[EDIT: I lent this to my niece and apparently didn't take any pictures before the parts were mixed in with other toys'. The kids were having way too much fun! I did manage to find a picture on my phone of the box prior to opening. I'll try to get more snaps when our niece brings it back.]

Our range of kiddos spans from baby to kindergartener, so imposing age limits on toys is not going to happen. What we look for in toys for the eldest is largely dependent upon how it will affect the youngest. This has all of the elements that we desire in a toy for ages 3-5: cognitive development / educational attributes; durability (we especially love wooden toys because of this); gender neutral; large pieces (to minimize choking hazard); and child safe paint (because what baby DOESN'T love to put random objects in their mouth?).

So how did a rather unrealistic expectation compare to reality? Really well, actually! Surprisingly, the most interested party was neither male nor the eldest- the demographic one would expect. Our three-year-old niece couldn't get enough of it! She's too young to understand the instructions on how to make the various objects, but it didn't stop her enthusiasm. She loved playing engineer with the various parts to fashion her own creations.

These put Tinker Toys to shame when it comes to working on a kid's motor movements. Using tools really set this apart from the usual wooden building kits. The best part, though? Not having to look in every nook and cranny for the pieces. The parts are thick and large enough that they were easy enough to find and grab when it was clean up time.

And, yes, baby put stuff in her mouth. And, yes, it was easy to spot and fish out. I think what attracted her to playing with the pieces was the sound they make. Someone's destined to be a percussionist.

I wrote this about another toy from this company (Toys of Wood Oxford's pull along chicken and egg toy was a HUGE hit with baby), but I think the information bears repeating: I'm from California and saw a Prop-65 warning on this product, which usually means that there is lead content or another ingredient that may be harmful to the health of children or pregnant women. This was in direct conflict with the written description of the toy. The seller reassured me that their toys have been tested and met the highest quality standards.

Sometimes a seller will seem sketchy, like they're trying to tell me what I want to hear; this was not at all the case this time. Not only did the seller want to rectify the situation, they were interested in how to do better. They have really researched their products and thought about what is important in terms of children's health, development, and general ecological practices.

So what have we learned about the kids we love from this toy? One's got a career ahead of her as a musician, another is making her way as a mechanical engineer, and everyone who played had a great imagination. As corny as it sounds, it's a toy that is fun for the whole family.

I was initially excited that I found a building toy other than Legos for my grandson, I thought by the name it was made in the U.K. Needless to say when it arrived I was wrapping it and came across the familiar statement, Made in China!