A while ago I took part in a Twitter party for Jumbo Games And Puzzles, showcasing their new Disney products. I didn't receive my parcel before the party unfortunately, but I have it now and can show you some of the new titles on offer...


Starting with a couple of titles for younger puzzle fans, the Vampirina and Puppy Dog Pals 4 Shaped Puzzles. The rrp is £7.99 and the puzzles inside have 14, 16, 18 and 20 pieces. Age 3+.

Puzzles are great for practising hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, and there's a real sense of achievement and success when they are completed, whatever your age.

A couple of weekends ago we were guests of intu Trafford Centre to take at a look at the Stylist Live event. This was a free weekend long event with talks, catwalk shows and pop up stalls all throughout the main mall of the centre.


We were invited along and so was Sim from Manchester Mummy, so we all jumped in her car bright and early on the Sunday morning. It's really weird being inside The Trafford Centre when nothing is open and it's almost empty...

The Young Explorer Kit from Trends UK is an excellent and well-working science set for children aged around 8+. It's not as 'young' as you might believe, with an impressive and useful Pocket Field Microscope, Binoculars, Compass and Notebook & Pencil. This is for intermediate explorers!


Everything is inside the box in a plastic insert, which can be used for storage afterwards, although realistically it's a big box and these are handy pocket-sized items which my son has instead stored in his treasure drawer. The Binoculars, Compass and Microscope all have a carry strap with a safety release, so you are less likely to have to pick them out of the mud when on explorations.

The Field is an amazing toy product from Ireland that really is a game-changer. Your figures, animals and vehicles can have a really impressive backdrop instantly, and that's incredibly satisfying - even to a grown up. Well-made and impressively realistic, I can honestly say this has been far more of a hit here than I expected.


You're allowed to be sceptical, I was sceptical, but genuinely since I put The Compound and The Field out, our living room table has never seen so much use.

We reviewed the first Gangster School novel and I'm very happy to be back with the sequel, Gangster School 2. Subtitled The Brotherhood Of Brimstone, the second book sees the main characters settled into their school and more settled into who they actually are, and what they stand for.

Charlie and Millie aren't exactly cut out for a criminal life, but they are expected to take that path and this is their second year at Blaggard's School for Tomorrow's Tyrants.


It doesn't take long before our heroes to discover the reason for some mysterious happenings is not as ghostly as it first appears. This is like Scooby Doo but with a genuinely perilous twist and there are a couple of moments when I wondered how serious things were going to get.

Tomorrow is Jeans For Genes day and up and down the land people will have an extra dress-down day, when they can come to work or school wearing the world's most popular outfit, jeans and a t-shirt, and it's all in the name of charity.

We've all heard of Jeans For Genes, but do you know where your donation goes?


The money raised by our donations to Jeans For Genes goes to the Genetic Disorders UK charity, who work to improve the lives of children born in the UK with a genetic disorder. These are often rare disorders which are unable to raise money in their own name, mainly because we've never heard of them, and that makes us the lucky ones. 500,000 UK families aren't so lucky.

A couple of weeks ago we received a parcel that equated to an early Christmas for us. A huge box full of products to review for GB Posters. My grown up kids and young boys all had a chance to add something to the wishlist, and we had a real mixed bag including Fallout, Skyrim and Playstation, Star Wars, the Periodic Table and the human skeleton...


I'll cover the posters later (most of them cost a mere fiver), first the branded or licensed products. GB Posters have literally hundreds to choose from, ranging from Ariane Grande and Adventure Time, to Yu-Gi-Oh and Volkswagen. You can browse them all on the Brands A-Z page.

My family young and old had no trouble finding some of their favourites. These are exactly the sort of thing we give at Christmas as stockingfillers, they're great for adults and awkward teenagers.

This article is written by Larisa Wong...

Major toy producers such as LEGO and HASBRO have existed for decades in one shape or form. While there is no doubt that they dominated the physical retail environment in the past, they have made an equally massive impression within the digital community. After all, parents are now turning to the Internet to shop for the latest and most popular items. Although kids will hardly care about the mechanics involved with online retail sales portals, parents could learn a thing or two. Perhaps you have been thinking about advertising your own custom-made toys to a virtual audience. If so, this article is definitely worth a read.

Our latest big kid adult game review for Big Potato Games is brilliant. It's called Scrawl and it's a grown up game (recommended age 17+) because it can all turn out a little risque or NotSafeForWork, in fact it's pretty much guaranteed. The game suits 4-8 players, but you can have as many as you want if you play teams. It's hilarious and makes an excellent party game, ideal for young people or when friends are round and the kids are in bed.


Inside the box is everything you need, including 8 white board pens and 8 little felt board wipes, 8 bulldog clips and writing boards, loads of 'Scrawl cards' for writing/drawing on, scorecards and game cards with 240 different scenarios to play.

This month's review for Carlton Books is a pair of books unlike any we've ever covered before - and they are a real hit! We've been sent 2 new Minecraft STEM Challenge books - Build A City and Build A Theme Park. These are exactly as they sound, books which will show your child how to complete some really complex projects within the game of Minecraft.


My boys love science and challenges, and STEM activities are something I actively encourage. Minecraft has been popular in our household since it was very first released and my eldest son played it. Since then all of our children have played, and as it's our policy that we should understand what they're up to online, we've also had a go.


I showed my 8 and 9 year old boys the books and they both chose one, then swapped, so were both excited by both books. I've never seen them both get into a project so quickly, and within minutes they had both chosen and made a good start on a project build.