The John Crane Tidlo Animal Sorting Cube Review

I recently announced some very exciting news for Leo and I.

Over the summer months we have been presented with the most amazing opportunity to represent a company that we adore.

John Crane Ltd – A traditional toy company who specialise in wooden toys! I have mentioned them on occasion her on the blog and I am over the moon to represent them now.

After I got over the initial squeals of excitement, and managed to sit still without the flamboyant out of the blue air punches, I knew I should put pen to paper so to speak and tell you about our very first review.

For the month of May Leo has been sent the Tidlo Animal Sorting Cube, a sorting cube that is completely different to any other that we have ever played with. It is made out of wood, and you can instantly feel just how solid it is, from the cube itself to the animal slats.

 The quality of the wood and the toy itself means that little clumsy fingers won’t accidently break any of the pieces, it is as solid as they come.

The cube is quite weighty, so for younger toddlers you probably won’t have to contend with them picking it up and carrying it around, Leo on the other hand at 22 months can pick it up, and he DOES carry it around. I can feel my toes curling as I think about how he carries it around with him…re-calling in horror to the time he did drop it on my foot!

The set comes with 25 pieces that make up 8 individual animals in the sorting cube. What I really like is that it is comparable to an early level jigsaw puzzle in the sense that little hands are to make up the pictures by putting the two slats in the appropriate places to make up the correct image.

You can have 4 animals at a time on the cube and can change them as you wish, the additional slats are stored on the top of the cube out of the way but easily accessed for when you need them. This set up allows you to see if you are missing any of the pieces when you put it all away, and makes it really easy to spy a missing slat!

Once you have the 4 animals set up on your cube by posting them down the guides, you will notice that you have a food shaped hole that needs filling. The aim of the game is to locate the food item that fits into the hole. There are 8 pieces of food that go with each of the 8 different animals, and it is your toddlers job to find out which shape fits with each animal.

The Animal Sorting Cube grabbed Leo’s attention before I had even shown it to him, I was actually in the process of cooking up dinner when he decided to bring the box in to me where he insisted I open it there and then. I took him back into the lounge where I opened it all up for him and showed him what to do before popping back to finish dinner off.

It kept Leo entertained while I was cooking and I could hear him making the noises for the animals that he could see, ‘Neigh’ ‘Woof’ and ‘cat’ because he refuses to ‘meow’ these days!

Over the time we have been playing with it together I have noticed that Leo has got frustrated with himself at times. If he can’t get the slats to do what he wants then he will lose his temper until I can fathom what he is trying to do. At the moment he just likes posting the slats here, there and everywhere and is not purposely problem solving. The more we play with it the more he seems to realise what he is supposed to be doing, so I am sure it won’t be long before he has completed every animal on the cube and fed it the appropriate food.

Leo loves the Tidlo Animal Sorting Cube and seems to especially like it after I have just tidied it all away after the last game, as it is so much more fun to get it all out again straight after! He can sit on the floor inspecting all of the pieces and images for ages, posting them and seeing what fits where.

Leo has already demonstrated that this toy can take a rough playing with, I have watched him trying to make slats fit where they just won’t go, and over all playing very excitedly with it. It really is a sound toy that will stand the test of time, and the bright colours combined with the assortment of different animals has provided Leo lots of enjoyment.

The Tidlo Animal Sorting Cube is recommended for toddlers 18 months and over, and I agree that this would be the perfect time to introduce it. You can purchase theJohn Crane Tidlo Animal Sorting Cube from many reputable online toy shops, and you can even visit John Crane directly to find a full list of retailers who stock this fun sorting cube.

Disclaimer: I was sent the Tidlo Animal Sorting Cube as a John Crane Ambassador as asked to share my views with you all. All views that have been expressed in this review are completely honest and my own.

The Tidlo Pull Along Alligator Review

Ever since I discovered John Crane toys last year, I have been in awe of all of their wooden wonders.

When I paid a recent visit to the John Crane head office I was the biggest child in the toy shop, I started eyeing up everything from Wooden castles to Fire Stations. I was making a mental note of all the toys I knew that Leo would love as he got older, and I would love for that matter!

So when I was asked whether Leo would like to try out the Tidlo Pull Along Alligator, I jumped at the chance as I knew Leo would be over the moon.

And by Leo… I do of course mean myself!

The Pull Along Alligator is a fabulous bright Green, with different equally as bright shades making up the rest of the Alligators wooden frame. This feisty little gator has a bumpy back and tail in order to promote sensory awareness.

What is really lovely is that this little Gator has his own personality going on, his beady eyes giving him a very mischievous look which is only emphasised as soon as you start pulling the string to make your gator move along!

As the little Green gator gets pulled along, this is where the magic happens. He wiggles, shakes and if you pull him fast enough, his mouth even chatters! As soon as Leo saw this pull along come to life, he was there in a flash and taking the pull string out of my hands so that he could have a go.

Pulling the Tidlo Alligator along demonstrates cause and effect to toddlers. If they perform a certain action they are rewarded with the movement of the toy, and this was obviously very pleasing to my little man.

With Leo and his gator now formally introduced the playing commenced straight away. It is not hard to work out why this toy is such a hit, it is very visually appealing and Leo has already welcomed his new addition into his blooming toy collection.

The Tidlo Pull Along Alligator is recommended from 18 months old but is the perfect addition to any little one’s toy box, I can see it aiding early toddling skills as it one of those toys that gives you the ‘get up and go’.

This little gator is a beautiful, traditional toy and one that I consider timeless.

