Ready2Robot Battle Pack

Kids love collectable toys. The excitement of discovering mystery figures and building collections to play with and swap, adds an extra element of fun to collectable ranges. Ready2Robot allows kids to build, swap, and battle interchangeable, mix & match mechbot creations and collect warrior pilots that come in their own slime pod. Add a bot blaster that shoots missiles and get ready for an epic robot battle.

The Ready2Robot collection lets you build, mix & match your own custom bots, and battle your friends in a robot-brawl. The arms, legs, weapons and pilots are all interchangeable so you can create your ideal battling robot.

Freddy was very pleased to receive a Double Trouble Ready2Robot Series 1 Battle Pack, which provides everything you need for the ultimate one on one battle! Armed with 2 mechbots and 2 Pilots (one is a mystery figure and one is visible in the box) you can build and battle right out of the box. 

The mystery mechbot comes in a special four layered pod that can be unboxed to reveal all the individual  parts of the mystery bot. The unboxing was a big part of the enjoyment of this toy, as each layer was explored to reveal the individually packaged component parts. The slime pod, which is fitted into the base of the base, hides the pilot and Freddy really enjoyed getting him out of the green goo. Freddy unboxed Tenderizer and Spacehog to battle against his Tank mechbot and Three Pete pilot in a Double Trouble battle. The pod is reusable and can be linked to other pods to create battle arenas or it could be used as a display stand for your favourite mechbot.

All the limbs, bodies and weapons fit together in any combination, so you can customize your mechbots for battles in hundreds of different ways. The pilots also fit into any bot so you can customise your battles using your favourites. The Battle Pack is a good stand alone toy in its own right, but the collection can be added to to increase the potential for mixing and matching and battling with different bots.

Freddy was really impressed with the bot blaster that shoots real missiles. He used it to fire at both his mechbots in a last-man-standing battle. The little toys themselves look really impressive with good attention to the detailing. This toy combines robots, battling, unboxing surprises and slime - that is pretty much the perfect combination!

For more information and to watch an animated battle that brings the characters to life visit: www.ready2robot.com. The Double Trouble Battle Pack retails at £19.99, but is currently on offer at Smyths Toys for £14.99.

The Ready2Robot range is available from stockists such as Smyth's Toys:
www.smythstoys.com/uk/en-gb/toys/construction-and-cars/robots/ready-2-robot/c/ready-2-robot

Leakproof. Drinking Bottles - an eco-friendly Christmas gift idea

I actively strive to lead as much of a sustainable lifestyle as I possibly can. From choosing a plant based diet to ditching plastic straws to using cloth bags to taking a travel cup to coffee shops and using bamboo cutlery for eating takeout food, I believe we each have a personal responsibility to do our best to help protect our planet. Every small step is a positive contribution and can help create the change so desperately needed.

Approximately 35.8 million plastic bottles are used in the UK every day.  16 million of these will end up as litter, pollute our oceans or go to landfill where they will take over 450 years to decompose. Refusing single use plastic bottles is something each of us can do to alleviate this devastating environmental issue that blights our landscapes and waterways and poses a threat to our wildlife.

There are many alternatives to buying single use plastic bottles, such as using a refillable bottle for drinking on the go. These are safer, durable, easy to clean and environmentally friendly. Using a refillable bottle, you can personally save up to 1460 plastic bottles from ending up in landfill or from choking our oceans every year (based on drinking four bottles a day). 

Leakproof. provides BPA free, spill proof, leak proof water bottles, drinks bottles, sports water bottles and leak proof travel mugs. Their Ion8 leak proof steel water bottles are an ideal solution for both hot and cold drinks and come in a range of sizes and colours. I've received a 17oz bottle in mint. I love the sleek design and the great colour and powder coat paint finish. The size is the width of a regular can so it easily fits into standard cup holders or mesh bottle pockets. They make it simple to stay hydrated when out and about.

Their 100% leak proof reusable water bottles have a ridged cap that is easy to open with just one twist and the wide mouth is nice to drink from. ThermoShield double walled vacuum insulated pro-grade stainless steel keeps drinks hot for up to 12 hours, or cold for up to 24 hours, making it perfect for drinking on the go, while the Flavour Shield preserves freshness. These drinks bottles are not only leak proof, they also stay condensation free so you can put them in a bag without worrying. The bottles are really durable and will last for years without corroding or degrading.

