Bruin 2-sided Activity Board
Lucas received this 2-sided activity board during at his 1 month old celebration after my confinement. Recommended for children 12 months and above, the front of the board has:
- a telephone set
- 3 large beads
- a set of large and small “flowers” for children to place into holes at the back of the set
- a spinning board with square, circle and triangle blocks
- a key for the telephone set, which functions as a storage case
Ever since he started exploring it when when he was 6 months old, Lucas has not stopped having fun with it!
For starters, the bright colours are very eye catching - orange, purple, green and yellow.
Also, the chunky bits develops his grasp and finger manipulation (gross motor skills) as he turns the knobs, handles the blocks, flips the board, store/remove the petals and holds the key as he tries to unlock the hatch.
When the “flowers” are plugged in the back of the board, children can see the “petals” (cogs in a wheel) interacting with each other like gears in a machine. It’s nice to see Lucas watching in fascination when he sees how turning the bigger flower has an effect on the smaller flowers.
The only hitch to this activity board is the toy telephone - the handle is excruciatingly difficult to remove from the cradle! Both Grandpa and Hubby are often asked to dislocate it and they finally do, trying their best not to spoil the set as they try to unhook it.
I find that it needs a bit of jiggling but we still can’t figure out the right way to do this. Often, it’s through sheer luck that I manage to unhook it. Understanding boy that he is, Lucas has come to accept that the telephone is “stuck” LOL
The interacting petals seem to be a “token” feature as 1 big wheel and 4 smaller ones come with it. You need to be slightly careful when you spin the wheels as too much force may convert them to flying saucers! In this case, you’ll also get a giggling baby 
Even my preschool niece enjoys playing with it - using the petals and blocks as imaginative “food” as she sits with Lucas to play tea-time.
All in all, for an activity board that retails at about RM45 (~ US$14), it stands strong for all the handling, dropping and banging it endures under its toddler master. Its many removable items make it a rather versatile unit to have fun with.
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