Today, 22nd September, also known as the Autumn Equinox is officially the first day of Autumn. What better way to celebrate than to go on an autumnal nature bug hunt, or perhaps set aside some time at the weekend with your little ones to enjoy the outdoors and get back to basics with nature. Spend some quality time exploring the outdoors with this Nature Bug Hunt Bingo free download. The Autumn brings beautiful light and colour, textures and shapes - little ones love to dance through paths laden with crunchy leaves. It's a time of change which create a great opportunity to teach children about hibernation, migration and to be aware of the nature that surrounds them. Spiderwebs, conkers and berries - you don't need to live in a rural setting to experience the beauty of Autumn! Many parents are concerned about their children spending too much time in front of a screen as the weather gets colder, but we feel it's important to get outside whatever the weather! According to a an article published by The Guardian this year "Three-quarters of UK children spend less time outside than prison inmates, according to a new survey revealing the extent to which time playing in parks, wood and fields has shrunk. A fifth of the children did not play outside at all on an average day, the poll found." Everyday we hear in the media that children are spending too much time in front of a screen. Learning about the outdoors can be an invaluable experience and will teach children to appreciate their surroundings. We would love to know your thoughts and how you got on with our nature bug hunt! Did you have fun? Did you find all of the creatures and other nature items? Share this blog post on Facebook and Twitter

Have you heard of Playcolor's mess-free Make -Up paint pens but wanted to know more? Head over to the Dad of Design blog where Nick Leighton, a Dad blogger and father to three daughters, reminisces about one of his most memorable childhood activities and tries Playcolor Make-Up. Read all about his fun experience here. Playcolor Make Up offers safe, easy to apply make up for face painting. Each colour can be applied easily and instantly with a colour applicator stick that gives ultimate control over your design creation. Playcolour Make Up is dermatologically and microbiologically tested, free of major allergens and without parabens. Make Up is non-greasy and it can be easily removed from skin using just soap and water! Have Fun with Playcolor Summer's not over just yet! Download this printable colouring sheet here. A perfect rainy day activity to keep little ones entertained. Solid poster paint offers instant application with no need for water or paintbrushes and won't wrinkle paper. Draw and paint on paper, cardboard, wood etc the fun, easy and clean way with Playcolor. Added benefits also include a quick-drying finish that doesn't require a protective glaze. Perfect for little hands to hold and ideal for a rainy day activity, the colours are bright and look great when down on a fresh white page, or coloured paper/card. The paint glides easily across paper and provides excellent coverage. Parents can be safe in the knowledge that there will be minimal clean-up time with these mess-free paint pens. Have you used Playcolor yet? We would love to see your creations!

Sensory Toys: Soft, safe tactile toys ideal for sensory play.

Moments are so important throughout our lifetime we will experience hundreds if not thousands. When children reach milestones in their life these moments should be cherished forever.

Early development stages are all about exploration: Skin is the largest sensory organ and touch is one of the first sensations a baby will experience in their life. This is why sensory toys are so popular because the toys quickly help advance touch sensations into play. From here the journey of childhood discovery continues and so does their development. Rubbabu toys are made from 100% natural foam and coated in a velvety soft nylon flock. The various shaped toys are squishy and suitable for birth+. Every toy in the range has been safety tested: a great harmless way to help little ones discover their senses through touch and play. The sensory toys are available in different shapes and sizes: Suitable for the smallest hands to keep hold of. Parents will be pleased to know the toys are durable and easy to clean. It is suggested that sensory toys including stress balls are great for relaxation and stress relief: Take it out on the stress ball not the kids! The squishable toys are also known to be good for special needs, ADHD & autism. The toys help to introduce different textures, provide a distraction for fidgeting & to help with focus, anger, or anxiety management. Do you want to try Rubbabu's sensory toys for yourself? Let us know why below and we will arrange to send you either a Micro Beetle Car or a Charles The Micro Plane* free of charge*. [contact-form-7 id="2872" title="Why I want to try Rubbabu toys..."]

Watching a child's first smile or laugh is momentous, toys or items which encourage this are creating memories to last a lifetime!

*Whilst stocks last.

Here at Bigjigs Toys we believe in diversity and accessibility of dolls for all children! As a result, we are giving children everywhere the chance to Design a Doll using our summer activity downloadable pack.

