We’ve had the Parents Magnet School in our house for well over a year. I think my daughter received it for her fourth or fifth birthday. Over the past year or two, it has proven to be a durable toy. It has my recommendation for toddlers and preschoolers.
The Parents Magnet School is designed like a lunch box, but it is shaped like a school, with a picture of a school painted on the front. Inside, you will find 26 different letter cards and 36 magnets. There is one magnet for each letter of the alphabet, and another magnet for each number from 0 to 9.
The letter cards are cute. Each card features a word that begins with the letter featured on the card. The first letter of the word is cut out, and the last two letters are printed on the card. The F card features a cut out letter F, and the letters OX are printed on the card. The cut out is just the right size to fit the matching letter. A picture is drawn on every card to match the featured word. A cute, happy fox appears on the F card.
Is It Fun? Educational?
The Parents Magnet School is probably most suited for children that are learning the alphabet. My daughter was already learning to read when she received this gift, and I think that she was already starting to outgrow this toy. Still, she did get some play time out of it.
My two-year-old is starting to find appeal in this toy. He is unable to open the latch on this toy by himself, so he has to bring the toy to me so I can open it for him. Lately, he has wanted to play with this toy almost every day.
The Parents Magnet School has a lot of educational value. The words that are featured on each card are easy for a child to interpret. Most children know what a fox or a web (the picture on the W card) looks like, and playing with this toy helps them learn to associate the letter on the card with the sound that the picture makes. My toddler probably won’t pick up on that, but he will start recognize the letters while he plays with this toy. He has already started to point to letters when he sees them in different locations.
There is a design printed on the back of the Parents Magnet School that looks a lot like the three-lined paper used by beginning writers. Children that are learning to read can line the magnet letters up to practice spelling words.
Durability
The Magnet School has proven itself to be quite durable. Ours has even survived a house fire! Our Magnet School wasn’t in the room that caught on fire, but every room in the house did experience higher temperatures and smoke during the fire. All of the cards that my daughter had managed to put away before the fire were as good as new after the fire. The cards and magnets that she hadn’t managed to put away were covered with soot. I cleaned them with a soapy wash cloth, and they were as good as new.
The Parents Magnet School cards are made out of heavy cardboard, like a board book. When I get this toy out for my toddler, I’m never worried that he’ll ruin the toy, even though he can sometimes be rough with his toys. The magnets are made out of sturdy plastic. I have never had a problem with any of the actual magnetic parts of the magnets falling out.
The Parents Magnet School is a great toy, but it is not perfect. I have two problems with it. The magnets don’t stick very well to my refrigerator, and the toy is not the easiest toy to put away.
I’m not sure what it is about the magnets, but they have trouble sticking to my refrigerator. I put one of the letters on the refrigerator and it slides down about a foot before it stops. You can forget about holding up your child’s artwork with it. While many children think it is fun to play with magnets on the refrigerator, these don’t work very well for this purpose. The magnets do stick quite well to the schoolhouse.
Putting away the Parents Magnet School can be difficult for a young child. The cards and the magnets need to be put away in the same place, but if you put a couple of cards away, then a couple of magnets, then a couple of cards, it won’t all fit. So you have to put away all the cards together, and all the magnets together. Younger children find it hard to grasp that concept. This toy would have worked better if they would have made a pocket to hold the cards.
Summary
If you’re looking for a toy for a child that is still learning their letters and numbers, the Parents Magnet School is a good choice. It is durable, educational, and playing with the matching cards and letters can be a lot of fun. If your child already knows their letters and is learning to read, get them something more advanced.
