Mokulock Wooden Building Bricks: A Natural Alternative to Lego

You all know how much I love toys, right?

My penchant for online shopping, coupled with the occasional opportunity to review toys for the blog, means I've pretty much been the toy queen in our house from day dot. When it comes to toys, my kids always come to me {possibly because I'm a girl and like the same things as them, or maybe because I hardly ever say no}. Anyway reasoning aside, for years daddy's been sitting on the sidelines patiently biding his time, waiting for the day he could finally introduce the girls to Lego and reign supreme in the toy department. He's literally been counting down since they were born. What he wasn't counting on though was me discovering a product even more awesome than Lego and totally stealing his thunder! Whoops... I almost feel bad about it {ok not really, because you all know how much I absolutely love wooden toys}. I've found the most amazing wooden alternative to Lego and the best part is it's now available in Australia.

WHAT IS MOKULOCK?

Mokulock pieces are wooden interlocking building bricks made in Yamagata Japan. In Yamagata 70% of the land is mountainous and the residents co-exist with nature, dependent on cultivating the forest for resources. Trees cannot thrive when they're close together in the mountains as not enough sunlight can filter through, so to ensure the survival of the forest as a whole, in the winter forest thinning occurs utilising the snow as a cushion when the trees are felled. The wood used for Mokulock bricks comes from the felled trees that are unsuitable for making furniture or architecture.

Mokulock is made from 6 different types of wood; Japanese Cherry, Japanese Zelkova, Japanese Bigleaf Magnolia, Birch, Hornbeam and Maple. Each individual brick is carved from a single piece of wood making them all unique with a different grain, texture and colour. No 2 pieces are ever identical, which if I'm completely honest would normally irritate my OCD, however I find the unique markings quite fascinating. Another plus is no chemicals, paint, glue or finishing oils are used in the production of the bricks, making them even more eco-friendly.

BRING NATURE INTO YOUR PLAYROOM

Research has confirmed wood has a calming, comforting effect. Mokulock is an organic, eco-friendly alternative for those who love the appeal of Lego, but hate plastic. It provides a multi-sensory play experience without the overstimulating bright colours and cold, hard feel of plastic. Instead Mokulock is warm and textured with subtle colour variations and a natural aroma, allowing sensory input without causing sensory overload.

Mokulock provides hours of open ended creative play that naturally aids fine motor skill development as the pieces are carefully manipulated into place. These bricks never get boring because they can literally be used to construct an unlimited number of designs, inspired by your child's imagination. As your children grow the complexity of their designs will evolve too.

The first time we played with Mokulock bub was coming up with ideas of what to build on her own then asked me to build one and she would copy. We did trees, people, houses and a pyramid all initiated by her. She got a bit frustrated when she couldn't get the bricks to join together perfectly the first time, but her stubborn streak is a blessing in disguise because she kept going until she mastered it. She's now asking me to search out more complex design ideas so we can build animals like dragons and crocodiles. Keep an eye out on Instagram to see all the creations we come up with.

MOKULOCK IS FOR EVERYONE

Whether your children are building simple towers or intricate multi level buildings, there's a Mokulock set for every member of the family from inquisitive toddlers right through to the biggest construction lovers. Although the regular Mokulock pieces are small and best suited to children aged 5 and over, they're also available in bigger sizes so younger children can join in too. And of course adults can play too!

MOKULOCK

The regular Mokulock brick sets include full {8 studs} and half {4 studs} sized bricks. Mokulock sets are available in 24 pieces, 36 pieces, 48 pieces and 60 pieces.

TSUMIKI

Block pieces in the Tsumiki sets are 8 times bigger than regular Mokulock pieces. They're similar in size to Duplo and designed so young children can start learning how to build with interlocking blocks. Tsumiki is available in 28 piece or 56 piece sets and come with additional eye stickers to help bring kids creations alive.

BUBU

The Bubu car is the only Mokulock set that includes wheels and bevel cut pieces. The set contains 14 pieces designed to build a specific wooden car which is the perfect size for little hands. However, the pieces are compatible with all Mokulock bricks, so it can be used in conjunction with other sets to build even bigger vehicles. 

KODOMO

Kodomo literally translates to children in Japanese and these sets are designed to add a little bit of magic. The Kodomo sets include regular Mokulock bricks in full and half lengths with the added bonus of cute eye stickers to help bring kids creations to life. Kodomo is available in 34 piece and 60 piece sets. For your chance to win a 60 piece set enter the giveaway at the end of this post.

