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The game I get asked for most in the Totnes is Bananagrams . Which is a banana shapped case filled with letter tiles that you use to play a word game. I've never played it myself but given how many people ask for it I should probably give it a go as it must be good. When I found the distributor for Bananagrams I had to make an order and so we now have this game in stock as well as other games that they also supply. Hugely popular already is Lexicon which despite having been around since the 1930's is the first time we have ever stocked the game. In fact even though we have an original vintage version in our loft we have never played it. One game that has just arrived with this delivery that I do remember playing is Pass the Pigs. Basically you throw the pigs like dice and score points on how they land. Each position that they land in has a hilarious name such as pig out, makin ' bacon or snouter . Lastly but for this Cornish girl by no means least we have a Cornwall E...

Totnes show is over 90 years old and is set to attract thousands of visitors for this years traditional day of fun! This year they will of course be the popular Home & Handicrafts marquee, Craft Tent and a large Trade Stands section. New to the show will be the Acoustic Music Stage, featuring great local music and a four-mile Cross Country Bike Race with prizes up for grabs! For the food lovers there's a demonstration kitchen where local chefs will be showing off their skills. The main attraction this year is Squibbfreestyle - a Devon-based company who specialise in motorcycle stunt displays. The UK's number 1 FMX rider and three times British Champion, Jamie Squibb, will be there to show off his adrenaline pumped stunts. This year's Show will be held at Great Court Farm on Sunday 31st July 2011. Gates open to the public at 8.30am FREE Park & Ride operating from SHDC Follaton House and KEVICC Lower School Car Parks. With the weather set to stay sunny this weeken...

Boules has always been a very popular game in France and Italy being played in village squares and open spaces but has become an increasingly played game here in the UK for several years. Although it is kind of related to the more traditional game of Bowls which is considered to be played by the more mature person on flat greens, Boules can be seen played by all ages and has the advantage that it can be played on uneven surfaces. Traditional Boules are made of steel and there are usually 6 in a set and included with them is a small wooden ball, or Jack as it is called, made of wood. Teams are made of two or three players, with the boules being divided between them. A line or circle can be drawn as a standing point and one player tosses the wooden Jack several metres away. Each team then takes turns throwing their Boule as close as possible to the Jack, or if the opposing team has a closer Boule, then a player can try to hit that Boule to remove it and place his closer. When all the ...

Part of me wanted to stay in my bubble and not write about the terrible killings in Norway but to not acknowledge the events of Friday would be to do the victims a great disservice. No one could have predicted that Anders Behring Breivik would go on a killing rampage on Utoya island on that day killing so many. The death of a young person is always hard to comprehend, their futures cut short in a tragic waste of human life so why did this man feel the need to kill so many? How can he justify this kind of loss? He holds extreme right views and maybe this was a protest against his government of some sort but these young people were innocent people that he shot at indiscriminately . As a parent I can only imagine what the families are going through as there worst nightmare has become a reality. The survivors of these ordeal will be haunted by this forever.

Toyday have recently started to sell crabbing equipment and it's proving extremely popular, especially in our Looe shop, which is the perfect place for crabbing! Crabbing is a great pass time for sitting on the harbour in the sun - all you need is a bucket, a crab line, some bait and a net! There is a Crab Festival being held all over South Devon from 1st - 7th August in many different crabbing hot spots and includes crabbing competitions, events, tasting and beach events to be enjoyed by all the family this summer. The confirmed events can be seen below: The finale of South Devons Crab Festival, which takes place on Sunday 7th August aims to have the most people eating South Devon crab at one time on Dartmouth's South Embankment. Tickets are £15 for an adult and £7.50 for children. Click here to book tickets. Come along and enjoy these fun filled events!

This week sees the start of the school holidays around the country and already Looe is getting busy although the weather has not been very kind. Sunday 24th July is the start of the annual Looe Carnival and here is a list of events happening in and around the town. Sunday 24th July: At West Waylands, an all day boot sale incorporating a Vintage and Classic transport parade and a Countryside Hawking Birds of Prey display. Monday 25th July: Carnival Royalty choosing followed by the Traditional Floral Dance at 7.30 in the evening starting on West Looe Square. Tuesday 26th July: Adults and children's Fun Run from West Looe Quay through the woods. Wednesday 27th July: Children's Sand Modelling Competition on East Looe beach. Thursday 28th July: Polperro Fisherman's Choir in Concert at the Lifeboat Station in the evening. Friday 29th July: A day of Traditional Beach Entertainment on East Looe Beach for children. Saturday 30th July: The Grand Carnival Procession to t...

I think I mentioned before that Diabolos have been a popular playground craze of late, with lots of children being able to perform impressive tricks. Quite a useful skill to have if you want to join the circus although I dare say a skill that will be forgotten by most. I certainly can't remember all the different friendship bracelet patterns we used to create sat in the corner of the play ground. It was a lovely idea to make something to give to a friend although I remember being a little reluctant to give mine away after spending hours making them. We would all have bracelets up our arms, including the dreaded 'shag bands'. There is a lot of disgust surrounding these colourful rubbery bracelets mainly due to the name but we were wearing them from 11 and we never followed the meaning (although we knew what they were supposed to mean) we just wanted to collect as many as possible. I still have a couple of clear rubber bracelets from those days that used to contain wa...