It is mission 5 out of 6 for the Play Patrollers and below we have all of the reviews, read on to learn about their experience with the toys including, musical toys, water play, books, sensory toys and rail. For the love of great music this xylophone went down a storm with What the Redhead said and her Play Patrollers. So why not, read more about their musical renditions here... Inside, outside and all around! Watch how Tyler and The Mummy Stylist enjoyed playing with eco-friendly Green Toys Launch Boat & Green Toys Boats Built for Speed. Furthermore, Tyler's new little sister, Play Patrols youngest Play Patroller slept right through her review of Bella Comforter and Bella Cuddly 31cm Soft Plush Toy. Sophie & Lily loved their matching Stacking Fire Engine & Fire Station Train Set racing to the rescue of kittens in trees! And, learning about emergency services! NeeNor, NeeNor! Read their mission review here... Once you master how to play a Bigjigs Harmonica it can become addictive and whats more so, kids can seen playing these day and night! It was certainly the case for our Play Patroller during this mission - Bear, who loved it and even managed to play 2 instruments at once including a Bigjigs Tambourine! WOW! Well done Bear! Watch the review to see more of Bear's clever musical tricks...here Petit Collage puzzling fun! Parents in Touch two Play Patrollers were not puzzled when it came to playing with eco-friendly Petit Collage Story Time Tin Canister Puzzle and Animal & Babies Memory Game. Read their review here... Mummy of Two are loving the summer holidays but what helps keep the Play Patrollers amused is a delivery of Bigjigs Toys! This mission the Play Patrollers have reviewed a variety of age specific toys for each of them including Rainbow Rattle for our youngest Baby A, Candy Floss Food Mixer for Little Miss A & a Junior Tool Set for Little Mr A. Read about their experience here... Ladybug Home have loved this months mission! They received Green Toys Mixer & Green Toys Mixed up Trucks Book. Green Toys are eco-friendly toys made from recycled plastics in USA were loved by both Play Patrollers - watch their story here... My Mummy's World and her little Play Patrollers have been enjoying some of Bigjigs wooden toys including the Carpenters Tool Box and Rainbow Star. Read their review here... Every Saturday evening What Luke Did Next and the Play Patrollers have family game time, so these games fitted in just perfectly with their activities and they enjoyed playing together building the Bigjigs Wooden Stacking Tower and eco-friendly Petit Collage Memory Game. Read about their experience here... Jade and Raising the Rings has had fun reviewing two eco-friendly toys from Petit Collage and Green Toys. The little push along Turtle on Wheels from Green Toys was much loved because it is dishwasher safe, fun and easy to move around. The Petit Collage Wooden ABC Nestling Blocks were enjoyed by both Play Patrollers building the big tower and the pretty pictures. Read their review here...

Remember to check back next month for more reviews from the play patrollers!

Summer Activity: Nature Bug Hunt

Let's go on a nature bug hunt... Grab your bug box, magnifying glass, pencil, and Nature_Bug_Hunt downloadable activity!

Children will love this outdoor adventure game: Nature Bug Hunt which can be played in the garden at home, on holiday or pretty much anywhere! The Rules:

1. Print off a Nature_Bug_Hunt sheet for each player.
2. Tick off the items on your Nature_Bug_Hunt sheet as you find them.
3. Have fun!
4. The first to tick them all off WINS!

Download your sheets here: Nature_Bug_Hunt

So, help little ones learn about nature and discover what they might find in the garden or local park! This summer activity encourages conversation through outdoor activity to help inspire learning and understanding of nature including trees, bugs, and wildlife. Almost, all children are fascinated by tiny creatures and Bigjigs Garden Bug Keeper will be the perfect home for all manner of bugs that take their interest! Why not, collect some of the bugs on your hunt (be sure to return them to their home before the end of the day!) Whats more, the bug keeper features a magnifying glass in the lid to allow close examination of the contents and a carry handle. Why not, add some twigs or leaves and make a house a home? The world is full of fascinating objects and curious children love examining all manner of things! This wooden framed Magnifying Glass available at bigjigstoys.co.uk will help little ones to discover more. If their fascination is bugs in the garden, or unusual items found around the home, this is a great way to learn more about the things that take their interest. Ideal for educational, active play sessions. Furthermore, it helps to improve dexterity and hand/eye co-ordination.

This week, mum of one, Kelly reviewed Playcolor's mess free solid poster paint pens. Bigjigs sent me two packs to try - the Playcolor Pocket and Playcolor Pocket Metallic. I knew they would be an instant hit with us, what can be bad about mess free painting? I loved the selection of colours in the metallic set, especially the gold! I used the solid paint pens with my 3 year old daughter. They were fun, easy to use and automatically we drawn to the bright vibrant colour which in turn produced a lovely outcome. We tried out the gold metallic pen on black card and loved the results; the gold paint shimmered in the light. My daughter loved the smooth, easy, bright application and she loved exploring the pens and how they twisted and squished when she pushed the end down. The pens were chunky enough for her to be able to hold easily. They had a really even bright appearance when applied and this stayed once the paint had dried. One thing we did notice was if the pens were applied heavily they took a while to dry but they did not stain or smudge. The pens were easy to wipe off with very little mess. They gave good coverage and I can imagine they would last for a while. It was great to not have to use water or paint brushes and to just be able to pop the lid back on instead. Meaning, cleaning up was completed in next to no time - always an added bonus! I can see these paint pens being ideal for rainy day activities and an excellent way to encourage active imaginations. We enjoyed using these tremendously and cannot wait to explore what the rest of the range has to offer. [caption id="attachment_2784" align="alignleft" width="300"] Playcolor Pocket Metallic RRP £11.99[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2783" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Playcolor Pocket RRP £7.99[/caption]

