible. We are encouraging them with the new National Geographic kits.

We have the National Geographic Explorer Set which comes with binoculars, compass, torch and magnifying glass.

For treasure hunters we have the National Geographic Metal Detector.

Budding entymologists will really love the National Geographic Bug Barn.

Night owls will appreciate the National Geographic Night Vision Goggles.

The National Geographic Walkie Talkies are bound to be a hit with all trainee spies!
Click here to buy National Geographic kits in the UK.
Click here to buy Outdoor Toys in the UK.

The benefits of educational toys

The BBC has an article on the lasting effect of educational toys on the brain.

The research was based on spectacle wearing owls of all things and shows that skills learnt in childhood are retained and used in later life! It appears that experiences and problem solving in early years lead to a more 'plastic' brain that is more adaptable later in life.

The article can be found here.

Bridging The Gender Gap Through Early Years Play

Women in the UK earn between 18% and 40% less than their male colleagues for equivalent work according to the Women and Work Group. Bad career advice at school is thought to be among the causes, but do we need to look earlier in life than this? Do we need to examine early years play?

Many of the toys aimed at preschoolers and beyond are strongly gender stereotyped. Lots of creative play items themed around the home are pink in colour - earmarking ironing, cooking and caring for children as roles for girls. Similarly most construction kits are for cars or other vehicles and come in strong primary colours, the message is 'making things is for boys'.

We need to counterbalance this stereotyping to encourage girls to explore areas of play they traditionally feel less comfortable with or excluded from. At kidEstore.co.uk we have tried hard to present a range of toys in which many appeal equally to girls and boys.

Producing typically boy oriented toys in girly colours can create interest in a different type of toy. Geomag have pioneered this approach with a best selling Pastelle versions of their award winning magnetic construction toy which has the same pieces as other Geomag sets in a selection of pastel shades. They are taking this a step further with their Just Pinks range which comes in a single colour - shocking pink! Other manufacturers are now following suit - K'Nex have brought out a range of Pink Kid K'Nex Princesses and Pixies.

An alternative is to choose a toy which has been designed to avoid stereotyping. Taking away the hard edges to give a softer feel, using a more neutral colour scheme and giving less macho examples for use are all ways to achieve this. Zoob is one example - a great construction toy with an organic feel in a range of bright colours. It comes with instructions for a range of models from dinosaurs and UFOs to crowns and handbags, and all of the completed models are moveable to encourage creative play. Another example is Automoblox, a wooden car construction set, the lines are soft and organic, the colours for the polycarbonate screens and tyres include purples and yellows and the focus on the passengers and open ended play again encourages girls to take more of an interest.

It is possible to look for a an introduction to an area that can be built upon to overcome gender differences. Kidzlabs produce a great line of Science Museum endorsed kits. The Volcano making kit and the Night Sky kits are perhaps a better first step for a girl than the Cosmic Rocket or Intruder Alarm.
kidEstore.co.uk is an on-line educational toy store which selects great fun toys that have educational benefits. Our main aim is to allow children to enjoy playing with their toys whilst also learning or developing key skills. You can visit the store at http://www.kidEstore.co.uk/ and all of the toys mentioned in the article can be found there.

See a BBC News article on the topic here.

For more information on any of the toys in the article see the following URLs:
For K'Nex see http://www.kidestore.co.uk/construction-knex-c-1_3.html
For Geomag see http://www.kidestore.co.uk/construction-geomag-c-1_4.html
For Zoob see http://www.kidestore.co.uk/construction-zoob-c-1_2.html
For Automoblox see http://www.kidestore.co.uk/construction-automoblox-c-1_5.html
For Kidzlabs see http://www.kidestore.co.uk/science-c-25.html

More great K'Nex

We know you can't get enough of K'Nex - so we have taken yet more new lines from them.

We have several new Flex K'Nex construction kits. The Flex K'Nex Ripcord Racer and the Flex K'Nex Flywheel Flier are the newest Pullstring Racers.

K'Nex Trends is a great new range and we have the K'Nex Trends Street Mods GT Tuner SpecA and K'Nex Trends Street Mods GT Tuner SpecB. Two great custom cars for you to build.

We have the smaller 14 model set of K'Nex Magnet.

The first of our new Kid K'Nex lines is in, the Kid K'Nex Rockin Robot are great fun for younger builders.

