Bird figurines for children- my reviews


Hi! I am coming with something new today. My son is obssesed with animals, and he has always been this way, therefore animal figurines are his absolutely favourite toys in the world. Anytime I talk about them either here, or on my Instagram, I receive questions regarding my recommendations. So I decided that every month, or every other month I will be showing you the figurines here, and shortly reviewing them to hopefully help you decide which figurines are worth investing in. Because if you know me, you know that I always make the most of everything I own.


Before I begin, I want to mention that these figurines are not biodegradable, so I chose to buy them second hand. Probably over 95% of pieces in my son's collection have been owned by somebody else before. And  I am sure that my son will pass them onto somebody else one day. 


Please bear in mind that some of these figurines are pretty small (the AAA's hen for example) and therefore are not suitable for babies/ young toddlers. 


If you are looking for some ideas on how to use these figurines to educate your kids, please check out these two activity guides: part I is here, and part II here ðŸ˜Š


Some of the figurines you will see here today are marked as dupes of brand figurines. I bought them in a bundle, second-hand, and upon doing research I realised that they were dupes. Nonetheless, I will always recommend getting an original piece to respect people that dedicated their precious time to create something special. 


OK, enough rambling. Here are the figurines: 


AAA Peacock
PEACOCK AAA
I found this figurine in a car boot sale last year. It's large and beautifully crafted. Despite its size, it is quite light. The feathers are made of a softer, slightly bendable PVC, and thanks to that they are safer for the children. The intricate carving of the tail provides a fantastic sensory experience for a child. I like the way the peacock is painted, although the colours of it are not as bright. 


Ostrich by AAA, and emu by K&M
OSTRICH AAA
This is yet another large figurine by AAA. I like its shape a lot. The head, neck and wings are softer and slightly bendable. The neck of the ostrich could have been painted in a more realistic colour and the painting in general could have been a little bit more detailed, but this is probably a very old figurine. I know that it originally came in a set with 2 more figurines: a chick and a hatchling, and I hope to find the hatchling soon. I believe that it would a wonderful addition to Kian's collection.


Emu by K&M and ostrich by AAA
EMU K&M
This is a small figurine, especially if compared to the AAA's ostrich. I like its shape, especially that it is pretty detailed for its size. Probably the only con of it is that the head could have been shaped and painted a bit more precisely. But it is teeny tiny, so I know that it would be almost impossible. All in all, this is a great little figurine. 


AAA Goose and Goslings, AAA Hen and Chicks, AAA Rooster and chick, AAA duck and ducklings
GOOSE AND GOSLINGS AAA
This goose figurine is very cute. It is pretty detailed for its size. It's great for small world play, and decorating purposes.



Blue Footed Booby dupe of Safari Ltd. figurine
BLUE FOOTED BOOBY (no name, but it is most likely a dupe of Safari Ltd figurine)
This figurine is generally very nice. I like its sculpting, and the painting is not bad at all. However, the design of it is slightly off. You can make the booby stand on his feet, or he falls on its beak. The only way to make it stand is by leaning it back on its tail. And it can be quite frustrating for the child. From what I have seen, the original figurine is correctly balanced. 


Puffin by Schleich
PUFFIN Schleich
This figurine is small and light. It is very realistic, although I wish that the painting of the bottom part of the wings was more detailed. But in general, this is a great figurine



Dupe of a Stork by Schleich
STORK (no name, but this is probably a dupe of Schleich)
This is a beautifully sculpted and painted figurine. It's very detailed. The top part of it is much heavier than the bottom, but because it is cleverly and correctly balanced, it doesn't fall over. 


Peregrine Falcon by Schleich (2011)
PEREGRINE FALCON Schleich
This is a lovely figurine, and generally I love how it is sculpted and painted. I think, though, that peregrine falcons are darker than this model. But all in all, this a beautiful bird to have in one's collection.


A dupe of the Great Grey Owl figurine by Bullyland
GREAT GREY OWL (no name, but it is a dupe of a model by Bullyland)
This model is stunning. I love its shape and detailed sculpting. It is beautifully painted (except for the eyes). I wish I could find the original one somewhere. 


Emperor Penguin Chick by AAA
EMPEROR PENGUIN CHICK AAA
I found this figurine in a charity shop, and I bought it thinking that this was the adult emperor penguin. However, after doing some research online, I realised that this is meant to be a chick and that it originally came in a set with an adult. Emperor chicks look completely different, so I don't know why this one is painted the way it is. We look at it as if it was an adult :) 


Rooster and chick by AAA
ROOSTER AND CHICK AAA
I love the intricate sculpting of this rooster. It's very impressive, especially since this figurine is small. It's a lovely addition to the collection. 


Eagle figurine by Nayab, Eagle by Schleich and Eagle chicks (dupe of Schleich)
EAGLE (probably Nayab)
This massive eagle was the first figurine in Kian's collection. I am not sure where it is from, but after doing some research, I think it is from Nayab. This eagle can be also hung up as a decoration because it has two tiny holes in the wings. It is made of a rubbery, bendy material, and it makes sounds when you press his body. It's beautifully made. Kian has played with it almost every single day in the past 3 years.


Eagle by Schleich (2010)
EAGLE Schleich
This is a much smaller eagle than the Nayab one, but it's just as beautiful. I love the details of it, especially on the wings, and the light coat of gold paint that makes this figurine very special. If you have this figurine, you probably realised that the beak was originally a bit different. Ours arrived broken, so Kian's dad re-shaped it. 


