I really am thrilled to announce that my BritMums 2015 sponsor is ……… Orchard Toys!
There are many reasons why I’m totally over the moon to be sponsored for Orchard Toys this year. If you read this blog regularly, you will already know that Monkey and I are big fans of their games and puzzles and today I want to share a little bit more of how Orchard Toys helped to shape this blog.
Getting on for 3 years ago I hadn’t come across Orchard Toys, but all that was about to change. A friend was going to be running home parties for a Toy Shop and she asked a number of us to come to her introduction party. One of the brands being shown was Orchard Toys. I was one of the only Mum’s with only one younger child and everyone else spent the evening telling me how wonderful the games and puzzles were and that I really should invest. So on their recommendation I bought Shopping List, the Fruit & Veg Booster pack (greengrocer for a husband, had to be done) and the Big Wheels jigsaw puzzles.
I was instantly impressed with the quality and graphics – colourful and engaging, and the game would be really educational. Monkey was a late talker and I used Shopping List to try to help with his speech, picking the different objects from a bag, saying the name, long before we used the game itself.
I was a fan, followed Orchard Toys on Twitter and started going through the catalogue working out which games to put on Monkey’s birthday and Christmas lists. Then one night on Twitter I saw Orchard Toys working with Izzi Wizzi and a request for reviewers for a game called Three Little Pigs. Monkey had just started at Pre-school and this was their themed book. I’d been thinking about blogging, didn’t know what to do, but decided to take the plunge and was really lucky to have the opportunity to work with a brand I really liked from the birth of the blog!
We love playing Three Little Pigs, it’s a firm family favourite that comes out regularly and Monkey loves blowing the houses down as much now as he did 2 and half years ago!
The blog has grown and grown from those early days, but I will always remember that the seed was sown through a love of Orchard Toys and a story book from Monkey’s Pre-school days. So this year, my sponsor feels really personal to me and my son. He’s grown up with their puzzles and games and they’re a brand I would recommend to all new families.
When I was asked what our favourite Orchard Toys game was, the answer was instant – Three Little Pigs and so I’m happy to be able to offer one lucky reader the chance to win this game for themselves, to celebrate the announcement of my BritMums Live 2015 sponsorship with Orchard Toys.
For your chance to win Three Little Pigs from Orchard Toys, please just complete the Gleam form below. Good luck!
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Terms and conditions:
(Please note that all entries will be checked against comments for validation).
Only the first step of this form is mandatory, all other steps are optional. Only one entry per person is allowed.
This giveaway is for UK residents only.
Once a winner is randomly picked, I will check if the winner has done what was requested and I will contact them, if they do not reply within one week, the prize will be allocated to another person.
The giveaway will close on 22nd June 2015 at midnight.
the gruffalo
I love Oliver Jeffer’s How to Catch a Star! I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book and I fell in love with it the first time I read it. All children can relate to this story and the illustrations are magical! A great bedtime read for any young child!
Billy goat’s Gruff, not quite sure why but the story always reminds me of my happy childhood
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe as it was the first book that I read properly by myself as a child and it got me hooked on reading.
Lost and found…..I love it, and I always get a cuddle at the end!
The gruffalo as my little boy loves it!
My son loves the Ravenous Beast – he fins it really funny and loves to tell the story with me! I think it’s because he has finally found someone (something) that can eat more than he can!!
I have lots of fave children books, one that springs to mind at the moment is the Puddle Lane series
Little red riding hood, it makes me all nostalgic
The gruffalo 🙂 xx
Cinderella as a lovely story and film my kids also enjoy
Hansel and Gretal – I love the idea of that house!
The Gruffalo, my 2 love this story
Room on the Broom, the words just flow beautifully!
Ten Little Pirates as she can count things, name the colours and we have read it so much she can recite lots of it
little red riding hood
I love ‘Oh the places you’ll go”. A great story and quirky illustrations too.
The Folk of the Faraway Tree, I loved it when I was a girl
Charlotte’s Web
the gruffalo, the smallest animal was able to outsmart all the bigger, scarier animals in the wood
The very hungry caterpillar – it was my favourite and my daughter loves counting all the food items and watching the caterpillar crawl through them
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt because it’s fun.
Each Peach Pear Plum because I reminisce from my childhood
Oh wow I’ve got soooo many. Storytime was always my fave part of the day when I was a kid. I think I will always love Hansel and Gretel though xx
The jolly postman amazing book
I love Each Peach Pear Plum as I can remember that from when I was little.
I always loved Pollyanna – it’s inspiring, even if the glad game isn’t something you can generally play for too long!
