Magic is in the air and kids can get started on their wizard training early with the Little Tikes Magic Workshop.
This new set from MGA Entertainment features a built-in wizard station to set the scene for creating magic potions. The workshop itself is quite nice, with a cauldron, a plastic spell book with pages that turn, a toy candle, a frog, and shelves to stand things on. The set also comes with accessories that will help kids create their potions, including a magic wand, a potion bottle, a toy mushroom, two feathers, a leaf, two shells, a crystal, and a dragon egg.
The spell book features six potion recipes: a singing potion, a love potion, a laughing potion, a mimic potion, a mystery potion, and a rainbow potion. The spells all center around the frog figure that comes with the set, so kids can decide if they want to make the frog sing silly songs, blow kisses, laugh uncontrollably, mimic kids’ voices, make animal noises, or change colors.
To begin, kids can fill the cauldron with water up to the fill line and power it on. The toy is recommended for kids ages 3 and up, but preschoolers may need a helping hand from parents to understand how to use it. Once activated, the cauldron will light up and play sounds. Kids can select which potion they want to create and follow the recipe to add the ingredients (AKA the accessories) into the cauldron in a specific order.
When all of the ingredients are in the cauldron and the potion is ready to go (as indicated by lights and sounds), little wizards can scoop up some of the potion with the potion bottle and pour it over the frog to cast the spell and trigger the reactions. All of the spells are entertaining as the kids make the frog flash in a rainbow of colors, crow like a rooster, belt out a song, and more, but the mimic potion is the most interactive of the bunch. With that particular potion, kids can speak to the frog and the frog will repeat back what they said.
The potion only requires minimal water that will drain back into the cauldron, but keep in mind that kids may get overzealous so be careful where they place the toy and consider putting a towel underneath. When kids are done playing, parents should scoop the water out of the cauldron and air dry before storing it. There is also an option to play without water by pressing the gem on the frog’s crown for 3 seconds to activate the potion.
Even when kids create the same potion more than once, the results will vary to give them different experiences so it won’t get repetitive too quickly. Kids can also get creative by making their own potions that will get reactions from the magical frog. In addition to the potion-making, there are gems in different places throughout the set that kids can press to activate lights and sounds, like on the candle, the cauldron, the spell book, and the frog’s crown. There are more than 50 different lights and sounds so the set is not doing the same thing over and over.
Whether kids follow the instructions to feel like they are casting real spells or just use the accessories to role play, this captivating workshop will make kids feel like wizards at work.
