Changing gears

There’s fun to be had down on the farm with the Old McGear’s Farm set, the latest addition to Learning Resources’ Gears! Gears! Gears! range.

This 85-piece set includes a tractor, barn, Ma and Pa farmers and dog, pig, horse, sheep, cockerel and cow figures (there’s diversification for you).

Key to the set, however, are the gear pieces, which can be assembled to set the whole farmyard in motion. Little hands will develop fine motor skills and little minds will hone problem-solving abilities (colour-coded instructions are included if the going gets tricky). Suitable for ages four and up, Old McGear’s Farm is priced around £34.

Also new to the Gears! Gears! Gears! range is Coggy Doggy, a motorised building set that works on spatial awareness, fine motor skills and problem-solving. You can build three different dog models, or let your imagination run wild and create a completely original creature.

More than 100 pieces (including a rubber tongue, eyes and tail) are on hand and the motor allows backward and forward motion using the remote control. There are also doggy sound effects available at the press of a button.

Coggy Doggy requires four AA batteries (not supplied) and is priced around £35, for children of five and older.