Despatches from a mother who started late (and is running to catch up)

How the mouse ran up the clock

If the government ever introduces Sats tests for the under-twos - surely only a matter of time - this could be the toy to have at your disposal. Hickory Dickory Clock (sent to us for review by makers Bright Minds, who specialise in toys that are educational and fun) works just like they say in the nursery rhyme. Mice run up and down, powered by infant hands. Youngest daughter Button (15 months) and I have spent hours - yes, literally hours, a tomato sauce even burnt dry one time - sat on the hall floor with this toy. Button enjoys posting the half dozen mice - all different colours - down the chimney. The mice are small, the perfect size for toddlers to grip. Some rattle, other crinkle. Then she opens a door with velcro fastening to retrieve the mice from inside the clock - and stuffs them down the chimney all over again. The transparent clock face means Button can see the mice as they scuttle down. The clock hands move, clicking as they go. So obvious potential there for an older child learning to tell the time. One reason I like this toy is because it should have a longer life span than many I've bought. It comes with a handle, on which there are black and white abacus-style counters that Button examines. On the back is a mirror, now smeary from licking. The nursery rhyme associations give the toy an old-fashioned quality, I sing the verses to Button as we play; it's sturdy and well-made (though in China, like most toys these days). At £29.99, Hickory Dickory Clock is not exactly cheap, but we have already had a lot of pleasure from it and I'm expecting more. Unlike a lot of the stuff littering our flat, (yes, I mean you, Sparkle World Magazine) the toy looks sensible even when not in use. The carriage clock design means it can sit on a table, without looking like something I haven't yet got round to tidying away. If you are looking for a gift for a pre-schooler who's at the loading/unloading stage, this might not be at all a bad idea.

Posted 06 November 2009 13:32

Button Daughters Fun Mother Play Reviews Toys

Comments

iota said:

While on the subject of time, I want to say, how can Button possibly be 15 months old?

Posted 06 November 2009 17:22

Cat said:

Oh, a posting box! The utterly delicious thrill of putting something inside and not being absolutely certain that it IS going to be there when you try to find it again. (You can tell I am the daughter of a magician can't you?)

Posted 06 November 2009 20:46

Catriona 2 said:

Sounds great although my two are too old for that now. I know what you mean about Sparkle magazine, I have a horrible tendancy to stand on their offerings in bare feet.

Posted 07 November 2009 16:49

hjd said:

The troubl;e is I can see the appeal of the Sparkle magazine only too clearly. At 3 years old I longed for such things. I hadn't heard of bad taste.

Posted 07 November 2009 20:41

Helen said:

Iota, yes, they grow up fast. Yet at the time, of course, it seems to last for ever.

Cat, hah, Magician's Daughter, I mean. Your life sounds like a novel, one that you must write.

Catriona 2, bare feet are a luxury for parents of the under 10s we can ill afford.

HJD, sorry to diss Sparkle Magazine. It is pretty good. You know we have Destiny the Pop Star Fairy poster up in the kitchen now - so I am not really as strict as maybe this post implies.

Posted 08 November 2009 12:46