Kingfisher by Papo
KINGFISHER Papo
This gorgeous kingfisher is the newest addition to Kian's collection. Kingfisher is my and Kian's favourite bird, and we had the pleasure of observing it at a lake in Poland, back in 2019. I love everything about this little figurine by Papo. It's just perfect. 


Snowy Owl (dupe of Schleich)
SNOWY OWL (no name, but it is a dupe of a figurine by Schleich)
This is a lovely, very realistic figurine. It is permanently attached to a branch. It stands nicely, and it doesn't fall over. 


AAA Duck and duckling, and AAA Rooser with chick, AAA Hen and Chicks, AAA Goose and Goslings
DUCK AND DUCKLING (AAA)
This is a very cute figurine, perfect for a child that loves farm animals. It is pretty well detailed for such a small model. 


Eagle Chicks in a nest (dupe of Schleich)
EAGLE CHICKS (no name, but this is definitely a dupe of a figurine by Schleich)
This figurine is cute and very detailed. The nest and the chicks look realistic. A lovely piece. 



Emperor Penguin (no name)
EMPEROR PENGUIN (no name)
I have no idea where this penguin figurine comes from, but it's pretty realistic and detailed. There is a hole running through it, from the top of the penguins head, so I guess it was a part of some decoration piece. 


Budgerigar Parakeet by Schleich (Budgie)
BUDGERIGAR (Parakeet) Schleich
This cute budgie has been retired for a while now- it came out in 2002. This figurine is just perfect, it is beautfully sculpted and painted. The paint rubbs off a little bit, which is sadly a common problem with Schleich figurines (the new models are even worse), but other than that, if you find it somewhere, buy it. It is worth it, especially if your child loves birds.


SSS Kiwi Bird figurine 
KIWI (SSS)
This kiwi figurine is absolutely divine. The bird looks like it is about to peck something off the ground. It's pretty heavy and solid for its size. I love both the sculpting and the painting of this figurine. 



Hen with chicks (AAA) 
HEN WITH CHICKS (AAA)
This figurine is one of the smallest ones we have. Despite its size, it is beautifully sculptured. It's covered with good quality paint, that doesn't rub off. The colours here are simple, there is no shading on the feathers. Hen's eyes could use some more definition, but all in all, this is a very good quality figurine. 


Keel-billed toucan figurine (no name)
KEEL-BILLED TOUCAN 
This beautiful figurine is an almost identical copy of Belize's national bird- the magnificent keel-billed toucan. It's nicely made, the paint doesn't rub off, which is just wonderful. The bird can not stand on its own, so you need to attach it to something if you want to display it. 
Sadly, I can not find any information on what brand made it. 



That's all for today. Next month I will be reviewing my son's dinosaur figurines, so please check back if you are interested. Thank you for your time. Stay safe!

Gosia x
Share:

Montessori Practical Life Skills: Kitchen Gadgets. Best cooking untensils for kids.

Hi, thanks for stopping by! Today I will show you kitchen gadgets my son has, and shortly review them, to help you decide what to buy, and what to skip.

But before I begin, I just wanted to let you know that every Saturday I post practical life-related content on my InstaStories. If you missed any of the episodes, you can find them in the highlights on my profile. Also, please remember that a cooking child requires supervision 😊







Knives:
Cutting is one of the cooking skills that many kids want to master because it seems so grown up. I introduced Kian to cutting when he was probably 1,5 years old. At first, he was using a round butter knife and cutting only bananas. Once he has mastered that, he started cutting boiled veggies, like potatoes, carrots, beets etc. When he was older and had a more firm grip, I gave him a slightly sharper dinner knife, and he started cutting fruit and veggies that are a little trickier to cut. Then I bought him this set of plastic knives for children, and it is good, but I think that this wasn't a necessary purchase. He would be ok using just the dinner knife. However, these knives are ok. They are pretty easy to work with, and easy to clean. But again, not that necessary to have. 



Veggie peeler (Kuhn Rikon):
This veggie peeler is great because it's light, small and sharp. I have waited for Kian to turn 4 to introduce him to peeling, and it's going great. So this is a very helpful kitchen gadget.



Apple divider (Wilko):
This is a gadget that I thought we would use a lot, but we actually hardly ever use it. First of all, because Kian eats apples without cutting them, and second of all because this model is not very practical for kids (they would need much bigger handles). And also, apples, especially organic apples, are not that easy to cut using the divider. 




Egg Slicer (Ikea):
This is just a slicer we have had at home for many years. It is great for slicing eggs, obviously, but we use it for slicing strawberries, kiwi and cooked beets. It is a helpful gadget to have, because even a toddler can prepare a snack for themselves using it. 


Potato/ Veggie masher (NUK):
This veggie masher came in a set with a bowl, and my partner bought it when Kian was weaning. We hardly used it back then, but now Kian uses it to mash avocadoes, chickpeas, bananas and potatoes. It's very helpful.


Rolling pin (Wilko):
I bought this small wooden rolling pin in Wilko. We actually have two of them, one for clay and playdough, and one that Kian uses in the kitchen. 

This rolling pin is quite light, and it works well. It is a helpful gadget, and I would definitely recommend it.


That's all I have prepared for you today, I hope you found it helpful. Thank you for your time! Stay safe.


Gosia x





Share:
© What Mum Loves | All rights reserved.
Blog Design Handcrafted by pipdig