An independent selection of new products and resources

New and exclusive to Philip & Tacey, Mini Starcharts with stickers are suitable for a wide age range. Each chart provides space for 30 smiley star stickers, as well as room for comments and/or a signature. There are 24 charts per pack, all of which are 'open - ended' to allow for different purposes, such as behaviour or effort, and the stickers come in four bright and colourful designs. A pack of 24 charts and 720 stickers is priced 6.99.

Also exclusive to Philip & Tacey are the Blank Strip Books. These consist of spiral-bound, white card books split three ways to be used as a maths or language resource or even to make funny people or designs. Each book measures 210 x 55mm and has 16 leaves. A pack of five is priced 6.99.

* Telephone 01264 332171

Wind wise

Gear the nursery up into summer mode and give the children the chance to notice what the wind can do with a Windwheel from Spirit of Air. The wheels come fixed on to a sturdy stake that can be secured into a flowerbed or grass verge, and all the designs are made from weather resistant polyester. A Puddle Duck design which measures 61 x 46cm is priced 15.99, but there is a huge variety to choose from, many of which are new for this season.

* Telephone 01633 246788

Classic cars

Want to add something unusual to the nursery 'car pool'? What about these Classic Pedal Cars from Great Gizmos! There are three vehicles in the range, two pedal cars with leather look seats and a pedal car fire engine. Based on real designs from the late 1930s the cars are made from pressed steel with wire wheels and chrome grilles. The cars both measure 33.5 x 18 x 21in and the fire engine measures 37.5 x 18.5 x 21in, priced 100 for each car and Pounds 130 for the fire engine.

* Telephone 01293 543221

History matters

The Big History Stories video has been produced by English Heritage Education to enhance national curriculum history studies at Key Stage 1. The hour-long video is broken-up into segments to enable 'instalment viewing' and there is a companion booklet with story transcripts and illustrations for teachers to extend the subject matter into class work. In addition to the stories, which include Guy Fawkes, Charles II's escape from Cromwell's army and the original version of Cinderella, the video includes live footage from Carisbrook Castle on the Isle of Wight where donkeys still draw water up from a well, a trip through a lock on a canal boat and garden worms, as studied by Charles Darwin. Re-enactment scenes of battles and food preparation are also included. Priced 12.99 (p&p free).

* Telephone 01761 452966

Anyone for tea?

One of the latest additions to the Orchard Toys range is the Teapot Game. Suitable for two-to five-year-olds and for two to six players, this game is designed to teach colours. Players spin the spinner to find out whether they should go to the teapot, teacup or kettle. The simple aim of the game is to collect a teapot and cup and then land on the kettle, sing the teapot song and win the game. Priced 7.

* Telephone 0115 9373547

Paint what you see

The Painting Window is a new product from Asco that is intended to encourage children to develop their powers of observation. The Window provides children with the chance to express what they see directly in front of them, rather than having to look up and down constantly between paper and subject - this could be especially useful for left-handed children who tend to cover up and smudge their work. If the children like and want to keep their work you can carefully make a copy by pressing paper directly on to the image while the paint is still wet or spray the paint with a light mist of water first. The makers also see the Paint Window as a useful tool for children who find it difficult to make eye-to-eye contact. The Window has a beechwood frame measuring 58 x 78 x 8cm, with feet measuring 70 x 8cm and a glass pane, priced 95.

* Telephone 0113 2707070

Get mouthy

There seem to be far more games around for younger children than there are for those in the slightly older age range, but Ravensburger stocks games for all age groups up to and including adult.

New from the company for the eight-plus age group is Smart Mouth, a game that you won't want to play if you are tired and in need of a quiet time, but one which the children should enjoy. Smart Mouth consists of a 'Letter Getter' which displays two letters which symbolise the first and last letter of a word -all the players have to do is think of a word that begins and ends with the appropriate letters and shout it out. The first child to get it right adds the tiles to her collection to be counted up at the end, and anyone who shouts out a word with five or more letters automatically wins the round. The pack contains 72 tiles, a Letter Getter and variations of play and tips for teachers. Smart Mouth can be played by two really noisy children or more, slightly quieter children - you need to be able to hear what is being called out. It is priced 10.

* Telephone 01869 363800

What a load of rubbish!

