Maddabling: Friday Friends - West Australian Makers

Happy Friday lovely Maddabling readers, the countdown to Christmas is definitely upon us. I have nearly finished the Christmas Shopping and can be proud to say that many gifts this year were Fair Trade or Handmade. I love finding unusual and meaningful gifts to give. This week I have a wonderful Friday Friend to introduce - meet Amber - a clever West Australian Maker, and the face behind MollydagMade.

Do you want some new ways to keep the kids entertained over the school holidays? Or even on rainy days? Then these wonderful games from MollydagMade could be just what you are looking for. I must confess, a couple of these toys may have made it into my nephews Christmas Stocking this year!

MollydagMade makes a variety of wonderful games and toys including Counting Games, Fine + Gross Motor Skill Builders, Games to Go and Memory Games.

These sweet memory games come several designs High Seas, Woodland Friends, Space Robots and Tea Time just to name a few. It is a more traditional memory game which features twenty wooden tokens each hand stamped with ten pictures, for which Amber uses a water resistant, permanent, non-toxic ink. To truly make these a Game on the Go, the game pieces come complete with a matching hand stamped drawstring bag and there is an option to purchase a set of 5 laminated travel Bingo Cards.

MollydagMade has a fabulous focus on play that is designed to build Fine + Gross Motor Skills.

For example, these throwing comets, which are small + light are safer for indoor play. Weighing in at 25g, have a 6.5cm 'square' bean bag, 30cm long rainbow ribbon tail making them safer for indoor play. A child can play throw and catch, land the comet in a bucket or throw it through a hula hoop. You can even use these to practice your juggling.

There is also an "I Spy" game which your child can squish n' squash, shake + shimmy this little bag to reveal the wooden disks around behind the window. There are 20 little pictures to discover (10 little 2.5cm wooden disks, each stamped on both sides) and the bags are made from undyed cotton, measure 14cm square, making them a perfect size for little hands. All seams are double stitched for extra durability.

And for the budding fisherman how about this fabulous magnetic fishing game? There are 12 fish (large and small) made from a super tough PVC fabric. Each fish is hand-stamped with the numbers 1 to 12 for counting, adding, sequencing - the learning games are endless. Each set also comes with two 8 inch fishing rods made from Tasmanian oak & hand stamped cotton drawstring pouch (15x22cm). This game is fabulous to play inside on a restaurant table or outside in muddy puddles!!! Fish by number, colour, size, or just fish for fun!

An example of one of MollydagMades counting games is one that I haven't ever seen before. The aim is to capture the ladybirds as they leap from leaf to leaf. It is a modern take on the ancient game of Mancala (or Kalah), a game that has been played as long ago as the 7th century. Amber describes this game:

"At the beginning of the game, 4 ladybirds are placed on each leaf. Each player takes turns picking up all the ladybirds on a leaf and letting one 'leap' on each leaf in turn. If your ladybird lands on an empty leaf, the player will capture all the opponent's ladybirds on the opposing leaf! Who will capture the most ladybirds? A great game of counting & strategy." The game set includes includes: 12 felt leaves, 50 wooden ladybirds, drawstring bag, instructions and a tin carry case.

Readers, I will now hand you over to Amber to tell you a little more about the MollydagMade story - have a wonderful weekend and remember to stop and smell the flowers at least once at this super busy time of year.

The Magic of MollydagMade

Hi, I'm Amber, the hands behind Games to Go by Mollydag Made.

I'm a wife, mother to two, a PhD graduate, crafter and small time business woman.

When my kidlets were toddlers, I was always on the lookout for things that we could do together which were educational, but more than that, were loads of fun.

I strive to hand make traditional, simple and engaging games that make learning fun.