Nursery World - Testing times (2)

On behalf of our readers, staff in nurseries, schools and out-of-school clubs around the country have put a range of products through their paces to assess their value in the workplace, and to give each item a star rating UNDER-THREES

UNDER-THREES

Playtime Bus (14.99) from IQ Builders ****

Available from all good toy shops. Customer line 01235 546700

Tested by RAF Bumble Bee's Pre-school, Wallingford, Oxfordshire The Playtime Bus is a battery-operated toy that features the complete alphabet and numbers from one to ten. There are also four chunky keys that, when pressed, call out shapes, produce sound effects such as horn, brake and accelerator, or play one of more than 30 melodies. It comes with two AA batteries. Recommended age one to three years.

Tester's report

A versatile toy that is particularly good for one-to-one activities. In a group, there tend to be arguments about who pushes the buttons. I thought it very good value for money because it has so many functions. It offers a good introduction to the alphabet, number and shapes, and we used it as a back-up to stories and songs. It can also be used as a pushalong toy if the batteries are removed. It was available in every session during the testing period and proved very popular with all the children.

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