Product Tested By Amy Docherty – Evie 6 Years
Amy Awarded The EDX Junior String Art 5/5
I was impressed with the contents. I loved the design and concept it is such a good idea. Instructions were clear and simple. My daughter struggled at first but got the hang of it very quickly. She has really enjoyed creating pictures with this as she had never seen anything like this before. She has really enjoyed playing with this and making different pictures and designs with the strings. Using this certainly made her more creative and she did click online to view more additional activities. This definitely helps with creative thinking, problem solving and social skills. Me and her took it in turns to make what each other asked to make. She spent long periods of time playing with it. She did like the fact the connecting boards could be used vertically and horizontally. Absolutely kept her entertained as she has really enjoyed this. She had it out every day at first and took it to her dads to play with too. Mostly played with at home. We played it together and she played it with her nana. My daughter loved being able to make her own designs. She really loved being able to make they pictures shown and her own designs. I liked how easy it was to do and kept her entertained. I would say this is age appropriate for my daughter. Definitely good educational toy. I think other children would really enjoy this and is great for hand eye co-ordination. The quality is great. Definitely good value for money. I would buy it and would make great presents for Evie’s friends for birthdays. I would definitely recommend this product. This is a great concept and kept Evie engaged for long periods of time. This is a great product she has spent so much time playing with it. She has really enjoyed making different designs. She has loved getting other family members involved and likes to show me what she has made. Amy Docherty – Evie 6 Years
Product Tested By Zoe Naylor – Ava 5 Years
Zoe Awarded The EDX Junior String Art 4.4/5
It arrived well packaged and looked colourful and engaging from looking at the image on the box. It is a simple but effective design and as a mum keen to develop my daughter fine motor skills, I liked the concept of it. Easy to follow instructions that we were able to use without issue. It took Ava a couple of attempts of having to be shown before she got to grips with how to use the string art, but once she had figured it out there was no stopping her. Ava enjoys repetitive tasks and enjoyed this activity – it kept her amused for longer than I thought it would initially. She enjoyed coming up with her own ideas, but got a little frustrated if they weren’t perfect. We did not use the online activities as we try to use less screen time and I was keen for her to use the activity as a way of moving away from screens. It kept her amused without feeling the need to use the additional online resources. I think it definitely helped to develop her problem-solving skills, we discussed what she was doing so from that perspective language skills would have been involved. It was quite an independent activity, so I would not say this aided her social skills. She is a creature of habit and enjoys repetition, as a result she found this activity very calming and soothing and it definitely helped to get her out of a heightened mood. This string art did help her focus on task at hands. It requires concentration to ensure it was being done correctly and the string was going through the correct hole for the pattern being made. She was not really bothered by how the boards joined, however as a parent I liked the versatility this offered. Short term this did keep her amused, she would play with this for around 30minutes before moving onto something else. We played with it in a couple of different sessions, it wasn’t something she reached for every day. This was played with at home after school. Initially she played with it independently, but her older sister liked the look and joined in. I think it made her think more about what the picture would end up looking like based on how it was going – she enjoyed coming up with the ideas and seeing them develop. She enjoyed the threading nature of the activity and liked putting the string through the holes. I liked how it was helping her to develop her fine motor skills. I think it was appropriate, although I also feel she could have used it from a younger age and she was probably almost at the upper age limit for the toy – my 8 year old bored quickly of the toy. I think it would be perfect to have in reception class as it would help them develop their fine motor skills which is essential at that age. It was well made and felt like it would last a while. The boards were solid and didn’t feel flimsy or weak. It is quite expensive for what is essentially string and plastic boards, and is something that I think she may grow out of rather quickly which would make the cost difficult to warrant if purchasing for home use. For a school setting where it would get more use, it would be good value. Yes and No – I would not buy it for my children as I feel they will grow out of it quickly, however I would purchase it as a present for her old nursery and/or her reception class when she moves to the next classroom. I think it would be a good gift to give to an early years teacher for their setting. I would recommend if they had young children. I would not recommend it if they were over the age of 6 as I don’t think they would get a good level of use from it. Not full marks because although my daughter enjoyed it, it is something she will grow too old for quite quickly due to her age. This was a lovely product to receive, my daughter enjoyed it and I liked the fact it was helping to develop her fine motor skills. I would be concerned about longevity and feel it would get more use over a longer period of time in an educational setting, rather than at home. Zoe Naylor – Ava 5 Years
Product Rested By Julie Harrison – Milly 5 Years
Julie awarded The EDX Junior String Art 4.5/5
It looked interesting and different when it arrived and Milly was eager to give it a go. I was very happy with everything included in the kit. The designs and idea was great as it helped them get creative. Instructions clear and easy to follow. Milly got to grips with this straight away. She really enjoyed completing her sting art. She followed the activity guide to start creating her own string art. As she used this more she used her creative skills to make up her own designs. We did not click online to view other designs as Milly likes to come up with her own. This offers many benefits as they use creative skills making up own designs and also helps with problem solving. I would say this is a calming activity as kept Milly happy and quiet. She would come up with a design and then focus on making it and then showing it to all of us. Liked how the boards could be joined vertically and horizontally as opened up new and innovative design ideas for Milly. Yes this did keep her happy and content. This was played with a few times each week. When she was in a creative mood. This was played with at home. She played this with her friends, nan and grandad and we also joined in the fun. All found it good fun. This is the sort of toy that really sparks your child’s own imagination. I loved the concept and how many different designs my daughter enjoyed making. This was age appropriate for our daughter. Really good quality. Definitely an great educational toy and perfect to have in early schools as helps with hand eye co-ordination, creative skills and problem solving. Reasonable value, could be a bit cheaper. I would buy this as a present. I would recommend as Milly enjoyed playing with this so much. A really well designed toy, that is fun to use and educational too. Just the price could be lower. My daughter has enjoyed playing with this so much and am sure she will continue to play with more in the future. Julie Harrison – Milly 5 Years
