Geomag: Product Review

This was the best little delivery for my little kiddies!

Combining two highly regarded, educational, tried and true play concepts - magnets and construction toys - presenting Geomag which will see your kids opening their mind to be their creative best. 

Geomag is the ultimate open-ended creative construction toy enhanced by the magic and intrigue of magnets, ensuring that the educational benefits that kids learn during play are ones that will stick!

Produced in Switzerland to the most stringent international toys standards, Geomag is now entertaining and inspiring Aussie kids from three to 103, all while providing a wealth of educational benefits developing math, problem-solving, spacial, coordination, creative and thinking skills.  

The characteristics of movement and the fascination of magnetism makes Geomag a unique construction toy. Fun and easy for little hands to manipulate, Geomag ensures that creativity never gives way to frustration. Kids can build ambitiously, big and fast, limited only by their imaginations.

Here is what Geomag looks like (and PS: it is THE perfect gift for Christmas).

The four inspiring lines of Geomag are as below:

GEOMAG CLASSIC Colour:  

This classic set combines magnetic rods, non-magnetic spheres and various accessories to build unlimited models and constructions in a very simple and fun way.  

Five colourful sets containing between 30 to 120 pieces starting from $30 rrp

GEOMAG CLASSIC Panel:

The addition of bright and transparent panels that give more rigidity, colour and appeal to the rods and sphere constructions.  Triangles, squares and pentagonal panels in many different colours across five sets containing from 22 to 180 pieces. From $20 rrp

GEOMAG E-Motion Magic Spin: 

E-Motion expresses the concept of dynamism contained in the Geomag play activity and allows kids to build fun creations in motion, giving life to surprising optical effects.  This collection has special accessories and instructions to create spinning tops and many dynamic constructions.  Available in three various sets starting from the basic ‘speedy spin’ up to the ‘magic spin’, these sets contain from 10 to 38 pieces.  From $30 rrp

GEOMAG Glitter:  

Glitterised rods and panels in new fashion and glamour colours.  Girls will love making creations with magical sparkly effects. Geomag Glitter is available in four sets with a piece count from 22 to 68. From $20 RRP.

STOCKISTS: 0419 432 761

Available at a range of toy stores including Australian Geographic and Kidstuff

www.geomagworld.com ~ Instagram: @Geomagworld #geomag

Highly recommended by TwinnieWorld and Josie's Juice!

Bobble Art Products + 20% OFF offer!

Gosh I love Bobble Art!

It's cute, it's artsy, and it appeals to all age groups of kiddies - some would say adults and kidults, too!

The brand is a quality range of stylish Australian-designed bags, accessories and stationery for kids. Each unique collection features loveable characters and toys that inspire creativity and imagination.

The Bobble Art range comes in 12 unique collections, each offering stylish and quality collectable products ranging from lunch boxes, drinks bottles, travel and accessories, stationery, hair accessories, jewellery, homewares, umbrellas, craft and creative play items.

Here are just some of the designs (then scroll down for an offer available to readers of TwinnieWorld and Josie's Juice, the sister site to this one):

All collections are of the highest quality, providing adorable solutions for your child’s everyday needs. The pretty and practical creations ensure that school, travel and stationery needs are not just provided for but inspirational; helping reflect your child’s unique personality.

Bobble Art products are made to last from the highest quality materials and are all adorned in loveable designs that are instantly identifiable in the playground; at home and ‘on the go’.

All Bobble Art products are aspirational and highly desirable, enabling children to build a collection from its ten collections.

The Bobble Art collections are available to purchase online at www.bobbleart.com.au and at retail stores located in St Ives Shopping Village (NSW), Rhodes Waterside Shopping Centre (NSW), Melbourne Emporium (VIC), Indooroopilly Shopping Centre (QLD), Highpoint Shopping Centre (VIC), Chermside Shopping Centre (QLD) and Westfield Miranda (NSW).
Prices range from $4.95-$129.95 depending on the product.

And now, for the exclusive offer to readers of this site:

Bobble Art have the kids covered and have kindly offered readers 20% off with your unique code JosiesJuice20 which will be active until midnight on Saturday 24^th January 2015. Go to www.bobbleart.com.au NOW and go shopping, just in time for back to school goodies.