Bigjigs Toys is celebrating National Marine Week by running a give away. You could be in with a chance to win £40+ worth of prizes; a Bigjigs Toys Marine Activity Centre, Petit Collage Ocean Pop-Out and Green Toys Launch Boat. At Bigjigs we care very much about the environment and feel it is important for little ones to learn through play and exploration. The Bigjigs Toys Marine Activity Centre encourages dexterity and matching skills. It features a spinning sun and wheel and three matching shell and seahorse blocks. Your little one can also help the birds fly up and down the beaded wire and guide the fish who are waiting to swim! Petit Collage's Ocean Pop-Out set is great for teaching little ones about sea life. The set comes complete with an octopus, a whale, a shark, a jellyfish, coral and seaweed. The Green Toys Launch Boat is made from 100% recycled milk cartons and is safe, non-toxic; contains no BPA, PVC, phthalates or external coatings. This lightweight cruiser is specially sized for little hands, making them the perfect go-to toy for the bath, pool, or beach. The boat includes a duck captain figure for extended imaginative role play. Guaranteed to produce hours of Good Green Fun! National Marine Week is run by The Wildlife Trust to promote the variety of wildlife on our coastlines and in our seas. We would love to hear if you are taking part in any National Marine Week activities. Are you taking a trip to the coast and going rock-pooling, building sandcastles or seeing if you can spot your favourite sea creature? Click here to print the Wildlife Trust's Coastal Wildlife Spotter, a great way to spend time together as a family exploring the outdoors! To enter the competition just comment on this blog post and tell us why you would like to win. The competition will close on Sunday 31st August at 7pm. The winner will be notified week commencing 1st August. Good luck!

You may have seen my previous blog post reviewing the Green Toys Sand Play Set, this week I had the opportunity to review two toys from the new Rubbabu range. With Rubbabu having just launched this week, I thought what better way to test how much Rubbabu's toys are loved by children than to test them out at home with my own two little ones; Matilda aged two and a half and Jacob aged 10 months. We tested out the Rubbabu Building Blox and the Rubbabu Charles The Micro Airplane. First impressions - the Rubbabu Building Blox were nicely presented in well designed packaging which is 100% recyclable. There is a window cut out at the front of the box so you can see and most importantly, feel the product inside. I feel that this is important as so often the image of the product on the packaging can misrepresent what's inside. Charles the Micro Airplane came packaging free with a little tag around his wheels. Matilda absolutely loved playing with the Building Blox, the interconnecting cylindrical pieces are a nice added extra to conventional building block toys. They added an extra element of fun and even more building possibilities. She really enjoyed putting the interconnecting parts into the different coloured blocks. The blocks have a lovely velvet feel to them and as you can see from the photo below come in bright colours! One of things I like best about these blocks is that I can feel at ease knowing if Matilda builds a tower and Jacob topples it over, he won't get hurt because the blocks are so wonderfully soft. They both loved playing with the blocks - Jacob had a great time rolling the cylindrical pieces across the floor and crawling speedily after them. Charles the Micro Airplane comes in dark green and is easy for little hands to grasp due to it's small size. It would make a great gift and would be ideal as a toy to travel with. It's soft, tactile and bendable. Jacob liked the feel of it and enjoyed pushing it around on the floor. I always try and make sure I buy ethical and environmentally friendly products. Rubbabu toys are made with biodegradable and renewable materials, so for me, they tick all of the boxes. I'll be adding some Rubbabu to Jacob and Matilda's Christmas list. Thank you for reading. Emma.