Push alongs are great for encouraging Children to walk and improve their balance. This cute and colourful Tweedy push along flaps his wings as you push him along. The handle features a nicely rounded end so the child can hold onto the stick a bit easier. The stick can be detached from Tweedy for easy storage. I bought this for my Nephew as a Christmas present and the product definitely lived up to it's expectations! At first he did just try to carry it around, but once he knew how to use it, not only did it encourage him to walk better, but he also found the flapping of the birds wings highly amusing and it was funny to watch him push it around from room to room! The only negative with him playing with it so much is that it will begin to look worn quite noticeably on the wheels. This fairly simple and reasonably priced toy is perfect for helping young ones with their spatial thinking, hand and eye coordination and balance. Pro’s and Cons Pros - Great for encouraging walking a...

After spending the light summer evenings out in the garden this week, attending to the vegetables, and helping Blake with his "creature hunts" for snails and wriggly worms, I'm feeling inspired to write a toyday top ten list of  toys and games that can be played in the garden, and perfect for enjoying outdoors. 1. Children's Watering Cans 2. Plastic Boules Set 3. Small Buckets and Spades 4. Rubber Band Powered Aeroplane 5. Fishing Nets 6. Bug Box with Magnifier 7. Wooden Quoits Game 8. Leather Football 9. Garden Croquet Set 10. Compass

I first came across this card game many years ago while I was staying with my relatives in the Netherlands and I got well and truly hooked on it and we often found ourselves playing Uno into the early hours. There seemed to be a different attitude when it came to card games and board games then in this country and many nights we would visit friends, of friends would just drop in, and we would all sit around the table and plays games. Rarely would a television be put on and the children were as involved as the adults in whatever game we would play and it does seem as we have all become used to sitting down in the evening and putting the 'telly' on which often ends conversation and stimulation. There are variations of the game but a normal deck consists of four suits, wild cards and word cards which ha ve directions to follow, making a total of 108 cards and can be played with up to ten players. With a dealer chosen, each player is dealt 7 cards with the remainder of the pack, c...

It's nearly time for the kids to break up from school for the summer, which can often leave you wondering how are you going to keep them busy and entertained for 6 weeks. Below are a few suggestions: This year the fantastic Totnes Carnival week is set to to run from 14th to 21st August. They have yet again planned a week full of fun and exciting events, which appeal to all ages. Events include a Bingo Evening, Baby Show, Fishing Competition and Teddy Bears Picnic. Not forgetting the challenging but fun Odd Object competition, which Toyday will be taking part in, so make sure you head on up to see if you can guess what doesn't quite fit in our window display this year. Keep checking the blog for more information on the events! Woodlands Family Theme Park is running events daily during the Summer Holidays. If the rides and attractions aren't enough to keep the little ones busy, they have entertainers performing. 23rd July – Richie the Award Winning Street Performer 24th ...

Here at Toyday, our main business is selling toys, as toys, to play with, and entertain or amuse oneself. However, sometimes our toys are purchased for other such purposes, and today, I felt compelled to list some of them. Cat Deterrent a.k.a. The Water Pistol Perfect for keeping cats under control, a water pistol is a must. Whether you are keeping strays off of the garden, or trying house-train your cat, many of our water pistols are sold for keeping their pets under control. Crow / Bird Scarer a.k.a. Wooden Football Rattle Great to keep the birds away from freshly sown seeds in the garden, the clacking noise generated from this wooden football rattle should do a great job of keeping the birds away! Restaurant Menu a.k.a. Framed slate and pencil You may have eaten out recently and been presented with the dessert menu or specials chalked up on on of our slate blackboards. They are far more environment friendly than paper too. Party Jelly Moulds a.k.a. Castle Bucket and Mould...

A couple of weeks ago I was in a local supermarket in the magazine aisle trying to find something interesting to browse through while my partner tried on some clothes. Usually I find a fishing one but there weren't any there but I noticed a 'Metal Detectorist' magazine. Now I have always been a fan of the TV programme 'Time Team' and many years ago I bought an old C-Scope metal detector at a boot sale for around a tenner if I remember correctly, with thoughts of finding some long buried treasure of unimaginable value and as I didn't seem to have any luck whatsoever with the lottery this seemed to be the answer! I bought a few magazines on the subject and with new batteries I was ready to go. Through the summer I spend most of my days off on a beach somewhere and it seemed a great idea that after the crowds had gone home I would set up the detector and scour the beach for lost money, rings and all sorts of jewellery as I had seen a few other people with detectors...

What is a marble? A marble is a small spherical toy, commonly made from glass, but also made from clay, steel or precious stone. Marbles are used for playing many different marble games , as well as their appeal to collectors due to their beautiful aesthetics. (they look pretty!) When was the first marble ever made? There are no recorded dates of when the first marbles were ever made. It appears that the earliest marbles found by archeologists were made of stone, which was discovered along with some small stone pillars buried in a child's grave in Egypt in about 4000 BC. Similar clay and stone marbles have been discovered in Pakistan and in Austrian caves inhabited by our palaeolithic ancestors. It is also assumed that people would have played games using stones and nuts before this time. Interestingly, there are murals at the roman baths in Somerset showing children playing games with marbles. Glass Marbles Shakespeare's works contain references to the game of marbl...