We are sure these new sets will appeal to new buyers and those looking to extend their collections.

Click here to buy K'Nex in the UK.
Click here to buy Kid K'Nex in the UK.
Click here to buy K'Nex Flex in the UK.
Click here to buy K'Nex Trends in the UK.

We have added a great range of games from Green Board Games

Kickdoku
Blokus
Picdoku
Wordigo

Crazy Gear Construction Sets

We have more stock of the great Oogly Googly, mGears and Wacky Wigglers back in stock.

We have also expanded the range to include Moving Monkeys, and the new motorised Illuma Bot and Floppy Jalopy.

Click here to buy these gear construction sets in the UK.

Our Favourite Orchard Games

We love games form Orchard Toys, they are simple, bright and great for helping development from memory skills, to basic literacy and numeracy and of course they are all great fun.

Orchard Toys has been winning awards for it's educational toys and games for many years now and we have chosen some of our favourites.

For early years Orchard Toys has a number of simple card games.

Shopping List is a lovely award winning memory game based on a shopping trip. Each player gets a shopping trolley and a shopping list with a number of items listed with a small picture. cards for all of the items are placed face down and players take it in turns to reveal a card - it it's on your list then place it in your shopping basket.

Slug in a Jug is a rhyming game with real 'urgh' appeal. At it's most simple you have to match the cards that rhyme. Taking it a step further you can encourage children to develop rhyming sentences. This game links to the National Curriculum Key Stage 1.

Spotty Dog is a simple counting game. Spin the spinner and match the number to the dogs spots and then see how many biscuit bones are in the basket.

Tummy Ache
Two By Two
Walk the Plank
Washing Machine Game
What's Rubbish
Wild Word Lotto
Party, Party, Party
Magic Cauldron
Potty Professors
Knickerbocker Glory
Jack and the Beanstalk
Greedy Gorilla
Crash, Bang, Wallop
Bus Stop

Click here to buy games and jigsaws from Orchard Toys in the UK.
Click here to buy educational toys and games in the UK.

New Kidzlabs

We are expanding our range of Science toys and kits with some new Kidzlabs sets.

We have the Kidzlabs Cosmic Jet Racer which builds into an air powered car. The Kidzlabs Solar System Planetarium Model is pretty self explanatory I guess. The Kidzlabs Technorobot helps you build a functioning mechanical robot!

For budding spies and detectives we also have the Kidzlabs Spy Science Secret Message Kit, the Kidzlabs Spy Science Intruder Alarm Kit and the Detective Science Fingerprint Kit.

Click here to buy Kidzlabs in the UK.
Click here to buy Science toys and kits in the UK.
Klick here to buy educational toys inthe UK.

You'll really DIG these Dinosaurs

We have some new additions to our range of science kits and toys, the Dig-a-Glow Dinosaur range endorsed by the Natural History Museum.

Budding Paleontologists can excavate a dinosaur skeleton and then assemble the glow in the dark bones into a full dinosaur.

We have the Natural History Museum Dig a Glow T-Rex, Natural History Museum Dig a Glow Triceratops, and the Natural History Museum Dig a Glow Brachiosaurus.

The bones are buried in a plaster block and come with digging tool and brush.

Click here to buy Natural History Museum Dig A Glow Dinosaurs.
Click here to buy science kits in the UK.

Great New Zoob Mobile and Traveller

We think Zoob is one of the most innovative construction sets around so we are delighted to be taking three new sets.

Zoob Mobile adds wheels with chunky wheels to add a whole new dimension to your models. As all the pieces are compatible with all other Zoob sets they are a great way to extend your range.

Zoob Mobile Racer comes with 37 pieces and 4 wheels and instructions for 9 models.

Zoob Mobile car Designer comes with 76 pieces, 12 wheels and instructions for 12 models.

Zoob Traveller is a handy 40 piece set with a circular base that comes in a great bag for storage and transportation. A great toy for holidays or long journeys.

Click here to buy Zoob in the UK.
Click here to buy other construction toys in the UK.
Click here to buy high quality educational toys in the UK.

Pintoy wooden creative play

Pintoy have one of the best wooden creative play ranges we can find. That's why we are glad to be taking some new items from them.

We have the Pintoy Wooden Kitchen Combination Unit which is a great free standing wooden kitchen cooker and sink unit.

