The Furchester Hotel - Open for Business

Coming to CBeebies at the end of this month is the exciting new series for children aged 3-6 years, The Furchester Hotel.  Starring Elmo and the Cookie Monster along with the Furchester family and a host of other lovable characters, the series is made in partnership with Sesame Workshop.

Back in May, we visited CBeebies Studios in Salford to find out about more about the show and to watch the filming of an episode of The Furchester Hotel.  

The show is set in The Furchester Hotel where a family of close-knit, chaotic monsters welcome their guests and bend over backwards to meet their every need.  Mum Funella, dad Fergus and their daughter Phoebe work alongside cousin Elmo, waiter and room service guy the Cookie Monster and the furry bell monster, Isabelle to ensure everything runs smoothly.  

But they do run into problems!  For example how do you disguise a pony who checks in for a quiet break? Where is the perfect place to put a very fussy plant? What happens when Super Rock appears and needs a new super hero cape? How can they stop Cookie Monster from eating the giant cookie guest Mr. Crumb? 

The Furchester family approach every problem with determination and resolve in order to keep their guests happy and devise a solution for every situation. Even when they think they have exhausted all the possibilities, their perseverance prevails because their family motto is, “A Furchester never gives up!”

We were able to watch an unfinished episode that featured some singing vegetables!  Freddy loved it and thought the characters were adorable and fun.  Then we went to see the show being filmed.  Seeing the puppeteers in action in the beautifully crafted sets was really incredible.

The very best part of the day was when the children got to meet the characters!  They swept in to the room and chatted, hugged and played with us all.  It was magical!

The puppeteers are real artistes who breathe life into the array of fantastic puppets, giving them all a personality and a voice.  Hearing the familiar sound of the Cookie Monster and Elmo as they chatted to Kizzy and Freddy left me a little starstruck!!

We had a great day at the CBeebies studios and got a real insight into The Furchester Hotel.  I love the message of inclusivity and optimism, the uplifting use of fun-filled music and the colourful characters and elaborate sets. We will definitely be looking out for it when it appears on our screens on September 26th at 5pm.

Top Developmental Toys for Christmas

When choosing toys for children, it is important to get something that is age and ability appropriate, this is particularly important when the recipient is a child with special needs to ensure that the gift is right for their development.  Buying the perfect toy doesn't necessarily mean getting a toy that has been specially adapted nor does it need to cost a fortune.  In fact, there are some great developmental toys available from toy retailers, as long as you know what sort of toys are appropriate to suit a child's individual needs.

Choose toys that encourage a child’s development: ones that help children to work on their language skills, cognition, co-ordination or motor function.  Here are some ideas for toys that help children to do just this.

For Hand to Eye Co-ordination

Chunky toys, such as the Little People House and Farm  would be fabulous for developing co-ordination, while also helping language skills and imagination. Hand to eye co-ordination can be developed by grasping the figures and making them interact with the playset.  Playing together will help your child to think creatively, plus it's a lot of fun for both parent and child!

For Speech and Communication

Any toy that encourages speech and communication is perfect for a child who has language delays. Choose a toy that sings or talks. Cuddly toys that sing and which speak repeated phrases make an ideal, if noisy, gift.

For Fine Motor Skills

Shape sorters, chunky building blocks and musical instruments are excellent, not only for helping to develop fine motor skills but to also improve visualisation, the understanding of cause and effect and concentration.

For Gross Motor Skills

Toys that can help with movement can help with gross motor function.  Ride-on cars, rocking horses or space hoppers can help with balance and muscle strength, helping to build confidence and control – as well as being great fun!

For Cognition

There are plenty of tablets and child-friendly apps available across the various platforms that can help a child of any age to improve their cognition and learning development. Children really enjoy exploring technology and apps are a great way to introduce them to a variety of subjects in a fun way.

With Christmas fast approaching, it's the perfect time to buy something perfect for the children in your life!

This is a guest post.

Once Upon a Monster

We have just invested in a new XBox 360 with Kinect.  We have a Wii and a PS3 with Move but the fact that you need a controller to play the interactive games spells disaster.  When wielded in the hands of a toddler, we live in fear of our TV getting a remote thrust through it!  Having a Kinect means our toddler Freddy can play by using his body, which is much easier for him...and safer for our TV!

We were sent Once Upon A Monster to try out.  Playing a Sesame Street game means you are instantly familiar with the characters.  Freddy loves Elmo and the Cookie Monster so we were onto a winner from the start in that respect.  He was transfixed from the introductory film!

