We have been working with LeapFrog this year, and Max and Eliza have been lucky enough to receive a few amazing items from their learning range. The Scoop & Learn Ice Cream Cart is still a firm favourite in this house, and gets played with most days. So when we were offered the chance to take a look at the Number Loving Oven, I just knew it would be a hit with the two youngest members of the family!
The Number Loving Oven comes with a variety of accessories – a 4 slice pizza, 2 cupcakes, sliceable bread and a fried egg, as well as a selection of cooking implements such as baking trays, a spatula and a frying pan.
As with most LeapFrog products, there are some great learning songs on this toy. The Number Loving Oven focuses on numbers and counting, and the songs incorporate minutes on the oven timer, portions and numbers of ingredients on the pizza. These songs also help to teach new vocabulary, as well as encouraging sharing. Close the oven to explore numbers and counting, or open it to learn about counting and sharing.
Each individual item has it’s own function. The fried egg sits inside the frying pan, and when you place the pan on the hob you get real sizzling sounds. The pizza, bread and cupcakes fit snugly in the baking tray, which you can slide into the ‘oven’ or ‘grill’ section – then simply turn the times and count the clicks to set the right temperature. The spatula is great for sliding things onto plates, as well as slicing the pizza and bread.
Max and Eliza absolutely love the Number Counting Oven, and it really has encouraged a bit of sharing – something they aren’t always great at! They have shared the pizza slices out, taken it in turns to bake the cupcakes, and sliced the bread together for picnic time. The oven is just big enough for two to play together, yet small enough to pack away easily at the end of the day. All of the food and utensils can be tidied away inside the oven, making storage simple, and keeping everything you need for play in one place.
The LeapFrog Number Loving Oven requires 3 AAA batteries, and is priced at £21.99, making it a really good value for money toy.