Toddlers and children alike absolutely love to pull things around with them while they run about. Leo doesn’t care if it is a vase he takes for a spin or a photo frame, as he has done on a many occasions… However the Tidlo Pull Along Alligator allows him to run about with a toy designed specifically for his requirements, and it is clear to me that he relishes being followed by this little gator.

Leo especially loves the Alligators eyes and frequently pokes them (As he does mine) and he finds it very entertaining when I pretend that the naughty little gator has taken a bite of my finger! This usually follows by Leo sticking his finger in the gators mouth and quickly retrieving it before the gator makes a second bite!

The Tidlo Pull Along Alligator retails at around £16.00, and you can purchase your own little gator from Amazon.

For further John Crane news you can follow the John Crane Blog or even keep up to date on Twitter. They are a really friendly bunch and will be more than happy to answer any questions that you may have.

It's Christmas at John Crane!

I have a love for traditional wooden toys, everything about them is just brilliant. They look great and they last allowing years and years of fun for future generations. I know so many people who have such toys from their own childhood that their own children now play with today. 

John Crane invited me along to their press day last Thursday for the un-veiling of their Christmas range, and to say I was excited is a bit of an understatement. John Crane were one of the first people I followed on Twitter and who took the time to welcome me into the Twitter community, and it was lovely to finally meet Helen and Amy, the people behind the Tweets.

I have to admit that with my return to work on Wednesday this week, I am already setting my sights on Christmas and all of the festivities. So with my heart in the right place and Luke's credit card firmly in my pocket I set off to Northampton to see what Santa may be leaving under my Christmas tree this year. 

I arrived at John Crane's new premises and followed the John Crane sign's like a yellow brick road up to the show room, completely aware that I was just a few moments away from toy central. Being the big kid that I am I could not wait to open the double doors just ahead of me and look right into what could very easily be classed as Santa's grotto.

The show room was everything and more than I had imagined it to be. There were wooden treasures all over, set up in the most marvellous displays. Pirate ships out at sea, farm yards with all of the animals and great castles in all their glory. I quite honestly did not know where to feast my eyes next. 

I was greeted by Amy and Helen who both took the time to show me around and answer any questions that I had about the toy's. 

John Crane's own range is Tidlo but they also stock:

- Lilliputiens 

- Pin Toy

- Sevi

- Trudi

- B

Amy took me on a very welcome guided tour around the show room. I found my eyes wondering all around at the fabulous toys, and when I was instructed to have a play I did just that. I saw many toy's that are a bit too old for Leo this Christmas, but over the next few years they are exactly what I will be hoping Santa will bring for him.

Here is a selection of some of my favourites:

The Pirate Ship from Sevi: As soon as I laid my eyes upon this I thought 'Wow'. It is detailed with a crows nest, port holes, an anchor, captain's helm and goodness knows what else. I could in vision future Leo playing with it in my mind's eye and saw the play value jump right out in front of me. It is a beautiful toy that comes complete with all of the crew and contains 23 pieces in all. The Pirate Ship encourages imaginative play which I feel is essential.

The Pin Toy Ride on Digger: Amy showed me this great working toy, that even allows you to scoop! It has been developed over 18 months and has been put to the test to make sure it does exactly what it says on the box. It is every little boy's dream to have a working digger, in fact it was even my dream as a child, being the tom boy that I was. The digger scoop can turn left, right and also move up and down. I would love to find this under my Christmas tree this year! I mean....with Leo's name on it of course!

The Tidlo Kitchen Station: This has been on my Christmas list for Leo for months now. I fell in love with this kitchen as soon as I saw it. It includes a hob, oven, sink and all the utensils you need to cook up a storm. It is an ideal size for young toddlers and the smart red design oozes appeal to all budding young chefs. It is for 3 years and over so again we have a little bit of a wait before he is really ready for it. However this is something that I will be buying sooner rather than later. Leo will love this with the doors and all of the utensils there are to play with.

The Pin Toy City Police Station: It was all set up and ready for action, little wooden police men were all in form ready for a busy day in the station. It features a large front window offering views of the reception desk and waiting room area. There is also a jail to allow the little one's (or the parent's) to make sure all the trouble maker's are behind bars!

The Tidlo Acorn Garage: As a child I used to love playing with car's and I even had my very own garage. I spent hours pushing the car's up and down the ramps making up games as I went along. I could see that the same play value would be met by my little man and he could start enjoying something like this from now. The garage is spread over Three levels which you can get to using the slopes or the lift. It also has it's own filling station for when your cars are low on fuel and a car wash to keep your cars looking nice and shiny! This great set includes seven different coloured cars and a ‘garage and car service' sign.

I could quite easily go on and on telling you all about the amazing range of different toy's that are available for your little one's to add to their Christmas List's this year, but I know you would be much more excited by the collage of photos I have created of the magical John Crane show room. 

So without further adieu here are some more of my favourite toys available this year!

I would like to thank John Crane, Helen and Amy for hosting a lovely event and for putting on such a lovely buffet lunch after allowing us to have a look around the magical show room, and finally for letting all of us Mummy bloggers have a sit down and a gossip.

It was great to meet Roz at Life, love and lollipops, thank you ever so much for allowing me to give your gorgeous little man a big squeeze! Clare at Emmy's Mummy, I hope you enjoy the rest of your pregnancy with your little man, and Leta at Attachment Mummy it was great to meet you again and thank you ever so much for dropping me back at the train station after such a lovely day!

Christmas at John Crane is set to be very exciting and judging by all that I have seen, the Elves have been very busy so far this year! 

What will you have under your Christmas tree?