The game is like jumping into a storybook adventure.  You play with Sesame Street characters along with friendly new monsters as you embark on an exciting journey of discovery, learning and fun.  You get to jump, dance, fly, sing and move with controller free action which makes the game accessible to even the youngest of players.  There are six enchanting chapters to explore teaching important life lessons along the way.

As you befriend and help out other characters, children learn about co-operation, empathy, friendship, sharing and teamwork.  It's all very subtle but young children respond to the intuitive prompts and thoroughly enjoy helping out their new on screen friends.  It is nice to see a game that encourages social and emotional development in such a fun way.  It also gets the kids up and moving as they engage in activities such as Monkey See Monkey Do, playing musical instruments, flying or negotiating obstacle courses.

The game can be played with one or two players and has a co-op drop in/out feature allowing a parent to step in to help at any time, if the child gets stuck on a game.  This is great to avoid frustration and keeps the gameplay flowing.

The disco dancing was my favourite level and it got us up and bopping with the monsters at their party.  It really is a hugely entertaining game for all the family.  You literally become part of a whimsical, living storybook where you interact with zany monsters and take part in a broad spectrum of fun activities.  What is not to love!!

9 year old Kizzy said it was really fun. It was challenging enough to keep her engaged.  She loved the animation, the humour and the laid back vibe of the game.  Freddy was happy to let Daddy help him out and was literally riveted to the screen as he watched Elmo and the other monsters.

Catching garbage with the Grouch!

Daddy helps Freddy.

I think this game has been really well designed to have mass appeal.  Children love it, parents do too. The mix of physical, social and emotional development is quite unique and definitely a good use of the technology available.  I hope more games like this will be developed that are so positive and educational for little ones.  I can't praise this enough as a game for the children, where parents can join in and share the adventure.

For more information check out the official website at http://www.onceuponamonstergame.com/

Let's Rock Elmo

For years Sesame Street has delighted fans young and old with their colourful, cute characters and catchy songs.  Let's Rock Elmo has combined both these things to make music with a whole new generation of pre-schoolers.  Dressed in his funky concert T-Shirt, this gorgeous, plush Elmo toy is ready to take the stage and rock out with his drums, microphone and tambourine...and your child is invited to join his band!

Elmo sings six songs including the 'ABC song' and my own personal favourite 'It Takes Two'.  He is interactive, recognizing which instrument he has been given.  He also asks for a certain instrument to be given to him, which he then plays.  Children can also accompany Elmo by playing along on the drums or tambourine or singing into the plastic mic.  The instruments and microphone are the perfect size for little hands and are chunky and robust.  Elmo is activated by pressing his foot, which is easy enough for Freddy to do.

Elmo is very animated, chatting, singing and manically giggling while wiggling and dancing. His sound is crisp and clear.  He is really fun...I'm a bit of a fan of this all singing, all dancing cuddly egotist who has set up home with us.  Freddy is sometimes a little unsure of Elmo...he makes him a little nervous, but he keeps coming back for more.  Freddy loves all things musical and is transfixed by Elmo's performances.

Elmo also interacts with the Grover Microphone and other Let's Rock instruments (sold separately).

It is amazing how much technology goes into children's toys these days.  We would have sold our own Granny to get our hands on something like this when I was a child.  However, the price tag of Elmo does reflect this.  At £70 RRP this is an expensive item.  Don't get me wrong, it is fabulous...but pricey!  With Christmas coming I am sure Elmo will find his way onto many letters to Santa....and I'm sure lots of young children will love rocking out with their new friend on Christmas Day.  Adults and children alike can't help but enjoy the cuddly, cute rock star's antics (although I'm sure for many grown-ups the novelty of the umpteenth rendition of 'Elmo's World' will see them grabbing for the ear plugs!)

Elmo needs 6 x AA batteries.  Temporary batteries are included so you can play with Elmo straight away.  You simply switch him from Demo mode to On mode to activate all his functions.  The instruction leaflet includes song lyrics so you can sing along with Elmo!

Playing with Elmo introduces young children to music.  They learn the names of the instruments and also some musical terms such as acapella.  The interactive element gives children the chance to listen to instructions and respond accordingly, being rewarded with a song.  The catchy tunes will soon have your little ones singing along and joining in with the instruments, learning about rhythm.  The ABC song helps pre-schoolers learn the alphabet in a fun way.  There is definitely educational value to this toy.  He is recommended for ages 18 months and over.

Elmo certainly does not disappoint, but like most of the interactive character toys on the market right now, he is a premium priced toy.

Let's Rock Elmo is currently on sale in Toys R Us stores and online for just £54.99 saving £15 off the RRP.