Gifted Originals

Some of today’s games are so difficult that by the time you’ve worked out how to play them, you’ve lost the will to play them. Perhaps one of the most difficult games of all time has to be Jacob’s Ladder, however, unlike its modern day counterpart which is needlessly fussy and difficult, the traditional wooden game is puzzling and mysterious.

According to Woodcraft Arts, ‘The Jacob’s ladder is one of the most ancient and famous of folk toys. Legend has it that one was found in King Tut’s tomb, which means these fascinating toys were played with in Egypt before 1352 B.C., when the young king died (at about 18 years old). It’s amazing to me that this humble folk toy would have been included among Tutankhamen’s most significant effects, along with brilliant jewelry, amulets, masks of pure gold, prized objets d’art, a solid gold coffin, statues, furniture, and even a full-sized chariot.

Jacob’s ladders, named for the biblical Jacob who saw a ladder leading from earth to heaven in a vision, have shown up all over the world. Like the spinning top, the Jacob’s ladder seems to be universal, appearing at widely divergent world locations with no apparent historical connectedness.

I still don’t completely understand how this toy works. Engineer friends of mine have told me that the apparent falling of the blocks has to do with a double-acting hinge. But to name it is not to comprehend it. To operate the toy, simply hold the top block by its edges and let the rest of the identical blocks swing downward until the “ladder” is fully open. Then, holding the top block by its edges, turn it 180° in a left rotation, until the top and second blocks are parallel and touching. When the held block hits the hanging block, a series of blocks will begin cascading down. Then repeat the motion 180° to the right. Each time you move the block 180°, a cascade of apparently moving blocks will flip to the bottom.

There’s a neat trick you can play with your Jacob’s ladder, which will baffle children (and, most likely, their elders): Fold up a dollar bill into a small rectangle and tuck it under one of the tapes. Then operate the toy. The dollar will successively disappear, appear, disappear, and so on, for no apparent reason.

Gifted Originals thinks Jacob’s Ladder is great fun – once you’ve worked out how to use it!

A brave little tot from Norfolk who had half of her brain disconnected in a bid to stop constant seizures, will soon have special toys and equipment to help her recover.

The youngster was left with a limp left side after the operation and now needs stimulation and physiotherapy to help her adjust, but thanks to fundraising and donations by well-wishers her family are now set to spend the £5,000 on gear which will include an interactive bubble tube which she can operate.

Showing that toys can have brilliant, stimulating effects, the family was about to start ordering the equipment, with the aim of setting up a special sensory room for Angelina. Such rooms have become invaluable areas for little ones with motor difficulties to use their other senses to enjoy the al-important playtime.

Just like toys are a necessary part of healthy children’s development, children like Angelina reap the benefits of specially-adapted toys that help to improve their development. Gifted Originals wishes the tot well and is thrilled that toys are playing a part in her well-being.

For more information, visit her website angelinasdreams.org

Aussie beaches conjure up images of laid-back surfers and families enjoying the sunshine and having a chilled-out time. However, that may be about to change with proposed laws by one Australian council who wants to outlaw a total of 100 activities from its main beach.

Among the proposed activities, Cottesloe council in the Western Australia city of Perth wants to ban digging “hazardous” holes, bringing children’s toys onto the sand and erecting large sun umbrellas. The move comes after the council claims that the beach has become so popular that existing laws governing use of the area are outdated. Kevin Morgan, Cottesloe mayor, told the West Australian newspaper that the new laws were needed because of the absence of common sense and “decent values” in many parts in society.

What’s more, if the new legislation is passed, it will also be illegal for children over the age of five not to be “properly and adequately clad”. However, the move has provoked an angry response from locals, who said it would only cause more fuss between sunbathers and lifeguards and was simply “silly”. Colin Barnett, the West Australian premier, said that the proposed laws were “un-Australian”.

Gifted Originals thinks it is not only un-Australian, but is mean to expect children not to bring toys to the beach as these are part of having a fun time!

Just when you think you can’t handle another food programme, along comes Channel 4’s ‘About Food’, and you’re instantly hooked. In this exciting, up to the minute and dynamic studio show, the presenters expose food myths, examining fair-trade fairness and trying to get to grips with misleading food labelling.

From telling viewers that ‘value’ fruit and the ‘luxury’ packaged variant come from the same growers, to exposing the outrageous amounts of salt, fat and sugar in our food, Jay Rayner, Ravinder Bhogal and Anna Richardson bring a whole new edge to reporting about food.

