Wild Science Hyperlauncher Rocket Ball Factory

This is not the first Wild Science set I have reviewed on my blog. Previously, I have enjoyed having a 'Lava Laugh' (amongst other things!) with the Wild Science Beauty Salon and made lip balm with the Wild Science Lip Balm Laboratory. Both these sets had a decidedly 'girlie' flavour. Not so with the latest of the Wild Science sets I was sent to review. The Hyperlauncher Rocket Ball Factory has much more boy appeal and contains everything you need to make your own Mass Accelerating Launch Ball.

As with all the Wild Science sets, the instruction booklet gives very clear, step by step diagrammatic instructions with lots of science to support the school curriculum. The importance of safety is emphasised and the kit comes with a set of protective goggles - guaranteed to make you feel like a 'real' scientist!

The kit is aimed at boys (and girls with a preference for such things) in the 8+ years age category. I set my ever willing teenagers the challenge of trying out the kit, including videoing their efforts. This is how they got on.

I was impressed with how well the bouncy balls turned out, although they do need to be stored in a plastic bag to stop them drying out and becoming too hard. We had to limit the experimenting part to what we could do inside as the weather was not good enough to take the experiments outside. 

There are plenty of the 'hypergranules' left to make more bouncy balls with the potential for much more experimentation.

I really love the Wild Science range. I think they are great fun and if they can capture the interest of our children and inspire a passion for science - that can only be a good thing.

RRP £12.99

Poppy Cat

Although my 4 year old daughter Addy has never seen the children's TV show 'Poppy Cat' which airs on Nick Jnr, it did not stop her from instantly relating to the cute little plush, talking Poppy Cat toy (suitable from 10+ months) from Golden Bear that we were sent to review.

We were also sent a set of Poppy and Friends Figurines (suitable from age 3+ years) which immediately caught her imagination and inspired some delightful make believe play.

The toys are very well made and lovely to handle. I always think that the best way to demonstrate a toy is in the hands of a child so here is a video of Addy getting to know her Poppy Cat characters.

Addy likes to take the talking Poppy Cat to bed with her. This did cause some confusion during the night when my husband and I could hear a little voice that we didn't recognise coming from one of the bedrooms! In our sleepy state, the confusion lasted much longer than it ought to have!

Poppy Cat Talking Soft Toy and

Poppy Cat and Friends Figurines 

both retail at £9.99

Time to Turn the Central Heating On?