This Christmas, I'm going to be gifting environmentally friendly, sustainable and vegan gifts to my loved ones. These Leakproof. bottles fit the bill perfectly. Priced between £14.99 and £22.99 they are a gift that can be used for years to come and will most definitely contribute to your personal journey towards protecting the planet and are a simple solution to the issue of single use plastic bottles.

Find out more at www.leakproof.co.uk.

Slime Baff, Gelli Baff and SnoBall Battle Packs from Zimpli Kids

Christmas stockings are such a fun part of Christmas. They represent the first taste of Christmas Day, as you awake to find your stocking filled with goodies at the end of your bed. Every year I try to find some cheap and cheerful, fun and interesting items to pop into the kids' stockings. Little bits and bobs that will bring a smile to their faces. Zimpli Kids do a range of products that make great stocking fillers that I know will be a hit with my son Freddy and my grandchildren.

The award winning Gelli Baff and Slime Baff ranges provide an opportunity for children to enjoy some sensory play as they experience and enjoy the different textures of the products. The powders are added to water to create lots of gooey, slimy fun. Perfect for bath time or for play time, the slimes can be used for imaginative games. At Halloween we put lots of plastic toys such as bugs, severed fingers, spiders, rats, body parts and skeletons into a cauldron of Gelli Slime and let the children explore. It was a great way to enjoy the product. I'm sure I can think of some festive uses for the products too. The kids love getting hands on and getting messy with the goo!

The SnoBall Battle Packs make a realistic looking snowy substance, so even if we don't get a white Christmas, we can still enjoy making and throwing snowballs. And as an added bonus, we won't get cold hands!

Zimpli Kids products are 100% safe for kids and unlike some ready-made slimes, contain no boron or boric acid. They are also fully biodegradable making them safe for the environment. Even the glitter used in the Glitter range is biodegradable. Gelli Baff comes with a dissolver to turn it back into a liquid for washing away, whereas the Gelli Slime dissolves straight into water for easy disposable.

With products starting at just £4.99, they are well priced and great value for money, providing lots of play value and fun for kids this Christmas.

Check out independent reviews of the products on YouTube - the products have over 6 billion views to date  - just search for Gelli Baff or Slime Baff.

More information can be found at: www.zimplikids.com.

Make 'n' Break - a fun family game from Ravensburger

Make 'n' Break is an exciting and challenging family game from Ravensburger. The aim of the game is to build as many structures as you can, using ten colourful, wooden blocks, against the clock. There are eighty double sided blueprint cards in three varying difficulties, each showing a different structure that you have to copy, matching the shape and colour to score points. It tests your spatial awareness, building skills and speed as you race to complete as many structures as you can in the time allowed. 

The game contains ten wooden building blocks, eighty blueprint cards, a timer, one time dice, one action dice and a card tray along with an instruction leaflet with rules for playing the game. There are instructions for playing games for 2 - 5 players, individually or as teams, as well as some alternative ideas to add some extra fun to the game!

The idea of the original game is really simple to grasp: you throw the time dice, set the timer, draw a card and copy the design. Once complete, knock it down, redraw a new card and build again until the time runs out. Points are scored for each build successfully completed. It is simple but a lot of fun and things can get very competitive. To make things more complex you can add in the optional extra action challenges by using the action dice. This adds a whole new level of challenges and things can get very interesting! Modes of play that can be actioned include playing blind, where one player describes what to build to another player who cannot see the card or only being able to use the tips of your index fingers to pick up and position the blocks. So, you can in effect make the game as challenging or as tricky as you wish.

We really enjoyed this game as it a simple idea that can be adapted to suit whoever is playing. Having to copy blueprints and build different structures is really good for developing fine motor skills and  hand eye coordination. It also helps children to follow instructions. The action dice allows you to add special rules to the game, which definitely ups the challenge and the fun. So you can enjoy whatever version you want, adapting the gameplay whilst building against the clock. I loved that the blocks are made of wood and that the game fits well into the box for storage purposes.

Make 'n' Break is recommended for children aged 8 and over. Freddy is 9 and he really loved the challenge of building the models and enjoyed throwing in the action modes to make things a bit trickier. The Describe It! mode was his favourite added action and he worked well with his big sister giving and receiving verbal instructions to build the structure from the card. This is another great skill to develop, adding to the educational element of the game.

The RRP of Make 'n' Break is £24.99 and it is available to order from Amazon. It would make a great Christmas gift for the family.

Find out more at www.ravensburger.org/uk/products/games/family-games/make-n-break.