The Pintoy Wooden Ironing Board is fantastic. It comes with two pieces of fabric that can be scrunched up to wrinkle them and then really ironed flat!

We also have the Pintoy Wooden workbench for all buddingHandy Andys.

We have added the Pintoy Wooden Dolls Buggy (or pram) to our range of doll furniture. This is sized perfectly to be your Baby Annabel or Baby Bjorn doll's pram.

We are also pleased to add the Pintoy Wooden Noah's Ark and Pintoy Wooden Rainbow Rolling Slope to our range of toys.

Click here to buy Pintoy wooden toys in the UK.
Click here to buy roleplay toys in the UK.
Click here to buy wooden toys in the UK.

Pixelblocks have escaped from your PC Monitor

Pixelblocks are a great new construction toy. They are basically similar to small individual Lego blocks made from a lovely translucent material that catches the light and turns your construction into a work of art.

Pixelblocks have a really clever extra sliding connector on each side. This allows the blocks to be connected in three dimensions. This means you can either create '2d' picture like sculptures or '3d' objects.

The colours range from really bright colours for vibrant creations, or more subtle colours that can create a photographic feel.

Pixelblocks also have on their website something they call 'Digital Stained Glass' which enables you to upload a picture to them and you will get in return a custom pattern which will allow you to create your picture in Pixelblocks.

This is another construction toy that will appeal to girls every bit as much as boys, which has got to be good news.

We have a range of Pixelblocks kits to buy from 550 pieces at £17.95 to 2000 pieces at £49.95.

Click here to buy Pixelblocks in the UK.
Click here to buy construction kits in the UK.
Click here to buy educational toys in the UK.

New Puzzleballs from Ravensburger

How do you fancy doing a globe jigsaw that is actually globe shaped?

The new Puzlleball from Ravensburger is a great new development in the jigsaw world. A fully spherical jigsaw that sits on it's own stand once complete.

We have taken the Ravensburger Puzzleball World Map and the Ravensburger Puzzleball Junior World Map.

Click here to buy jigsaw puzzles in the UK.
Click here to buy Ravensburger in the UK.
Click here to buy educational toys in the UK.

New Even Pinkerer Geomag

OK, so Pastelle Geomag was just not girly enough for you then?

Well we've been listening and are expecting the new Geomag Just Pink really soon now. The same Swiss made, original and best magnetic construction kit in bold fuschia pink.

These Geomag Pastelle Geomag Just Pinks now really gives some great options for magnetic construction toys that are virtually testosterone free!

Click here to buy Geomag Just Pinks in the UK.
Click here to buy other construction toys in the UK.
Click here to buy educational toys in the UK.

Atomic Blox LED Powered Construction Block

So many construction kits are alike these days it is good to see one with some extra features that will make the kit a bit more interesting. Atomic Blox is one such kit.

You can use the translucent Atomic Blox to make some geat sapceships, robots, aliens and dinosaurs or make your own creations. Atomic Blox include a LED module which lights up the whole model from the inside causing them to glow in the dark.

Click here to buy Atomic Blox in the UK.

Click here to buy other construction sets annd toys in the UK.

New items from Melissa and Doug

We know you love Melissa and Doug as much as we do, so we know you will be excited to know we have received the first of our new lines from them.

We have taken the Melissa and Doug Wooden Geometric Stacker. This lovely colourful stacker is great for matching, stacking and sorting.



We are also taking the Melissa and Doug Mighty Builders. These are the Melissa and Doug Mighty Builder Race Car and the Melissa and Doug Mighty Builders Jet Plane. The models require only a screwdrive for assembly and will look great either on display or being flown and driven by budding F1 drivers and pilots.

For children with a more arty inclination we are taking the Melissa and Doug Wooden Butterfly Jewellery Lacing Set. Does pretty much what it says on the box.

Finally we have get our hands on the Melissa and Doug Wooden Alphabet Stamp Kit. Great for creating art work such as cards but also great for getting familiar with letters.

Click here to buy Melissa and Doug Toys in the UK.

Click here to buy other wooden toys in the UK.

Click here to buy art and creative items in the UK.

New K'Nex Magnetic Construction Sets

K'Nex have extended their range to add a magnetic dimension to thier kits.