Recycling may appear to be very much a part of our everyday life, given the proliferation of bottle banks and recycling centres around the country, but in fact just ten per cent of household rubbish is currently recycled. You can encourage the next generation to do better by helping them to catch on to the concept while they are still young. This summer in June and July a high profile, interactive roadshow will be travelling around the country to encourage us all to 'Rethink Rubbish'. The National Waste Awareness Initiative, which is jointly run by SWAP (Save Waste and Prosper) and Waste Watch, a national charity to promote and encourage action on waste reduction, plans to take the show to London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, to city centres, out-of-town shopping centres and supermarket car parks. A giant dustbin will show the typical contents of a household bin and celebrities throughout the UK are being invited to drive to events in the giant bin. Keep an eye on your local press and listen to local radio stations for details.

If you cannot organise a visit to the giant bin for the children you could play 'What's Rubbish?' instead. This game is designed to make children aware of what can be recycled and what can't and comes complete with a 3-D rubbish bin and litterbugs. As you progress around the game board you collect rubbish cards and if they are glass, paper, clothes or cans you can place them in recycling bins. Decisions have to be made about where to put such items as a rotting fishbone and a broken teapot and if you come across a litterbug you have to place one of your recycled items back into play. The winner is the first to fill his recycling bin correctly. Suitable for five-to ten-year-olds and for two to four players, priced 8 from Orchard Toys.

* Telephone as before

Bib bonus

New to this country from Belgium is the Bebab range of baby's bibs which features an unusual range of designs in pastel and muted colours. The bibs are all made from 80 per cent cotton, 20 per cent polyester and come in mini, medium and maxi sizes. In addition to the standard shape, a long sleeved style is available and there are also three character bibs with novelty features: the frog and cow bibs contain integral squeakers and the duck bib contains a rattle. The bibs are machine washable and range in price from 3.99 to 7.99.

* Telephone 01582 503503

Up the wall

Turn part of the nursery into a summer garden with Jenny's Flowers & Bugs Mural from Wallies Wallpaper Cutouts. The pack includes two large flowers, measuring 28 x 18in and four assorted bugs, measuring 6 x 6in. The pack also includes 'low tack dots' to enable you to position the cutouts on the wall before deciding where they will end up. When you have finalised your plan you simply wet the back of each cutout and press it into place. Each design has a vinyl finish so it can be wiped clean and when you want to remove it completely you simply wet it thoroughly and peel off. A huge selection of nursery borders, murals and cutouts is available. Jenny's Flowers & Bugs pack is priced around 12.

* Telephone 0870 777 9966

Trendy toilets

Does the children's loo look a bit dull? Opal's new Grip-Its range is designed to liven up this whole area with bright yellow duck toilet roll holders, luminous pink elephant towel holders and smiley face flannel grips. There are also soap dishes, tumble holders and mini grip-its, all in animal form or as smiley faces and all with suction pads to fix to the wall, priced from Pounds 2.99.

* Telephone 020 8208 0708

Fascinating felt

The Feltkids Play System is imported from the US and is intended to provide pre-school children with an unlimited amount of imaginative play. Each Feltkids set comes in a clip and carry transparent bag and there are six different themes to choose from: Farm; Beach Party; Cinderella; Garden Tea Party; Birthday Girl and Wedding Party. The sets contain around 20 pieces which include two felt people and lots of clothes and accessories. Additional easel Feltboards are available to extend the activity for group play - the large version which is divided into green and blue felt (grass and sky) measures 51 x 40cm and is priced 9.99. The standard Feltboard in blue measures 40 x 32cm and is priced 6.99. Both easels have rubber soles to enable the board to stand firm during use and there's a clip to attach the Feltkids kits to when not in use.

* Telephone 020 8643 0320

Instant blooms

If you are not as green fingered as you would like to be and your attempts at growing things with nursery children have been sorely disappointing the answer could be Water Wonder Flowers from a company called Justbtoys. The aim is to simulate the process of growing plants without any of the hassle. Large 'flowers' on stalks and with shaped bases are sorted and 'planted' in a window box using a removable 'soil' section. Then all the children have to do is water the flowers and watch them grow. This can be repeated over and over again and for additional fun, if the flowers are pushed down they squirt back! Water Wonder Flowers costs 14.99 (plus p&p) and although it will not be available until August orders are being taken now.