I love Elmer! as I think it’s a fantastic story with a memorable character and a fantastic moral behind it or not to treat others differently due to the way they look
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, it is one of the first books I remember reading as a child.
Kids like the Dinosaur that pooped alot lately.
three little pigs as the wolf gets his comeuppance
going on a bear hunt. it was really fun to read along to as a kid and was awesome to play out with my children now when we are in the woods 🙂
the gruffalo the kids love making up different voices for the animals x
I like Fantastic Mr Fox, as Mr Fox is a very clever character that never gives up!
Charlie and the chocolate factory -his dream came true
The very hungry caterpillar
I like Mr Men books
Thomas the Tank engine, we bought the set and he loves them all
chicken licken
i love the way it has an eerie side to it
I love you this much, htis is because I read it to my children and now to my grandchildren and my son still says I love you to the moon and back if he is leaving for a long period of time
When I was younger my favourite book was chicken licken, now reading to my kids I like to read dinosaurs in the supermarket!
Room on the broom!
the very hungry caterpillar because they love taking it in turns what the caterpillar ate and include funny voices for each food 🙂
My son loves Superworm as he loves superheroes at the moment.
I love reading ‘Dear Zoo’ with my daughter at the moment, she loves to play along and guess the animals
The Gruffalo is a favourite here. Both my children love it!
Guess How Much I Love You as it teaches kids that even when you’re not there, you still love them. 🙂
charlie and the chocolate factory because i love chocolate and wished iwas charlie when i was a little girl
Its currently the 3 little pigs, as they love to say the end line “and that was the end of him!” x
The Gruffalo
Suzie’s Shoes, it was my daughter’s favourite book and now my Grand-Daughter also loves it.
Little Red Riding Hood
Peppa Pig books xx
I love Matilda, who wouldn’t want to get back at their evil headmistress.
Monkey puzzle as I like the pictures and rhyming
The gruffalo because my son loves it.
I love one called The Jumblebum, my daughter thinks its fantastic too and it’s helped her keep her room tidy, a quick tidy up before bed every night now so the jumblebum doesnt eat her clothes!
The Gruffalo – never gets boring!
All ways have loved the faraway tree as a child. but then i do love anything magical and fantasy still.
The Jolly Postman was and still is my favourite children’s book, I guess I’m just a nosey person as I loved the idea of reading everyone’s letters haha xx
I Want my Potty – we read it again and again, but even I still enjoy it
BFG – love the roald dahl books 🙂
I love Room on the Broom, not sure why, I just like the way it flows andI love reading it to my little man because he listens intently throughout.
lego because of childhood memories
The Tinder Box – I love the dog with the eyes as big as saucers.
Goldilocks and the 3 bears
Has to be Romm on the Broom just now the girls love joining in with the rhymes x
Duck in the Truck, fantastic rhyming story!
I love reading The Gruffalo to my grandchildren,it’s so well written and the children love it.When The Gruffalos Child came out I couldn’t see how it could match the original but it did.Julia Donaldson is an excellent author who fires childrens’ imaginations.
Three Little Pigs
Cause my mum used to read that book to me and I loved it and my young kids always giggle at it too
Love the book Dogger by Shirley Hughes
What is your favourite children’s story and why? . . . . . The Very Hungry Caterpillar because we’ve read it so many times Jake knows it off by heart
I loved the magic of Enid Blyton stories 🙂
Cinderella its the classic fairytale story I loved as a child and love reading my children now! x
I love the tiger who came to tea because i really enjoy reading it to my little boys who also love it!
I like the tiger that came to tea as big man was obsessed with it when he was 2 and we have a lovely pic of him and his Daddy reading it
Guess how much I love you as its just so beautiful
i like Room on a broom by Julia Donaldson, love the rhyme and the illustrations
The Jolly postman, it was always really exciting opening the letters in the book
The tiger that came to tea
My own story Mrs Brown and Rover
anything by Eden Blyton
“Never Say No To A Princess”
Room on the Broom, I love the rhymes x
I loved as a kid and love reading it now to my child – Peace at Last by Allan Ahlberg. Its just got lovely memories for me
We just love all books.
I liked stone soup because I have happy memories of my dad reading it to us
I love any of the Disney books
Jack and the Beanstalk, hes intrigued by the beanstalk, I think he thinks his sunflower is going to grow to the sky.
I used to love the happy prince by oscar wilde- Such a moving lovely story
Alice In Wonderland…they were my favourite books when I was little so I probably convey a lot more interest and put more into the characters when I read it to my little one?
