Quality toys that last and last

Press, 5 December 1985, Page 29

Quality toys that last and last

A toy must be a quality product as well as value for money according to the manager of Every Educaid, Ltd, Mr David Barnett. “People don’t have as much money as they used to, but they can still buy a quality product,” Mr Barnett said.

“You don’t have to spend a fortune on children’s toys,” he said.

Every Educaid aims to sell toys with play value, teaching value, and which will last and last. “If a customer is not completely satisfied with a product, we will gladly refund him or her,” said Mr Barnett.

“We like getting feedback from our customers and hearing how children have responded to particular toys or games,” he said. Educaid specialised in

toys for children of all ages, from 3 months onwards. Safety was of vital importance in buying toys for children under three years, said Mr Barnett, anything that was small enough to be swallowed, toxic to eat or sharp enough to cut must be avoided. Many of Educaid’s toys were solid, colourful, and “when a child plays with it — something happens,” he said. Toys which help children develop eye co-ordination and hand manipulation skills were of particularly good value. Children could be under a lot of peer pressure to get

certain toys, and parents should be wary of this. Often, mechanised toys performed an “amazing feat” but then that was the end of playing possibilities with

that toy. It was important that a toy did not bore a child. Mr Barnett found that simple colourful building blocks or puzzles had continued to entertain children long after more sophisticated toys were abandoned. Mosaic pattern shapes, sold by Educaid, had been extremely popular. They were bright and colourful, and made of foam plastic so that they could be bent, chewed and thrown — and bounce back into shape. Duplo was another quality product. All children aged 5 months and upwards could play with it. The pieces were too large to swallow

and very durable, Mr Barnett said. Children aged three and upwards could be given Lego, which were smaller building blocks that could

be added to. “Lego is expensive but children play with it all their lives,” said Mr Barnett Playmobil and Playskool offered a variety of toys which were made of solid colourful plastics which had always been popular with young children. Locally made wooden products were inexpensive and were enjoyed by many children, he said. The Sputnik, a wooden block with parts which moved when it was turned, had been popular all year, said Mr Barnett.

“Many of our games teach children to construct,

from simple things like pegs or blocks to Meccano sets and Capsela, which are land and water toys that have tiny motors. The children put the toys together and

can see how the gears and machines operate,” he said. Books, for all ages, were a specialty at Educaid. Starting for the very youngest there were friezes — a long decorated strip of designs or letters — and learning series books. Books on hobbies, reference books, science books and lots of fiction books were also available. They came in a wide range of sizes and prices, and there were some wonderful stories which had been published very cheaply, he said. Mr Barnett said he en-

couraged people to have a good look around.

“Our staff are keen to help in any way they can. We enjoy talking to people and helping them sort out what they think is best for their child,” he said.