This toy has already won an award at last year's British Invention Show and the company has plans for a whole range of toys designed to teach children about the basic scientific principles of water. Watch this space!

* Telephone 01962 863957

Karaoke baby

If you sometimes get a little hoarse when you're singing nursery rhymes you may want to invest in the lullaby soundcard from Magic. This sound chip contains nearly 100 lullabies and nursery favourites that you can either play or sing along to. Of course, in order to be able to do this you have to have Magic's karaoke machine - a hand-held machine which comes pre-programmed with the lyrics and music to 800 popular karaoke songs. To play you have to connect the microphone to any telelvision with the connecting wires provided. If you then turn to the video channel a background picture and lyrics will be displayed on screen - ideal for a nursery sing-a-long or even a staff party? Magic's Karaoke machine can also run off a battery and can be tuned into FM radio. The machine comes in a leather pouch with a songbook listing the pre-programmed songs, connecting leads and instructions. The microphone has an LCD display and a key pad which enables you to choose the songs, adjust the tempo or key, add a digital echo and adjust the volume and tone. Tempted? Priced 325 and 60 for the lullaby soundcard.

* Telephone 0870 444 6667

Organic snacks

The Organic and Natural Food Company launched a new food and drink vending machine for schools earlier this year. Known as The Green Machine, its purpose is to offer only healthy snacks and drinks, with no artificial additives, colourings or flavours. Although vending machines are more usually seen in secondary schools, one London primary school has already had a Green Machine installed and it's likely more will follow; perhaps those which run out-of-school clubs would find this a particularly useful facility. The development has been welcomed by the Hyperactive Children's Support Group which believes that poor quality snacks severely affect children's behaviour.

* Telephone 020 8971 0055

All the fun of the circus

Former circus artist John Dee now runs Jetto Entertainments which organises circus skills workshops in schools and nurseries. At nursery level the children are taught basic juggling - starting with how to throw a ball from one hand to the other and catch it - and some tightrope walking, under strict supervision, of course! John also demonstrates skills like plate spinning and monocycling. He does not arrive as a clown, which he knows can be alarming for some very small children, but puts his clown gear on during the sessions so they can witness the transformation for themselves. John is keen to emphasise the educational benefits of his workshops and does not want to be seen as merely providing a jolly treat for the children. All the activities, he says, are in line with the curriculum demands of PSHE at KS1 and 2. The cost of a full day's workshop is 220 if you are within a 100-mile radius of Walsall in the West Midlands. Outside of that area expenses will be charged.

* Telephone 01922 626116

Mr Rotavator's away days

If you and the children are into gardening in a big way you could arrange for Mr Rotavator to visit for a Nature and Gardening Experience Day. The presenter of the Channel 4 Schools programme 'Growing Plants' will come along and spend a whole day involving the children in all sorts of nature and gardening activities. He doesn't come cheap - the day costs 295 plus expenses - but he does cover the whole primary school curriculum from the Early Learning Goals to Life Processes and Living Things for KS2 children. In addition there is a collection of Thompson and Morgan seeds for each class, compost for the school to use on the day and for other gardening projects and class project sheets and a few other goodies. The children will also be encouraged to keep in touch with Mr Rotavator to update him about developments in the school garden.

If you can't afford a celebrity visit you could still enrol your nursery or school in Mr Rotavator's Gardening Club. Annual membership costs 30 and for this you will receive a starter seed collection worth over 25, a monthly newsletter, a club badge and a signed photograph of Mr R.

* Telephone 01789 293131

Music for movement and maths

Look out for two additions to the Kindescope range of Songbooks and CDs. Big Steps, Little Steps provides more than an hour of music to support physical development at Foundation Stage. The idea is that children sing along as they take part in activities which help them to practise and develop fine and gross motor skills. Notes accompanying each song give suggested activities. All the songs on the CD have two tracks; the first is a vocal followed by an instrumental only track which enables you to adapt the words of the song and to modify them for different ages. Maths, More Or Less has a similar format and covers counting, number recognition, size and shape. Each book/CD costs Pounds 14.50 plus 1.50 p&p.

* Telephone 01623 861157