I LOVE LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD – reminds me of my childhood and I love being able to share it with my little ones
I loved Charlie from Charlie and The chocolate factory, the story was magical… and who wouldnt want to win the golden ticket? 🙂
I must admit i did like the ‘Three Little Pigs’ myself,You get to interact by blowing when the houses are attempted to be blown over.And it is a nice ending.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar because I like the holes in the pages!
The tales of Beatrix Potter!
the little mermaid xx
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, all children seem to love it.
The Runaway Rollaskate!
Rapunzel, she loves princesses!
The 3 Little Pigs! Because my 3 kids have loved playing it in bed, we all have to get under the duvet and they take it in turns to ‘huff and puff’ it down!!!
There are loads of possibilities, but I’ll go with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. It’s a great alphabet book.
I love all the Disney Princess stories, especially Cinderella and how she ends up finding her Prince, such a happy ending x
The Owl who was Afraid of the dark is fab. I remember it from my own childhood and i love reading it to my little boy
The Gruffalo
cinderella because of the pretty princesses
Each Peach, Pear, Plum because it is so good to read aloud
The hungry caterpillar – my son loves to put his fingers through the holes where the caterpillar has eaten
Any thomas tank they always keep grandchildren quite
Beauty and the beast because it’s a magical story
The Faraway Tree
Each peach pear plum because I always remember my mum reading it to me when I was young.
My boys love the original Jack & the beanstalk, that fairytale is action packed!
The Gruffalo, a classic
The Gruffalo
They like Miffy books at the moment
The Gruffalo’s child love reading it with my little boy
The Enchanted Wood books because I read them when little.
Anything by Oliver Jeffers, I love him. Got a few books for my son which are signed by the author himself. Also called Oliver!
The gingerbread man because it was my favourite story when I was small and its now become my daughters.We read it at least four times a week.
Lion, witch and wardrobe
Monkey puzzle as I like the pictures and how they are together as a family at the end.
Alice in wonderland, it’s such a classic
I love Superworm because the story just rolls off the tongue and it always makes my boys laugh!
The Story of Tracy Beaker because I think Jacqueline Wilson writes wonderfully 🙂
‘Five children’ and It by E Nesbit- such a magical story – you find yourself in the adventures !
It has to be the Gruffalo
Little red riding hood
my youngest love the baby owls story, he likes it when the mummy owl comes home to her baby owls safe
My own children loved The Gingerbread Man. They enjoyed the rhythm of the words well before they could appreciate the book or the story. Funnily enough it was the first book my son and daughter bought for their own children who love it too and are now of an age where they like to read it to me!!!! 🙂
The gruffalo because it’s a brilliant book
greedy gorillas game
We love Room on the Broom
the jolly postman, love opening all the little flaps to get the letters
Kiss Goodnight Sam by Amy Heist, it’s so sweet that the baby bear insists on his goodnight kisses 🙂
the elves and the shoemaker
Winnie The Pooh – because he is so cute
what the ladybird heard is a lovely story and my boys love it
I read Alice in wonderland over and over. It was just magical. I loved it.
Would You Rather – because it is silly and imaginative and makes my children laugh.
The magic faraway tree
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Love it xx
I love sleeping beauty, we had a lovely copy of the book 🙂
The Gruffalo as it is written so well and has fantastic illustrations 🙂
The Snail & the Whale by Julia Donaldson – I love the ‘broaden your horizons & see the world’ message it promotes.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a long-time favourite. For some reason, all children adore it. And, of course, it’s fun to read to them.
I loved Treasure Island, my dad used to read it to me as a child
Cinderella the ultimate love stoory
The Gruffalo is so much fun
Not Now Bernard because children love the chance to join in and the humour is great
Stick Man
My favourite children’s story is Noddy & the Magic Rubber by Enid Blyton because it reminds me of my childhood. I still read it to my own children now 🙂
Like the the gruffalo as it shows that you don’t have to fight but use your head.
The gruffalo we have a woodland gruffalo walk in Inverness that my grandson loves. We talk about it and read the story after going on the walk.
We love Vincent the Vain by Sam Lloyd. It’s funny and it teaches that personality is more important than looks
The hungry caterpillar it’s simple colourful and engaging
Matilda – magic <3 🙂 x
Alice in Wonderland, such imagination
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is favourite at the moment. Our 2 yr old has memorised it! 🙂
The Magic Finger – loved it as a child
Room on the Broom, lovely and funny, I love it 🙂
My daughters favourite story is The Very Hungry Caterpillar, she loved it when she was little and now she is at school they are doing a project on mini beasts and she reads it to her wee brother x
I used to love reading Horrid henry stories to my son, they are funny and very easy to read
Harry potter as I read them years ago and now good to read to my kids.