Early Learning Centre Wooden Farm

One thing that I find annoying at products aimed at children is the lack of realism; this isn't a new thing for me though. I remember as a child playing with Sindy but hating Barbie because it wasn't realistic enough … all pink and plastic. That is why I really like the Early Learning Centre's Wooden Farm set. It looks like a farm (minus the mud!) with realistic brick buildings, fences and dry stone walls. The extras you can buy all look like real farm animals rather than plastic moulded creatures that only vaguely resemble the animals they are supposed to be.

My eldest son had the farm bought for Christmas when he was three and two years later it is also a favourite of his little brother. The wooden base of the farm comes in two pieces and is painted green with painted on tractor tracks and a pond. The four buildings are all made of wood which is painted on some buildings to look like grey stone and on others it is painted to look like red brick. It all needs putting together as each of the walls and roofs are all separate. It also includes pieces of fence and wall which can be linked together to either go around the green base or made into separate fields for the animals.

Our farm gets packed away in a plastic box and ends up in pieces each time it is put away so it does become easier working out which wall belongs to which building. (I suppose I could glue them together but what would be the fun in that?) I doubt a child could put it together from scratch unsupervised but it doesn't take too long for an adult. The wood for the walls and base is quite strong and our farm is still in pretty good condition considering how much use it has had.

One of the downsides of this toy for me is that the animals, farmers and tractor are not included in the price. This is a policy of ELC that I really don't like because lets face it how can you have a farm without animals? Once you start with the animals it is difficult to know when to stop. They are only about £1 each but you have to buy a male, female and baby of everything and there are cows, sheep, horses and pigs. Then of course there is the dog and the goat, a man and woman farmer and the tractor and trailer not to mention the chickens and the goose!!! It soon adds up. A word of warning … whoever designed the animals got the proportions wrong and the goat and the dog are REALLY HUGE compared to the other animals. (Not that my children seem to be bothered much).

I feel that it is one of those toys that will never really be out of fashion as it is so realistic … I can see it lasting a very long time.