Play with your food! Melissa & Doug's Cutting Food set

As Christmas draws nearer many of the prominent parenting blogs out there are featuring lists of favourite and age-appropriate toys as gift-ideas. And so far ALL of the ones I've seen have this toy in common:

Melissa & Doug's Cutting Food Set

R310

   Here are the specs:

• The set contains eight pieces of wooden food, a wooden cutting board and a wooden knife, all beautifully packed in a sturdy wooden box. The parts of each piece of play food sticks together with heavy-duty velcro and can then be 'cut' into pieces using the wooden knife.
• Can't you just hear that satisfying, crunchy sound it makes when the knife slices through the velcro?? I think this may be one of the main reasons young children so enjoy this set!!
• Size of the box: 7 x 30 x 27,5cm 

Some super ideas for extension activities from the official Melissa & Doug website:

• Ask the child to identify each food and categorize it as a fruit, vegetable, or grain.
• Place the food items in a row. Ask the child to count the number of food items. Repeat the activity until the child is able to count them independently.
• Ask the child to place the apple on the cutting board and cut it apart with the wooden knife. Explain that the apple has been cut into two equally sized pieces, or halves. Ask the child to find another piece of food that could be cut in half (the pepper).
• Ask the child to put together the sandwich-bread slices on the cutting board and to use the wooden knife to cut them into individual slices. Explain that the bread was cut into three equal slices, or thirds. (Do not use the loaf for this activity--it works best with the sandwich slices.)
• Ask the child to place the watermelon slice on the cutting board and to cut it apart with the wooden knife. Explain that the watermelon slice has been cut into four pieces, or fourths.

All great ideas to enrich the playing experience, but from what I've seen, you will unlikely to have to assist much!!

  To see (and hear - crunch, crunch, crunch!!) this play food set in action, click on the video above to watch Melissa herself give a delightful demonstration. (If you subscribe via e-mail, please click here to view the video).

How to order:

* E-mail me your order, including postal address to joyfulmama@telkomsa.net.

*  I will bill you and await proof of payment to start processing our order.

* Please allow two weeks for delivery.

* All orders are sent via the SA Post Office and I will send you a tracking number as soon as your parcel is in the post.