We have lots of Kapla/Keva planks and I would like to add something similar for my DS (who is 11) for Christmas. I am considering either the trebuchet or the catapult, but am not sure which one to go for... Does anyone here have experience of either or both, and could you recommend them in terms of sturdiness/longevity/fun?

Thank you, this is very helpful!

Thank you for the links and for sharing your daughter's experience with the Ferbys. They are indeed amazing and it's good to hear about their longevity! Still wavering between the Ferbys and a set of artist's grade pencils such as the Lyra Rembrandts or perhaps the Faber Castell Polychromos...part of this is probably about my own desire for a beautiful tin of 24 colored pencils though...:-))

Just wondering if someone here has experience of both the Lyra Ferbys and the Lyra Rembrandt Polycolors? My 7yo dd just received a set of Lyra Ferbys for her birthday, and her older brother, who loves drawing (on and off), finds them "FANTASTIC!" :-). I think that what he likes is especially the strong pigment. I want to get him a nice set of colored pencils for his upcoming 10th birthday, ideally a set that would last him a good few years. I was thinking of getting him a set of 24 or 36 Lyra Rembrandt Polycolours, with the idea that they would be better for drawing details and thus have better longevity. Just not sure how they compare with the Ferbys in terms of pigment and "feeling"? Perhaps a large set of Ferbys would actually be a better/more appreciated gift for a 10yo? Would anyone with insights in the world of colored pencils be able to enlighten me? Or, if you have other favorite colored pencils for older kids, I would be interested in hearing about those too...

Not at all only a girl game, possibly the packaging at first glance, but not the actual game play. There are 8 characters (guard, priest, baron, handmaid, prince, king, countess, princess) and they each have different powers which means that you need different tactics depending on which 2 cards you have to choose from and which cards you think that your opponents might have. I think that the reason my dd loves it while my ds likes it is that she is actually slightly better at it. She is more of an intuitive/tactical/bluffing/push your luck type "gamer", whereas he is more of a strategic thinker which isn't necessarily rewarded in this game. So it's a personality thing I would say. But that said, he does enjoy it too.

Sleeping Queens is wonderful , but I agree that it may be outgrown at 9. We played it heavily between ages 5 and 8 or so and it was a huge family favourite, maybe we just wore it out. Of the many Gamewright games we own, we thought Moose in the House was quite fun but rather pointless and it hasn't been brought out a lot. Zeus on the Loose has had more staying power and would be fun for a 9yo I think. Agree also with Forbidden Island, lots of suspense and beautiful artwork. It is my 9yo son's favourite game, along with King of Tokyo. Both of these have a certain amount of rules to learn at first, but are actually quite easy to play once you've learned them. But for a 9yo girl, I simply HAVE to recommend Love Letter! http://www.amazon.com/Alderac-Entertainment-Group-5104AEG-Letter/dp/B00AGJ4HC2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418514544&sr=8-1&keywords=love+letter. Very cheap, small, quick, easy and fun bluffing/deduction game, my 6yo daughter loves it as do I. And my 9yo son will happily play it too, although he prefers slightly more complex games.

This is how my children play too. They love horses and figures (Playmobil in our case), but would always prefer to set up their own temporary stable/paddock made by Magnatiles, blocks or Kapla planks over a ready-made building. That said, I would have LOVED a stable like that as a child :-)!!

Sounds promising! And I had to look up shaduf, thanks for pointing it out! Details like that will definitely appeal to my DD who went to school wearing a huge anch-necklace today!

Well, we will certainly take it into consideration :-).

No worries, I've read the whole history of your posts on this topic, all of which were very enlightening :-) Actually... I AM still considering adding the sound staircase as well, but think what I have already got may be more than enough to start with...

Just a little update: I thought I would browse through some Playmobil catalogues with DD again just to double-check her preferences. I hadn't intended to for fear of ruining the surprise factor, but it turned out to be a VERY good idea. She flipped past the page with the pool as if she hadn't seen it and when I casually mentioned that she used to really like it, she was completely uninterested :huh:. Whereas she ooohed and aahed when she reached the Egyptian pages. And she payed lots of attention to the safari sets too. So problem solved, Egypt and wildlife it is :hurray: ! Anyway, thanks for great advice from all you fellow Playmobil-lovers today! (And the pool will find a great home with my god-daughter next year :-))

Just wanted to thank you for your advice on the Haba marble run! I ended up not getting any starter set but instead a whole bunch of add-ons to use with the blocks we already have. This is what I've ordered: - the whirlwind - the horisontal track set - the hilly track set - the ringing track - sloped tracks - redirection blocks - and, finally, I couldn't resist the box of marbles Very much looking forward to seeing this in use!

Very nice to share the playmobil obsession :-) I think that I have decided to go with the following three sets for Christmas: - Pool - Sphinx - Wildlife waterhole (the biggest African safari set) (And, knowing myself, I will probably sneak in some extra/indispensible safari animals in the waterhole box...) Then Egyptian tomb with treasure and the additional safari sets for her 7th birthday in September. All subject to change and additions of course :-)

:-)

I gave my DS his first Playmobil at 4, several dinosaur sets. He had close to zero interest in them and I sold them after a year or so. Then he received a Playmobil dragon's dungeon with some knights for his 5th birthday and loved them! He played with Playmobil with his friends between around 5 and 7. My DD received a Playmobil play park at 3, again close to no interest. Then at 4 she received lots of forest animals for her birthday and then royal figures, furniture and accessories for Christmas the same year. This was all a hit and continues to be, she is 6 now and her interest in Playmobil is increasing if anything, so I hope she will get many more years out of it. (My niece enjoyed Playmobil between 4 and 10.) I'm not sure, though, if my children's lack of interest in the Playmobil they received at 3 and 4 respectively was due to their age or to lack of interest in the themes I had chosen.