Car rides are especially hard on young kids. I have a nephew who is just three years old and he is constantly asking if we’re arriving at a destination. That’s a common theme for any child who is traveling, especially on a long journey. The ZipBin Mini Farm is designed specifically for car travel. Like the other ZipBin toys, this farm was designed to be durable and small enough for easy storage. It’s made of a material that’s easy to clean if it happens to get spilled on or sticky from little hands!
I can’t really find anything wrong with this toy. It inspires creativity by allowing children to make up their own adventure within a barnyard setting. It also offers a colorful, bright play area that won’t make a mess in the car. I have found that with the ZipBin Mini Farm there are no more are we there yets! In fact, it’s sometimes hard to get him out of the car because he doesn’t want to stop playing with his farm!
Positives & Negatives:
Postives:
-Compact – space saving toy
-Ideal for play during travel
-Adorable with plenty of attention to detail
-No extras needed to play with the toy
-Affordable
-Easy to Clean
-Initiates Creativity
-Excellent toy for solo play
-Durable
Negatives:
-None that we’ve found
Pricing & Availability:
While some local retailers may be selling ZipBin’s I’ve never seen them at any of the places I’ve shopped. You can find them at various stores online including through the Zip Bin website. At this website, you can purchase either the Farm or the Mini Farm.
The Mini Farm is a smaller version of the Farm, which is also available from ZipBin. This version of the farm is perfect for trips in the car, on the bus, on a train or on a plane. It automatically comes with toys and is available for $9.99 USD.
The large Farm is available for $19.99 USD with toys or you can get the play mat on its own, without toys for $17.99 USD. I recommend that if you don’t have your own farm animals or aren’t planning to get any that you buy it with the toys. The play mat on its own won’t be nearly as exciting.
Requirements & Instructions:
You don’t need anything to play with this toy other than an imagination. There is no hassle with putting anything together or the need for batteries. You can take the ZipBin out and play with it without any additional requirements. The Mini Farm comes with four animals. There is a pig, a horse, a cow and a goat.
The ZipBin comes with a cardboard covering that you will need to remove the first time your child plays with the toy. The play mat part folds into the storage part of the box and a decorated lid comes with it. The toy pieces are covered in plastic that you’ll have to remove, but once you remove the packaging the play mat can be unzipped to form a mat shape or the corners zip up to form a box shaped storage compartment where you can store the farm animals. The lid slips on and there is a carrying handle for easy transferring. The storage bin is light enough for a child to carry and they can probably store additional toys within the case (though not too many with the Mini Farm).
Durability:
The playmat is sturdy. I’m not sure exactly what the material is, but it is a kind of plastic of some sort. It’s the kind of material you can easily wipe off with a damp cloth. The farm animals are all plastic figures. It would take a lot of force to rip the play set apart so kids who like to play rough will benefit from the durability of this product.
Ease of Use:
Recommended for ages 3 and up, the ZipBin Mini Farm is pretty easy to use. A three year old who knows how to zip things can easily zip and unzip the play mat and unfold it for play. The play mat is easy to clean up with little to no hassle. There really isn’t anything to do, but unfold the play mat after taking out the toys stored within it. It’s all smooth sailing from there as your child can easily play with their play mat until they’re ready to put it away. I’d say cleanup takes less than two minutes for a child who isn’t still learning to zip. Those who are learning can still manage to put it away in five minutes or less.
Fun Factor & Overall Appeal:
The fun factor for the Mini Farm is fairly high. It is going to alleviate travel boredom. Besides, what little kid isn’t fond of farms and farm animals? This also gives your child something to do independently. Playing together is great, and possible with the play mat, but children can just as easily play alone with this toy. There is no need to try and entertain them during a long trip on a plane, in the car, on the bus or on some other trip.
The overall appeal for this toy is high because the fun factor is appealing to kids while the various positive factors of the toy are incredibly appealing to parents. I don’t know about you, but I love a toy that is pretty much self cleaning. I also love one that will entertain a child while in the car, is durable, easy to use, and doesn’t require a lot of setup.
Bottom Line:
The ZipBin Mini Farm is the ideal toy. There really aren’t any negatives to this play mat/storage bin. It is unique. There really isn’t another toy like this on the market. Kids love it for how fun it is and parents love it because it’s easy to use, clean up, put away, store and it keeps kids occupied for hours at a time! What more could you ask for in a toy? The ZipBin Mini Farm is one of our editor’s choice toys!
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Technorati Tags: ZipBin, Mini Farm, Neat-Oh, Farm Animals, Storage, Toys, Creativity, Fun Toys, Storage Box, Travel Toys
Written by Ashtyn Evans - Visit Website
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Ashtyn lives in her home state of Michigan with her life partner, Dominick, her 14 year old son, and her baby, the Shih-Tzu, Oliver Twist. Ashtyn is in college, going for a degree in Psychology. She plans to get her Ph.D and work as a therapist in the field of human sexuality. Ashtyn is an experienced and talented chef. She also excels at writing and has worked as a professional writer for the past five years. Ashtyn enjoys spending time with her son and four year old nephew, watching movies, listening to music, and writing works of fiction.
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