Meanwhile, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall takes us back to River Cottage through ‘River Cottage Every Day’. Going back to basics, viewers are taught how to make a great spaghetti bolognese with cheap beef-cuts, and how to ensure we use every bit of our meat. As the cook said, “If an animal is going to be sacrificed for us to eat, then we should make sure we use every bit of it”, quite right Gifted Originals says.

With all these food programmes flying about and Christmas approaching, now is a good enough time to get the little ones interested in food. Depending on their age and interest, it may be a good thing to introduce the fun element of food through playtime. Gifted Originals’ food and cooking range includes some fantastic toys that really will spark their imagination (without the mess!), and show that food isn’t just for eating, but it is also for creating.

Melissa and Doug’s Cupcake Decorating Set contains four wooden cup cakes that can be placed in their paper cases, pretend baked, and then can be decorated with the icing pens. The final piece de resistance is a brightly coloured candle – fantastic!

The All-in-One Kitchen is every budding make-believe-chef’s dream. Great for more than one child to play with at a time, it offers access from all sides and consists of a cooker, hob and microwave on one side, and a washing machine, sink and shelves on the other – what more could you want!

So go on, encourage the little one to reap the benefits of not just eating food but also creating something the whole family can enjoy.

While huge strides have been made in recent years to lessen gender stereotypes, it would seem to Gifted Originals the perceived roles of mummies and daddies are still much the same as they were 50 years ago.

According to a survey by the parenting advice site www.thebabywebsite.com, modern dads are expected to repair toys, find batteries and teach children to ride their bikes, while mums take care of shopping, washing and ironing, making packed lunches and dealing with school paperwork.

Spokesman Nigel Crawford said: ‘The poll unveiled a clear difference in parenting responsibilities. While dads definitely pull their weight, the jobs they are assigned to tend to be more fun and less dirty work.

But he added: ‘One thing which is apparent is that mums and dads wholeheartedly embrace their assigned jobs.

‘Interestingly men and women are completely agreed that mums get the roughest deal, but this is probably because she spends the most time with the children day to day.

‘Either way mums are happy with their lot – and seven in ten think there is a good balance between parenting responsibilities.’

He said: ‘Mothers spend hours and hours each day running the house and this forms a huge part of her role as mum – she’ll buy, wash and iron the children’s clothes, cook for all meal times, bake for school competitions and pack the school bags.

‘Dads, on the other hand, spend much of their time being really hands on with the kids – fixing toys and bikes, thinking up new games and teaching them to ride their bikes.’

The study also showed fathers are expected to build toys, work out construction set instructions and help the children with their homework. According to the Daily Mail, Dads are also responsible for the majority of outdoor parenting jobs – such as making dens and building tree houses. Mothers on the other hand are more likely to do much of the administration involved in childcare, including school paperwork, organising birthday parties and responding to birthday invitations.

Toy museums are, in some senses, paradoxical. While toys are primarily targeted at children, toy museums are targeted at nostalgic adults who want to a glimpse of their favourite childhood toy.

Exhibiting toys that have been an essential element to their childhood experience, adults visit toy museums to not only remember but also to understand their own development that little bit more. Whether they were partial to traditional toys, or can remember learning their alphabet through their favourite building blocks, toy museums have it all.

This is why Gifted Originals was sad to hear about the sale of the former Toy Museum in Coventry. The Grade II listed building, in Much Park Street, city centre, is currently being restored following an arson attack last year which destroyed the roof and floors in its rear wing.

The building, which dates back to medieval times, has been empty for the past three years, since the death of its previous owner Ron Morgan, who had been running the museum. He loved toys which led him to open the property as a museum with his wife Sonia in 1973. The couple lived in the house for 45 years and collected more than 4,000 rare and unusual toys.

When it was open, About Britain wrote, The Museum houses a wonderful collection of toys dating from 1740 to 1952. These toys have been collected by Ron and Sonya Morgan over many years and comprise a wide and interesting assortment.

The collection of toys is growing with each day and will soon be, if not already, one of the finest collections in the country. The Museum is constantly searching for interesting items and will be pleased to receive or purchase old or new.

The Toy Museum may be no more, but its legacy most definitely lives on.

Yesterday marked the start of the autumnal equinox, which means only one thing: summer is officially over, and winter is almost here. To mark the change in seasons, Gifted Originals thought it’d be a splendid idea to have some autumn special offers, but before we tell you about those, why don’t we find out what the autumnal equinox is?

Apparently, the autumnal equinox refers to the balance between the forces of darkness and light, which was restored yesterday. This is the exact time and point where the Sun’s position along the ecliptic crosses the equator, thus making the length of daylight and darkness to be probably equal from pole to pole.

Many countries in the Northern Hemisphere such as Britain, United States, and European countries can expect the fall to start on 22nd of September this year while countries in the Southern Hemisphere such as Australia, South America, Antartica and some part of Africa experienced their first day of fall in the month of March.

