Munchkin caterpillar spillers stacking cups

Ok so the title is a bit of a mouthful but if words were activities then you get more than you'd imagine from these cups. Designed for bath time (each cup has a different assortment of holes in the bottom) we jumped at the chance to review these - if you’ve read this blog before you’ll know we’re a BIG fan of bathtime (see here for our glow in the dark bath and here for other fun bathtimes). But actually we found so many other ways to play with them - all of which D loved. 

Stack 'em, build 'em, click 'em

Stacking and building

The cups can neatly stack inside one another or be built on top of each other to form a tower. Both equally fun for a toddler to do :) And don't forget the obligatory knocking over afterwards...

 

It wasn't me, it was the dinosaur

 

Practising counting and colours

Each tub is a different colour and is labelled with a number. D is just starting to learn different colours so this is a great way to get him to both recognise each colour, and practise saying the names of each. He's too young for number recognition/games yet but that's something we can look forward to doing later on :)

Developing fine motor skills

There are lots of ways to develop motor skills with these tubs. Stacking them inside each other or on top of each other, clicking them together to make the caterpillar, breaking the caterpillar up, working out how to turn the "waterwheel" in the smallest cup. 

 

Moving the wheel using his hands, or by blowing (good practice for swimming!)

Understanding cause and effect

The holes in the bottom of each cup are different so they all empty water at different speeds and patterns. Older children can have fun guessing which ones will empty fastest and then test their hypothesis - a very simple introduction to experiments. D is a bit young for this at the moment - he just enjoys filling them up and watching them empty :) and trying to drink from them :(

Fun

It's not all about learning and what skills can be advanced. Sometimes it's about good old-fashioned fun...

I haven't hidden them...honest!

Cost:

The set costs £3.99 but make sure you shop around - weirdly Asda have it on sale at £5 (!) and on Amazon it's even more. I've also thought those retailers were two of the cheapest so that made me rethink my regular buying strategy... Anyway Boots and Tesco are 2 big retailers who sell it at it's regular price :)

Age range:

D is 22 months and loved playing with them. Iz (at 8 weeks) is a bit young to 'play' with anything but as soon as she's able to hold a toy I'd happily let her have them. 

Perfect size for little hands to fiddle with

Overall:

This may all sound a bit enthusiastic for a plastic toy but we were really impressed by just how many different things you could do with it. although we were sent it free to review I can honestly say that I'd happily have paid for it myself. And indeed I have already ordered several more as presents. It's versatility, wide age range appeal and low price make it a toy box (or bathroom!) essential.