Mission 4! It's summer time and the weather is WET! But, that hasn't stopped the Play Patrollers having fun! Recently Bigjigs sent out lots of toys to our Play Patrollers to review with their family and friends! Read and watch the reviews below: What the Redhead said Play Patrollers reviewed the Fire Station Train Set and loved it! Already BIG Bigjigs rail fans they were very excited to receive one of the latest themes and it has fitted in nicely with their existing collection. Playing with friends and family was even more fun and the set was a sure-fire hit! (pun intended!). Read more here... Sarah and the little Play Patrollers from Parents in Touch have been reviewing some of our favourite Launch Boats from Green Toys . The Play Patrollers ventured outside to play with the boats, which were put through their paces. After many races, science experiments and their Dad even joined in the fun! Read more here... Sophie & Lily Play Patrollers also ventured into the garden and watered their plants using the Twigz Watering Can. Even for little hands, the double handed watering can was perfect to sprinkle a drink on the flowers and tomato plants! And when the rain poured down it meant there was an opportunity to play indoors and continue the horticultural experience inside away from the rain. The Green Toys Build a Bouquet is the best toy to create wonderful bright colourful floral arrangements. Read and see what the little ones did with their bouquets here... A fantastic review of Bigjigs Rail Fire & Rescue Train by The Mummy Stylist Tyler our little Play Patroller who is a BIG Bigjigs Rail fan! Tyler has recently become a big brother and we hope, he will share his amazing track building skills with his little sister because WOW we were impressed with the amount of Bigjigs rail track & trains Tyler has! Check out the amazing tracks here... Hannah Spannah Coco Banana and her little pirate Play Patroller have reviewed our Bigjigs Rail Pirate Train Set, and they loved it! During the mission they discovered this rail theme is such good fun and little ones love to learn and play using their imagination, combining an exciting imaginary new world of discovery and classic railway. Watch them play with the set here... Jade from Raising the Rings has reviewed one of our favourite trains from Green Toys & a NEW book 'Train off the Rails' from Green Toys. The book tells a story about the train and 2 characters. Jade and her two little play patrollers loved this mission putting the book and train together helped to bring the story to life. Read more about what they thought here... LadyBug Home kindly reviewed two of Bigjigs lovely dolls - Jenny 28cm Doll & Harry 28cm Doll . The two little Play Patrollers loved playing together with the dolls, having a picnic, tea party and rocked to sleep in the cradle, see how well they played together here... Our Play Patrollers from Chelsea Mamma had a musical adventure with Bigjigs Wooden Music Set - they found it an ideal toy as an early introduction to sound and rhythm and Sebby loves the opportunity to make lots of noise! Check out the review here... A wonderful review from Mummy of Two +1 and her three little play patrollers! They received three toys to review this mission: Bigjigs Marine Play Planks , Bigjigs Number Tower & Activity Ball. Each toy was loved individually by the play patrollers and the number tower and play planks were brilliant toys to encourage all three to play together! Read about how much fun they had here... My Mummy's World has reviewed Flower Activity Centre & Pirate Train and the happy little play patrollers have enjoyed this months toys and mission. They have been playing and having fun together with them! Read more on what the play patrollers enjoyed most...

Don't forget to check back next month to read more reviews from Play Patrol

Earlier on this year Bigjigs Toys took on Petit Collage as a distribution brand. Petit Collage is all about good design. They create modern decor, gifts and playthings for families all influenced by midcentury aesthetics and bold graphics. Create a magical world of display and play with the beautifully designed pop-out and play sets. The best-selling line of pop-outs are big-time crowd pleasers. Craft project? Room decor? Play characters? All of the above! Eco Friendly Petit Collage strive to handcraft their goods in a sustainable way, using the best quality, most eco-friendly materials available. From sustainably harvested wood veneer, renewable bamboo, and recycled paper to factories certified with stringent environmental certifications, Petit Collage design with the planet in mind. We would love to keep you updated on all things Petit Collage, sign up to the Petit Collage newsletter and receive a free Petit Puzzle! These cute-as-a-button 24 piece puzzles (available in various designs) are the perfect for on-the-go fun and are made from recycled paper printed with vegetable based inks. Once the form is complete press enter to submit, the contents will disapear once submitted. *Only shipped to UK.

We recently sent Hannah, mum of four and author of the wonderful blog Cars on Repeat a Bigjigs Toys Cutting Fruit set to review. Read Hannah's review below: My daughter Indigo is 3 years old and I recently gave her the Cutting Fruit playset from Big Jigs to play with. She is a big fan of her toy kitchen already & it is full of lovely wooden toasters, ice cream sundaes & tea sets, so I expected the fruit set to be a hit. The set comes in a wooden box with a clear sliding lid. I think it's always a bonus when a toy comes packaged in its' own storage to keep it lovely & neat. The set has wooden fruit: strawberry, lemon, banana, apple, pear, kiwi & orange. The fruit pieces (apart from the little strawberry) are split in 2 and held together with Velcro. Included in the set is a little chopping board & cutting tool to split the fruit pieces with. Indigo was immediately thrilled with the toy & had no problems getting to grips with cutting up her fruit. I think this is such a great toy for encouraging fine motor skills. It's also a perfect way to begin to learn kitchen skills & safety without the risk! The pieces of fruit are so bright & appealing, it's lovely to listen talk about all the different types of fruit which helps to promote healthy eating as well. We have used the Cutting Fruit set to talk about colours & have played counting games with them as well, so they're really versatile! I love wooden toys for children, they are easy to keep clean & last for years & years. Indigo's older brothers have enjoyed helping her to play with this toy, they've even set up a pretend café with her which is great for imaginative play & role play too. This little set will be played with for a really long time!