Gift Ideas
FOR FAMILIES OF PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN
South London, East London, Kent & Sussex
Look inside for fun ideas this Christmas
a s t ’ h New W Alcatel 3T 8 tablet
The Alcatel 3T 8 tablet, with built-in Kids Mode, is priced at only £120, making it the affordable tablet that’s perfect for busy families. It also has Google Assistant to organise your day and Kids Mode to keep the little ones safe.You can choose the apps you want your children to have access to so they won’t see anything they shouldn’t, and set time limits to make sure they’re not spending too long on the tablet. It’s one of the lightest eight-inch tablets you can get, so it’s great for when you’re on the move. Alcatel also offers the 3T8 Family Tech Bundle with O2 which includes fun, safe content with Azoomee, online safety advice and an exclusive case/screen protector to protect the tablet from accidents and tantrums, all for only £145.
Animal Mah-Jong
Animal Mah-Jong takes the classic Chinese tile game and updates it for a contemporary younger audience. Rather than the traditional line drawings of bamboo and Chinese characters, it features Ryuto Miyake’s stunning animal illustrations – each suit features Asian land, sea and air animals. Ryuoto Miyake is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Tokyo, with a particular interest in birds. Get ready to pong and chow like you never have before! Animal Mah-Jong is available from 12 October at www.laurenceking.com at a price of £24.99.
Create the Ultimate BOOM!
Boom City Racers is a vibrant and collectible range of race cars that tear out of firework-themed packaging with the pull of a rip cord. Create the ultimate BOOM and watch as the cars explode apart on impact with a wall, a solid object or another Boom City Racers car! The pieces can then be reassembled for repeat play and nonstop racing (and crashing) fun. The range also features playsets that allow players to launch vehicles and collide in mid-air so players can #RipRaceExplode their Boom City Racers and compete for the ultimate BOOM! There are 24 cars to collect and race across the range. Suitable for kids aged 4+. The Boom City Racers Starter Pack creates the ultimate race experience with a light and sound launcher and stunt set included. It retails for £14.99.
Silly Greens
Silly Greens has created the first ready-growing letterbox herb box. Silly Greens is different from online plant shops because they don’t grow plants, they sow them. Most of the growing is done in people’s kitchens.The seedlings arrive small and ready to grow in a box, making micro herbs fresh and accessible. Since Silly Greens’ foundation less than two years ago, the company has sown over 5000 micro herb boxes which have been grown in kitchens up and down the country.Their micro herbs boxes are part of a plan to get people growing food and connecting with what is on their plate. Silly Greens are available for £4 per box. For more information, visit www. sillygreens.com.
Marvin’s Treasured Magic Tricks
This is a truly wonderful magic set from Marvin’s Magic. Presented in a durable wooden box for easy storage for your performances, this is the ideal introductory set to the wonderful world of magic for children aged 6 to adult. Great for building confidence and essential developmental skills, it includes the ‘incredible escaping coloured block’, the ‘vanishing rabbit illusion’, the ‘amazing rising card’ and much more. This wooden box magic set will last a lifetime and will encourage the whole family to get involved. The tricks take minutes to master and will provide hours of entertainment. Suitable for ages 3+, it’s an ideal gift for those with a love of magic. Marvin’s Treasured Magic Tricks costs £28 from Amazon and other retailers.
YR Masks
Design your own face-covering online for all the family! For the bargain price of £8 (including postage), you can customise your very own face mask using various templates, images, colours and settings for a unique result.You can play around with endless combinations.YR offers a clever way to entice stubborn kids and teens into wearing a mask - especially if it’s one they’ve designed for themselves. Not only is it cost-friendly and fun to design but it is both comfortable and functional. It’s washable and available in two sizes, suitable for both adults and children from 5 years up.YR Masks are made using double layer fabric, with the inner layer being 100% breathable cotton.The outer layer is ‘performance fabric with superior wicking’ (polyester). Elasticated straps ensure a snug fit around the face. Also most importantly all YR masks meet WHO guidelines. Order yours from yrmasks.com.
Carnival
Carnival is a very special collaboration between Academy Award-winning actor Olivia Colman, children’s author Michael Morpurgo and the seven “extraordinarily talented” Kanneh-Mason siblings. The release includes new poems written by War Horse author Morpurgo to accompany French composer Saint-Saëns’ musical suite ‘Carnival of the Animals’.The poems are read by the author himself, joined by actor Olivia Colman and guest musicians. The Kanneh-Mason family featured in BBC One’s Imagine… This House is Full of Music documentary in July 2020, sharing intimate details of their life behind the doors of their Nottingham home. The Kanneh-Mason’s Carnival, featuring Michael Morpurgo and Olivia Colman, is available on Decca Classics or via www.TheKannehMasons.lnk.to/CarnivalPR.