The new kits add some magnetic connectors to their normal rods and joints. These magnetic joints are low friction and need less force to break, this adds two main types of build to the sets. Firstly the easy break allows things like cranes which magnetically lift their loads or magnetic train couplings to be built. The low friction joint allows rotation so things like wheels, rotors or propellors can be added to your models.

We have added the K'Nex Magnetic 20 Model Kit to our range and others will follow as they are available.

Click here to buy Magnetic K'Nex in the UK.

Click here to buy other construction sets in the UK.

Experiences for Little People

We are really pleased to be taking a great range of creative items from the Little Experience Company. They have some great kits for kids to do and make and we are taking some from each of the 'Build it', 'Make it' and 'Plant it' ranges.



We have the 'Build it Space Rocket', the 'Build it Boat' for budding explorers.

For those with a more arty inclination we have 'Make it Ragdoll Annie', 'Knit it Monkey', 'Paint it Skittles', 'Make it Monster Magnets', 'Make it Loveheart Necklace', 'Make it Polly Peg Doll' and 'Make it Bouncy Ball' kits.

Click here to buy Little Experience craft kits in the UK.
Click here to buy other creative items in the UK.

New Creative Toy Section

We all love doing something creative with the children and it doesn't usually take anything more than some sweet wrappers, paper and glue to keep them occupied for an hour or two at the kitchen table.

To allow for the times when they want to create something a little more polished or when you want a creative gift to give to them we have created a new creative toy section at kidEstore.co.uk.

This will contain lots of painting, sewing, knitting, glueing and cutting toys.

Click here to buy creative toys and craft kits in the UK.

Getting Crafty with Fasion Design

How would you like to design and make your own Heavenly Wardrobe for four true Fashion Angels?

We are talking fabric, beads, sequins, glitter, buttons, ribbons and more. You need to design, cut, sew and decorate your own range of garments.

We will be selling both the full set of four (Fashion Angels Design A Heavenly Wardrobe) and the individual (Fashion Angels Design Kit Singles) - Bebe, Izzy, Debo and Lulu) if you just want your favourite.

We also sell the Fashion Angels Design Sketch Book, Fashion Angels Pattern Book and the Fashion Angels Fabric Book.

Click here to buy Fashion Angels Design kits in the UK.
Click here to buy other creative items in the UK.

Alex Toys

We are really impressed by Alex Toys and will be bringing a range to kidEstore.co.uk really soon.

Click here to buy Alex Toys in the UK

Wooden doll toys

Pintoy have a great range of wooden toys and they also make some really gorgeous wooden dolls accessories which are great for creative play. These items are perfectly sized for Baby Annabel or Baby Bjorn, probably the two most popular dolls available.

The Wooden DollsRocking Cradle is made from rubberwood and MDF, has pink highlights and rounded edges for safety. Perfect for rocking baby to sleep.

Great for dinner times is the Wooden Dolls High Chair. A tray allows babies dinner to be laid out, all corners are rounded for safety.

Causing Bedlam at Pocket-Lint

I am afraid we may have reduced productivity over at Pocket-Lint by sending them a Bedlam Puzzle Cube to review! They loved the fact that it was so addictive and kept them amused for hours. Unfortunately they also hated the fact that it was addictive and stopped them from working for hours!

Overall they think it is great value for money and rate it as one of their 'Hot Products'.

Read the review here.

Automoblox in Practical Parenting

We were really pleased to be featured in the March edition of Practical Parenting magazine. They have a short review of the Automoblox T9 Pickup.

Pocket-lint.co.uk Dad blog

As Stuart & Ben over at Pocket-Lint are both expecting new mini fluff merchants soon (well their respective wives are), they have started a Dad blog on Pocket-Lint. The blog deals with their experiences of pregnancy and eventually raising kids. It also features all of the crucial Dad gadgetry.

I am pleased to see they have got their priorities right and have already started looking at which Automoblox wooden cars their offspring will need. I am sure decorating that spare room can wait a good while longer yet.

Read the article here Pocket-lint.co.uk

Automoblox spy pictures?

Autoblog has some spy photos of what it believes may be new 'high performance' Automoblox models based on the Automoblox C9 and Automoblox S9 models.

We promise to have any new Automoblox wooden cars available on kidEstore.co.uk as soon as they are released!!

All good fun!