“So what about Gifted Originals’ offers?” we hear you ask. Well, items from the award-winning Automoblox range are up there, and with prices cut from £21.95 to £18.99, you might want to buy more than one model to make use of the removeable and interchangeable car parts.

Another smashing item on offer is the Sky King Trikes. These beautiful 1936 replicas are certainly a collectible for years to come, and made of high quality steel they come in powder blue, powder pink, and red. Reduced from £219.72 to £199.99, these would make an ideal Christmas present for the little one. Among these are some cracking items, including games, arts and crafts kits, musical instruments, plus many, many more.

So go on, celebrate the warm coat season by taking a look at our fantastic autumn special offers!

Toys being such delights to children, whether it’s ones purely for fun, or educational reasons, either way, the little ones can’t live without them. The problem is that everyone can’t always afford to enjoy the delights of toys, which makes toy libraries all the more special.

This is why Gifted Originals was very sad and dismayed to read about £3,000 worth of toys being stolen from a toy library in Portsmouth. According to the Daily Mirror, ‘Police are hunting thugs who smashed and stole toys worth £3,000 in a raid on a kids’ charity.

Many of the items were slashed with a knife and dumped in the street after the gang scaled a 6ft fence to get into Connors Toy Library in Portsmouth.

The toys had been used by sick and disadvantaged youngsters at 18 different playgroups around the city.

Toy library chief Alison Craig yesterday said: “I am heartbroken. They have stolen from children. It is really upsetting. So many of the toys were destroyed.”‘

Toy libraries provide an essential service to the full development of children, whereby local children, families and carers can borrow based on regular toy loan for a small sum, and sometimes for free. For more information on how you can help or visit a toy library, visit the National Association of Toy and Leisure Libraries.

A baby’s early years is the most crucial time for its development, from learning to speak and walk, to hand-eye co-ordination and social skills. Every moment is important, so the toys they play with at playtime are a vital tool in helping with their full development, which is why Gifted Originals has all you could need.

According to the parent website, The Labor of Love, ‘hand-eye coordination is an important tool for babies to master as early as possible. Hand-eye coordination is used for all sorts of regular human activity, from feeding ourselves to brushing our teeth to playing the piano. At around six months of age, babies learn to reach out for objects. There are toys and methods that you can use to improve the development of hand eye coordination, even prior to this stage. Some of the toys and methods that help develop hand eye coordination, include:

1. Holding a baby toy within your baby’s reach, and placing it into his hand as his hand starts to move toward it.
2. Blocks are an excellent toy that you can use as early as 4 months old. Sit with your small baby and build him a stack of blocks. Allow him to knock them down when he tries to reach for them.
3. Light toys that make noise and can be shaken are very useful at this stage. Place the object, such as a rattle, into your baby’s hand, and watch him as he learns that his hand movements will produce the noise.
4. Hanging toys, such as those on an activity bar, can make excellent early target practice for your baby’s swatting and grabbing motions.
5. Once your baby does start to reach for objects, you can place toys in front of them and encourage them to come and get it. Once they are crawling, you can expand this idea to play a game of fetch. Balls are particularly useful for this type of play.
6. A variety of sorting toys are also available. These help baby exercise his problem-solving skills, as he tries to figure out these simple puzzles. These toys will help your little one with cognative abilities as well as hand-eye coordination.

Anything that adults and their fellow peers will find disgusting, children are almost certain to love. What makes others cringe, is usually pounced upon by little ones who are desperate to win the accolade for the ‘Most Disgusting’ stunt.

Take making a ‘farting’ sound with your armpit. ‘How-to’ emporium, ehow.com, boldly says that ‘farting with your armpit is a classic gag that everyone from age 8 to 80 should know. This tactic that uses your armpit and hand to make the world’s most disgusting sound is so simple that it’s no wonder why it’s been a staple of every young boy’s comedy routine for decades.’ It’s true, I was taught by my cousin who was renowned for making the most realistic pumping noises from his armpit, and according to ehow, the trick is to wear a baggy shirt to allow for movement!

The children program, ‘Horrible Histories‘ , is a gore-fest for little ones eager to know how the Rotten Romans, Terrible Tudors, Awful Egyptians and Measly Middle Ages lived. Even making adults go ‘eughhhh’, there’s no escaping the fact that children just love the disgustingness of it!

With this in mind, Noisy Putty is a great way for little purveyors of all things repulsive to shock their friends. By plunging their fingers into the gunge to make sounds akin to ‘lavatorial’ sounds, Noisy Putty from Gifted Originals is a must-have tool!