W s i i h n ter T I Heart Koalas
Fall in love with colouring koalas in this new addition to the I Heart Colouring series. Packed full of cuddly koalas, this book also features cute kangaroos, wonderful wombats and plenty of luscious plants and flowers that children and adults alike can bring to life with colour. It’s the perfect gift for koala lovers everywhere. A percentage of the proceeds from this book will go to charities currently helping koalas and other wildlife affected by the recent bushfires. I Heart Koalas costs £5.99 in paperback and is published by Buster Books.
Go Adventuring with Chief & Lilly
The Adventures of Chief & Lilly is a fun filled adventure series taking children on global adventures to cities around the world. Full of adventure, education and a sprinkle of Magic Dust,The Adventures of Chief & Lilly is a must have in every school and home. Each book contains an exciting adventure with memorable takeaways and fun facts to encourage children to research. In the first book of the series, ‘Chief & Lilly Go to London’, meet Shelby and Kobe who help the stuffed toys find Pierre, a lost French bear hidden somewhere in one of London’s most popular landmarks, Buckingham Palace. Subsequent books take them to Paris and Ancient Rome. You can purchase copies from www.chiefandlilly.com. Enter discount code PT25 to get a 25% discount with your order until 31/12/20. One clumsy dog, one bossy rabbit, one world!
Listen Along with the Gruffalo
These super cool Gruffalo travel headphones from Snuggly Rascals are perfect for little ears.With super-comfy headband headphones, they are volume limited, ultra-lightweight, durable and they don’t fall off! Their design also makes them suitable for use with glasses and for children with autism and sensory differences. The headphones have a size-adjustable Velcro opening to fit all children’s heads and hairstyles and are also machine washable at low temperatures.The ultra-flat, padded speakers are encased in a cosy fleece cotton headband making them comfortable for use at home or on long journeys. The Gruffalo travel headphones are compatible with most devices, featuring a standard 3.5mm audio jack which plugs into the majority of kids’ tablets (Kindle, iPad, Samsung etc), smartphones and other audio devices.The recommended price is £14.99 and they’re available online or in shops.
The Very Merry Christmas Game
Crackers, presents, festive songs and sprouts. This game has it all! Suitable for ages 8 and above and for 2-4 players or teams, The Very Merry Christmas Game brings the whole family together to compete for the most lavish set of presents to fill their stockings. Be warned though as the presents can be really nice or really naff and players may not find out what they have been given until the end of the game. Pull a cracker using the Cracker Cards to steal a better present from someone else’s stocking.You can even use real crackers if you have them. Land on the Carol Singers space and players have to sing their favourite festive song to avoid losing one their prezzies! Scheme your way to the best presents in the game but watch out for the dreaded sprout cards as they could have a bad effect on you! The Very Merry Christmas Game is available from Debenhams and Amazon for £20.
Faina and The Snow Beast
Faina and The Snow Beast is a thrilling audio adventure for budding young scientists aged 6 to 11. In the snowy town of Seldomberg test tubes bubble, experiments explode and new inventions whirr for the Science Academy’s Final Exams. But Faina’s got a problem… her project has unexpectedly burst into flames! Faina sets off on a perilous expedition into the wilderness to find the Snow Beast.With help from her owl assistant Maude, they encounter extraordinary spectacles and mountainous obstacles as they battle through the wild, wintry wilderness in search of the truth. Can you help Faina and Maude overcome the scientific puzzles along the way? Does the Snow Beast even exist? This audio book blends action-packed storytelling with an original soundtrack and science experiments! The adventure comes with an at-home activity pack for you to try the science experiments at home using everyday household items! Faina and The Snow Beast comes from Scratchworks Theatre Company and was their response to them having to cancel their tours because of Covid-19. Faina and The Snow Beast is available from www.scratchworkstheatre.bandcamp.com/releases at a price of £6.99. Image credit: Charlie Brandon-King
How to Draw All the Things for Kids
Children can learn how to draw all their favourite things in 5 minutes or less using this easy-to-follow modern drawing book.They will have fun finding out how to draw cool things, small and large, that they can hang in their room or show off to their friends.Author and artist Alli Koch’s simple step-by-step instructions will help your child practice their basic art skills and teach them how to draw with confidence. From cupcakes to unicorns and cars to cats, your child will be drawing their favourite things in no time! How to Draw All the Things for Kids by Alli Koch is published by Blue Star Press at £12.99.