Monday 20 May 2013

REVIEW: She's Got The Whole World in her Hands


You've gotta hand it to 'em
Growing up in the 1970s the furthest we travelled was Cornwall, and when it wasn’t Cornwall it was Devon. Sigh. Now there’s nothing wrong with these two fine holiday destinations but to a seven year old with a vivid imagination it did all begin to look the same.

The 270-mile car journey was part of the ‘fun’ apparently. Me and my two kid brothers on a mattress in the back of a Ford Escort Estate. In the time before seatbelts, we were thrown around along with the obligatory vomit. Vomit flying through the air – not actually knowing whose was the worst part. With both parents smoking in the front we didn’t have much choice.

Alarmingly I have memories of my brothers writing ‘HELP’ in the condensation of the windows. On a summer’s day we dared not have the windows open, as the speed of the car would mean that the youngest brother would have been sucked out on to the M4. So what with the smoke and vomit we also had the steam.

Things have changed since then. Seatbelt laws for one. And fewer smokers, more considerate ones I hope, allowing their young passengers some oxygen via an open window.

Going abroad wasn’t an option back "when I were a kid" unless your last name was double-barreled and you lived in the ‘country’. With not much talk of aeroplanes and only seeing a crack-commando-unit-who-were-sent-to-prison-by-a-military -court-for-a-crime-they-didn’t commit jump out of one on telly, it didn’t even cross this writer’s mind. Talking of the great goggle-box, what was with the Swedish chef on the Muppet Show? Hurdy-Gurdy indeed.

Birds Eye French Bread Pizza. Here’s the thing. I, like many, would bite into one of these for tea after school and Grange Hill thinking of far off places like Calais and oooh Brittany. But wait a minute. Pizza? Isn’t that Italian? Birds Eye what were you thinking, how could you fool this schoolchild into accepting this fusion of Mediterranean foodstuffs? Sadly, it was never an issue. Back then food was food. Your mum put on the table what the housekeeping covered. In our little backwater town there were very few Indian and Chinese restaurants and always kept for the most special of special occasions. Nowadays we have high streets full of all types of food from all over the world and we don’t bat an eyelid. Takeaways are an accepted form of catering for a lot of mums (and dads). American, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Turkish and Scottish (what do you mean you can’t buy neeps and tatties at the golden arches?). These food retailers are bringing us the taste of other parts of the world and it’s all on our doorstep.

The jigsaw with the magnetic pull

Living on an island it’s inevitable that we become increasingly multicultural, and that’s especially due to our airports. Since 2000 Heathrow has held the title of ‘world’s busiest airport by international passenger traffic’. Put in real terms, that’s around 65million visitors a year to our green and pleasant land. We ARE the great big melting pot as sung by Blue Mink in 1970. With that comes a curiosity in children to learn more about their neighbours either within their hometown or across the seas.

My four year old has ate the food, met the children, perhaps watched a documentary but what she really wants to do is experience first hand the different countries out there and this experience is now within her reach. She can sit at a computer and surf the net for information, hell she can even Skype her Nanny in France. Children’s enthusiasm to learn doesn’t stop at learning to read and write in their own language. You only have to watch an episode of Peppa Pig to hear Delphine Donkey ask Peppa “Comment ça va?”

With international calls made daily, Skype and something called Facetime (no, me neither), talking to our overseas friends has never been easier. And you could even do it whilst sat at the table munching through a French Bread Pizza.

As an enthusiastic (not pushy!) mum I do like to teach my daughter about the world around her. We’ve covered off a little about languages, foods and climates. Time zones will be her dad’s job. I barely know what time it is here. The TV continuity announcer only has to mention ‘British Summer Time’ for me to run behind the sofa and panic about time travel.

We’ve had the Janod Magnetic World Map for a week now and even I’ve learnt something. Ok. I’ve learnt a lot. Geography was never my strong point at school, I could colour a map in but couldn’t tell you what an Isobar was.

Did you know that the main export of Bolivia is soya beans or that there’s an African country called Chad? I thought that was a drawing of a man looking over a wall. Anyway, I digress.

There are many ways to play with this toy. It can be a simple jigsaw for one player or a game for many. Its pieces are easy for little hands to hold and place in position. The magnets are strong enough to stay in situ when hung on the wall, being durable but not ungainly. Each piece of the puzzle has a relevant image to the country portrayed. The illustrations and typography are wonderfully done, not overly childish but sweet enough to catch the eye of a young child. The colours are such that you can tell which is a cold climate and which is hot.

It's child's play, or mum's, or dad's...

You do end up forgetting it’s a jigsaw, more a trip around the world in 80 minutes, or however long you choose. Food and animals native to that area represent each country.

Distance and position is now easier to discuss and explain, for instance: we have relatives in France as mentioned earlier, and further afield in the US and Australia. The jigsaw puts in perspective any wild talk of country hopping… “So, Mummy when we’ve been to France shall we go to America to see my aunty and then pop to Australia next week. Please?” Ahem.

The Janod Magnetic World Map is a hit in this house. Not only with the four year old but this 40 year old. A great addition to a well-stocked playroom and a fabulous talking point. An inspirational purchase and one that will come in handy next year when we discuss our further adventures into the big wide, amazing world out there.  


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