Most parents would agree that it is relatively easy to choose toys for the kids but not all toys are created equal. Many of the items that produce squeals of delight when they first arrive in your home wear out their novelty value and are quickly consigned to the toy box leaving you wondering “Why did I bother?”
Well, don’t’ worry about the play value of Antsy Pants because this falls into the “Summer full of play and beyond” category.
The concept is simple. Antsy Pants is a new line of build and play construction kit that comes in small medium or large sizes. Each kit has enough pieces to make a wide variety of structures to play in, and if your kids are like mine, they will try to “out-build” each other by creating amazing structures of their own.
The kit itself contains a selection of connectors of different angles and poles of various lengths enabling you to build your dream play house, boat, tent, and so much more. Just the kit is enough to get going. We found that those flat sheets you always get in the sheet sets and consign to the back of the linen cupboard make great covers for tent, play houses, etc. and if you have some fabric markers you can design your own home!
You do not have to provide your own wrapping though because Antsy Pants have also released an extensive range of accessories that includes excellent quality covers, ready printed or ready to be colored in by your child.
Covers include a lemonade stand, a farmers market stall, a beautiful tent cover, a pirate ship and plenty of designing your own sets. Other accessories include a play liner and play balls to make your very own ball pit, or you can use the liner and build kit to make a splash pool or a sand pit. They also have a storage bin to keep all of your Antsy Pants items organized and tidy in one place
We were sent small Antsy Pants set, and a Lemonade Stand cover to check out and I took it as a good sign that they started nagging to play with it almost immediately. Before attempting to build “correctly” with them, I opened up the box, slide everything out onto the floor and let them dive in.
There were a couple of minutes of uncertainty because Evey was worried about forcing pieces together and breaking them, but as soon as I showed her, she could be firm, and the pieces were very sturdy she was off.
Evey and Gabe spent most of the morning just trying out different angles, different poles and extensions together and generally getting a feel for “how” to play with the set. After lunch, they started on the instructions and were easily able to build the tent structure without any help or supervision.
The next day they wanted to make the lemonade stand, and the pair of them managed most of I on their own, only needing my help to fit the top pole because they couldn’t reach. I also had to get them to undo the uprights because they forgot to slip on the stripey pole covers before assembly, but that took all of two minutes to sort out.
The bottom cover, the pole covers, and the awning are all made from polyester and are machine washable and can be tumble dried which is excellent when you’re over enthusiastic lemonade seller pour their wares all over the stand.
In our household, Antsy Pants is a definite hit, and I think we’ll be seeking out a bigger kit and more covers because I enjoyed myself playing with them too.