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After playing with the regular Mokulock bricks I would suggest they're great for children aged 4 and up {we don't have Tsumiki, but I would assume they would be good for 3+ as they're similar to Duplo}. I always supervise her while playing with them, moreso because I need to keep her younger sister away from them as she still mouths everything. Word of warning too, you will need to keep them away from adult males, if you ever want to play with them again. The good news though is that he has forgiven me for stealing his thunder and now enjoys regular building sessions with bub. It's actually really lovely having a toy they can both play with and enjoy simultaneously. Mokulock gives them the option of working together for a common goal or alongside each other and it's been great watching them bond over a shared interest.

WHERE CAN YOU GET MOKULOCK IN AUSTRALIA?

The entire Mokulock range is now available from Oskars Wooden Ark, Australia's newest online destination for quality open ended wooden toys. Growing up in Germany, owner Simon was surrounded by many high quality wooden toys thanks to his kindergarten teacher mother, which cemented a deep love of handmade wooden toys and open ended play from an early age. He and his wife Thuy recently opened Oskar's Wooden Ark {affectionately named after their son} after emigrating from Germany to Australia, in the hopes of bringing the wonderful handmade wooden toys he enjoyed playing with growing up, to children here in Australia. You can read their entire story here.

Oskar's Wooden Ark specialises in wooden toys, stocking popular wooden toy brands Grimm's, Ostheimer, Wobbel, Grapat, Mokulock and Magic Wood, who's products are sourced from sustainably managed forests in Europe. Wooden bricks, rainbows, cars, animals, Nins and wobbleboards are just some of the iconic toys that grace their online shelves. Each product is unique with individual grain marks made by nature. They're also great for developing fine motor skills, high contrast vision, letters, numbers, counting, mathematical reasoning and language development whilst engaging children in hours of open ended play.

To celebrate their opening and Mokulock being available in Australia, they're offering all Finding Myself Young readers 10% off* all Mokulock products. Just use the code finding_myself_young when checking out at www.oskarswoodenark.com.au. You may even be lucky and get a special Mokulock wooden key charm with your order.

Thanks to Oskar's Wooden Ark I also have a 60 piece Kodomo set of Mokulock wooden building bricks to giveaway to you! To enter simply follow the prompts in the Rafflecopter widget {so I can contact you if you win} and comment below letting me know what your kids would love to build with Mokulock? You can also enter over on Facebook and Instagram for additional chances to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TERMS & CONDITIONS
Competition commences upon publication and ends at 11:59pm May 10th 2018. One winner will receive a Mokulock 60pc Kodomo set RRP $89.90. Finding Myself Young will not be held liable should the prize be lost in transit. Competition is open to Australian residents only, excluding ACT. This competition is a game of skill and will be judged as such. All mandatory entry steps must be completed to constitute a valid entry. Incomplete entries will be deemed invalid and excluded from judging. Entries can be made via www.findingmyselfyoung.com, Facebook and Instagram and one winner will be selected from the total entry pool. Winners will have 48hrs to respond or prize will be redrawn. This competition is in no way endorsed, promoted or administered by Facebook or Instagram.

* Discount code is valid 8th May 2018 - 10th May 2018

Disclosure - I was gifted Mokulock wooden building bricks for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed within this post are based on our experience building with Mokulock. I did not receive payment for this review.

Scooting along with Globber

Bringing a second baby into a family is a time of upheaval and uncertainty for a family unit, especially for the older child who's going from single child status to big brother or sister. With this in mind we decided, before I was due, that we'd make a concerted effort to spend one on one time with bub so she didn't have such a drastic change from only child to having to share us all the time. 

Coincidentally, a couple of weeks before I gave birth I was asked if we wanted to try out the new Globber MyFREE Fold UP scooter and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time. The scooter not only gives bub something special that's only for her, but it's also given us a fun activity that we can do with her during our special one on one time.

Please note this scooter has been upgraded and renamed as the Globber Primo foldable. 

The Globber MyFREE Fold Up is designed for 3yrs +  with an adjustable handlebar to grow with the child until a max of 50kg. It's a step up from her first Globber scooter as it's a standing only scooter without a seat attachment. She was also lucky enough to receive one with flashing LED wheels and I'm actually slightly jealous that it's hers and not mine {is that wrong?}.

