Testing times

Happy Hammer Farm

Asco 45.95

*****

Telephone 0113 270 7070

www.ascoeducational.co.uk

Tested by Gaer Infant Nursery School, Newport

This set enables children to design their own pictures by hammering the plastic farm shapes on to a cork board, or they can copy the pattern cards provided. The set includes 150 farmyard figures, two cork panels, two small hammers, one box of copper tacks, 12 pattern cards, all packed in a wooden box, measuring 40 x 34 x 8cm.

Tester's report

We thoroughly enjoyed testing this - it has the 'wow' factor. It immediately captivated the children and was able to engage across a wide range of abilities. The more able children knew instinctively how to hold and use the small hammers to pin the plastic animals onto the board and the less able children were content to match the coloured animals or trees to the colour matchboard. A variety of mix, match and sorting games could be initiated - as well as the main attraction of hammering - and the children helped each other to find the required pieces. Most of the children, aged three to four, were sensible with the pins, although it did remain a supervised activity mainly to avoid all the pins being emptied out of the container.