I'm a strong believer that every child should be able to find toys that represent them and their friends, and so are One Dear World. They have created 4 different dolls which represent children from different ethnic backgrounds, and they are currently crowdfunding to make a range of dolls with disabilities.

One Dear World have offered one of my readers a doll plus an extra outfit as a Christmas present...


This is Hope and she was born in Ghana. She has 3 good friends - Parth, Lea and Jun. I did a full review of Hearty Hope last month and I think she's excellent. She is beautiful quality and the perfect size and weight for young arms to hold.

Anyone who reads my blog knows just how important board games are to our family. We play a lot, everyone joins in and it's relaxing family time - talking, building and reinforcing relationships.

The Board Game Family: Reclaim Your Children From The Screen is a fantastic 'how-to' for parents from The Dark Imp's Ellie Dix. Ideal for anyone who wants to get their kids back into the living room, away from screens and back into family life together.


I did a full review of The Board Game Family back in September and I really felt that the author, Ellie Dix. is on my wavelength. She enthuses about the same games we love here, and has a great strategy for parents to get back in tune with their kids - even if you have never played a board game before.

Bizarrely we haven't really had a go with 3D pens before, so we were complete amateurs when we received the 3Doodler Start 3D Printing Pen for review. This is a beginners set suitable for children aged 6+, with everything you need to learn how to write in 3D, and complete some small projects...


Inside the box are the 3Doodler Start Printing Pen, USB charging cable, instruction booklet, 'How-to' Activity Guide and 2 packs of biodegradable eco-plastic refill filaments (48 strands in 8 colours). There's a big plastic insert which I'd like to see replaced by card in the future.


The 3Doodler Pen is wireless, which is so much easier for children especially. It charges pretty quickly and lasts a fair while, at a guess it's 90 minutes / 20 minutes. I've been caught out with how quickly it's charged each time so far. It has a clear green LED to show whether it's active / inactive, and charging / fully charged.

There is an on / off switch and just 1 control button - it couldn't be simpler to use.

Frozen Unicorns is a family and party game for anyone aged 6+, and it's suitable for 3 or more players - it suggests up to 30! We have a copy to give away courtesy of Brighton-based game developer Gamely Games, who sent us our copy to review.


Inside the handy box are 100 cards of varying difficulty, and each has an animal, person or mythical creature on it. E.g. Unicorn, DJ or Fairy.


All players have to do is mime whatever is on the card, while the active player guesses what they are depicting. The catch is, you're frozen, so your mime is more of a statue - and a lot harder to guess!

Blackpool-based ARTdiscount stock a huge range of art supplies, including their own brand range of products, at great prices. We're delighted to be working with them on another giveaway, for a Student's Art Bundle.

Students can get through art supplies more quickly than just about anyone else, and they can have the tightest budgets. ARTdiscount have put together a great bundle of products which would be handy for anyone, and ideal for students...


At retailers recommended prices the bundle would cost almost £60 (you'd save around £20 buying at ARTdiscount), and includes:

Derwent Academy Watercolours 12 set
Staedtler x18 watercolour brush pens
ARTdiscount own brand Watercolour/ Gouache brushes
Daler-Rowney x24 Artists' Sketching & Graphic Pencils

Dr Seuss' most famous Christmas grump is available on Duvet Covers and Cushions this Winter thanks to Dreamtex and ASDA, and they've sent us a set to review - plus they are giving a set away to one of my readers. Available in Single and Double sized Duvet Sets perfect for your child's bedroom. The Grinch is the perfect Christmas decoration for your room.


I'm a big fan of Dreamtex bedding because their duvet covers have wide openings for easy changing, reliable popper fastenings and the material is soft and easy to care for. The poly/cotton can be washed hot if necessary and tumble dried.

This Winter we are working with Blackpool based art supplier ARTdiscount. They sell quality brands, including their own range of products, at great prices. They have put together an awesome bundle of goodies for anyone who does a little art at home, or fancies trying.

Being creative is fantastic for your mental health, it's relaxing and rewarding, can lower your blood pressure, ease tension and you can end up with a piece of work you are really proud of! As Bob Ross said, “I really believe that if you practice enough you could paint the 'Mona Lisa' with a two-inch brush.”


Included in the ARTdiscount Art Beginner's bundle are:

Docrafts Artiste x12 fineliner pen set
Derwent Academy 19 piece sketching set
ARTdiscount own brand Watercolour brush set
Staedtler Noris x12 Colour pencil set
Watercolour tin with brush, 12 colours

Toy Story is a long-standing favourite here. My oldest son was a huge fan when the first movie was new, and it made it's return perfectly in time for my younger boys to be able to appreciate the antics of Woody, Buzz, Bo and all of the other animated toys.

Toy Story 4 is now available on Digital Download & Keep, DVD, Blu-ray and other formats for you to watch at home, and I have a DVD copy to give away to one of my readers. We were sent a copy for review and it's a great return to form...


The story features a cast of long-standing Toy Story characters, as well as a few new additions, and starts with a 10 minute segment looking back over what has happened to our animated friends over the past 23 years. It brought a definite lump to my throat...


The toys are now in the care of Bonnie, who has just started kindergarten. She makes herself a toy using junk modelling, and Forky (who is really a spork) comes to life. Forky is excited to be here, but obviously very immature, and Woody takes him under his wing.

I couldn't turn down a review of Harry Potter's fabulous Invisibility Cloak. Made by Wow! Stuff and recommended for age 6+, this is a cloak with a trick. It can make anyone, or anything, invisible using a smartphone or tablet and the supporting app.


I was a bit worried we might not be able to find it, but inside the box is a fully visible Invisibility Cloak, plus phone stand and instructions.

ALIAS is an instant play, easy to learn word guessing game made by Tactic, and they've just released a brand new UK ALIAS version. We've been sent both Original ALIAS and UK ALIAS to review.
Suitable for 4 or more players aged around 10+, in teams of 2 or more, ALIAS will be brilliant for play over Christmas when our grown up family are home for the holidays...


Both games have a similar format. The packaging is a sturdy cardboard box with a plastic insert, which is retained for storage of the game between plays.


The UK ALIAS edition is suitably themed! Both games have bold, bright, modern illustration.


Inside the box are the game board, 6 gorgeous little counters in the shape of people, timer and Question Cards. Original ALIAS has 4 huge piles of cards which contain 3200 different words to guess - try learning all of those..