As a toddler bub took quite a while to master her Globber My Free 4 in 1 scooter in the actual scooter mode, so I expected she might be a bit hesitant with the MyFREE Fold Up, but to my surprise she had it down pat within about 15 minutes. It was like watching her morph from a toddler into a big girl right in front of me. I guess having a baby makes older children suddenly look more grown up as well, but seriously watching your firstborn baby suddenly able to tackle a scooter without any help is another subtle reminder that they are in fact growing up whether you like it or not.

Globber also sent us a helmet to use with the scooter. It's the first helmet she's ever used and I thought it might be tricky getting her to wear it, but it has a simple magnetic catch lock which makes it really quick and easy to get on, she can even do it herself {when she has the helmet around the right way}. It also has a dial fit system allowing the band to be tightened easier for the perfect fit. It's so much easier than normal helmets which buckle together and can catch skin if you have them on too tight {yes that happened to me as a child and I was always scared putting them on}. The helmet has also been a great way to teach her about safety when riding her scooter, especially on concrete. We've implemented a no helmet no ride policy and now she always makes sure she has her helmet on before we take the scooter out. In fact she usually reminds us to grab her helmet before she grabs her scooter.

I'm not sure if it's because she's taller, older and more carefree, or because she felt more confident wearing a helmet, but either way she mastered riding her new scooter really easily. She didn't get disheartened or scared when she slipped off the first few times, if anything it actually made her even more determined to succeed. She persisted, wanting us only to watch and not help her, and after a really short time was confident enough to ride the scooter on both concrete and grass. Being able to do it herself has made her much more independent and confident in her abilities and she's constantly riding it around the backyard on her own or begging us to take her outside to ride around the neighbourhood with her. An added bonus from her wanting to ride the scooter all the time is that we're all getting more time outside in the fresh air and we're getting incidental exercise as we follow her around the local paths.

Our favourite features of the MyFREE Fold UP scooter

Easy to assemble and adjust

Like all Globber scooters the MyFREE Fold Up is really easy to assemble, it's literally a case of clicking pieces together. The handlebar is also adjustable to 3 different heights as your child grows by simply clicking the bar in and out as needed.

Easy to store

One of the best features of the MyFREE Fold Up is that the handlebar can be folded down flat against the base board with a click of the button. This allows the scooter to be easily stored under a bed, on a shelf or lent flat against a wall. It also makes them really easy to transport in the back of a car {especially if you already have a pram in the boot}.

Easy to ride

The MyFREE Fold UP is a 3 wheel scooter and low to the ground making it easy for younger kids to balance and control. It also has an optional steering lock. 

Safety features

The steering lock allows the scooter to switch between assisted steering and only going straight which is great while kids are still getting used to it. There's also a long covered rear brake making it easier for kids to brake themselves {although mine still prefers to just put her foot out to stop it, but I'm sure she'll master the brake eventually}.

Thanks to the team at Globber I have one MyFREE Fold UP scooter {RRP $180} to give away to one lucky reader. To enter just leave me a comment below letting me know why you'd love to win a MyFREE Fold UP scooter and complete the steps in the rafflecopter form {so I can contact you if you win}, it's that simple!

If you're having any issues leaving a comment {sometimes it can be a bit temperamental} shoot me an email or send me a message on my Facebook page and I can help you out.

Toni x

*Please note unfortunately the prize scooter doesn't come with LED wheels, sorry guys!*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TERMS & CONDITIONS 

Competition commences upon publication and ends at 11:59pm August 24th 2017. One winner will receive a MyFREE Fold UP scooter from Globber RRP $180.00. Winner can choose their preferred colour from the options available once the competition has ended. Finding Myself Young will not be held liable should the prize be lost in transit. Competition is open to Australian residents only, excluding ACT. This competition is a game of skill and will be judged as such. All mandatory entry steps must be completed to constitute a valid entry. Incomplete entries will be deemed invalid and excluded from judging. Winner will have 72hrs to respond or prize will be redrawn. This competition is in no way endorsed, promoted or administered by Facebook.

Disclosure - We were gifted a Globber MyFREE Fold UP scooter and helmet for the purpose of review. All opinions are expressed based on our experience using the scooter. I did not receive payment for this review.