*AD- The Casdon Pick ‘N’ Mix Shop was a gifted product
After months of being at home and plenty of glorious sunshine, last week we hit a bit of a snag. The rain was pouring, and for the first time since lockdown started, I heard the words no parent wants to hear:
“I’m bored.”
Thankfully, I had a trick up my sleeve waiting for that very moment – the Casdon Pick ‘N’ Mix shop.
The kids love role play, as demonstrated by our review of the Casdon Dyson Cord-Free Replica vacuum, and of course, they love sweets. What better thing to do on a rainy day than to combine the two?
Who are Casdon?
Casdon has been one of the big players in the toy industry since 1946, and specialise in toy replicas of household appliances and equipment. Their products, which include replicas of Dyson vacuums, toy supermarkets, and the Henry vacuum, which we have reviewed in the past, are perfect for encouraging imaginative play in children.
The Casdon Pick N Mix Shop
So, a little bit about the features of the Casdon Pick N Mix shop.
- Display counter for children to play shopkeeper
- Opening cash drawer with coins and notes
- Working scales to weigh the sweets
- Two sweet jars
- Scoop for the sweets
- Selection of sweets including lollipops
The developmental benefits
When it comes to the kids toys, I like to look at not just the fun side of it, but the educational and developmental benefits. The Casdon Toy Pick N Mix has plenty of them all.
- Roleplay activities for exploring imagination and developing social skills
- Bright colours for visual stimulation
- Play encourages the development of hand-to-eye coordination
- Different functions for understanding cause and effect
- Accessories and components develop problem-solving and motor skills
- Different features encourage exploration and discovery
- Weighing and money for development of early counting skills
I loved weighing out the sweets and then eating them!
ben, aged 5
What did the boys think?
They really liked it. I was a little concerned about the play value of it but actually, they played for it as long as the sweets lasted, and we then refilled it with fruit. It would be really easy to extend the play with some little sweet bags and printing off or making shop signs and labels and price lists.
Final thoughts
It’s a really simple little product to put together and created lots of play opportunities. All the kids played together with it – even Elizabeth, although the toy is suitable for children aged 3 and over. The RRP is around £8 which really is not bad for several hours of educational fun. You can buy it from 