Fridge-To-Go product review

Okay. So you've survived term one of the school year. [For me, it was the first year of school. Ever. Kindergarten! Times two!]. But... has your child's lunchbox fared okay?

I was offered the opportunity to trial these most-excellent lunch boxes called Fridge-To-Go for my kiddies and you know what... they're really fab. They've last term one. And I have no doubt they'll continue to survive being knocked about for several years.

Initially [and this whole thought process is a really big deal for mothers of first-timers] I wondered: do they put the strap on their little shoulders? Do I take the long strap off? And they can carry the lunch box by the sturdy handle? Do I pop it in their backpacks? We started off this way but my kids are teeny, so now they carry them in one hand, and pop them in their plastic tubs inside the classroom. Little kids - and mums - find their groove with a lunchbox as they get to know what suits.

In the first few months of school, being the summer months, the Fridge-To-Go was brilliant. Keeping sandwiches cold even by home time [seriously, at 3pm their cheeky leftover cheese sandwiches were still edible] was a surprise I discovered with the special lunchbox. Here are some examples of the large version:

Fridge-to-go is in fact so clever it's an award winner. Lunch packs that keep food fridge cool for up to eight hours, which makes healthy “nude food” lunches completely possible, eliminating the need for processed, preserved and over-packaged lunches.

Standard lunch boxes - even those with an ice drink or bulky ice brick in them - just don’t keep cold for long. Especially on hot summer days. In a test, the contents of Fridge-to-go lunchboxes remained at a temp of 3.4°C throughout the five hours – still below the crucial 4°C level, whereas a standard cooler bag had a temperature differential of 13.9°C during the five hours. The result is significant in terms of temperature, enjoyment of the product and the potential for bacteria to reproduce.

By the time those carefully prepped 'sangers' are consumed; the temperature inside the box may have increased enough for food-borne bacteria (such as e-coli and listeria) to start breedng.

Fridge-to-go lunch packs use a patented 'Surround Cooling Technology' to keep food cool, fresh and bacteria-free for up to eight hours, and minimise risk of food poisoning.

In a range of colours [we have the red for my girl, the blue for my boy] and compact enough to fit in backpacks without weighing kids down too much, the Fridge-to-go is loved by fussy kids and parents alike. Kids can personalise them with clips, gel pens and key rings.

More features:

EASY TO CLEAN: After use simply unload the remnants, put the cool panel into the freezer to be ready for the next day and wipe clean with soap and water - baking soda and/or vinegar can be used for those nasty spills. Its slimline design is fab to pop in a freezer corner each evening.

ECO FRIENDLY and SAFE TO USE: Fridge-to-go products also use bio-degradable
panels. The bags are bpa-free and lead and pvc. The panel is non-toxic and contains
purified salt water with biodegradable panels.

PATENTED TECHNOLOGY KEEPS FOOD and DRINK FRIDGE-COOL FOR UP TO 8
HOURS: Contamination of food can occur for a number of different reasons, but one key cause of bacteria growth in food is temperature. Most mesophiles, which include bacteria such as listeria and e-coli grow at temperatures between 5°C and 63°C, commonly referred to as the growth or 'danger' zone. They have an optimum temperature for growth of about 37°C. Listeria bacteria will grow very slowly below 5°C, but they start to multiply more rapidly as the temperature rises above that level.

All in all, I am very happy with the Fridge-to-go as the perfect choice for my kids' lunch. I highly recommend this system not only for school, but for work lunches, picnic lunches, and for any food transportation that requires long-time cooling.

Fridge-to-go® lunch packs retail at RRP$29.95 for the small and RRP$34.95 for the
medium sizes. For more, visit the website at www.fridge-to-go.net.au

VivoBarefoot: school shoes for kids - product trial

When I was offered the opportunity to trial VivoBarefoot I was thrilled. I mean, I had two five year olds ready to start school and has zilch idea about which shoes to buy.

Does heavier and chunkier mean more durable? Are they meant to flex right back when you bend them in your hand? Gah! What do I do? And I had to buy two pairs, so I just could not afford to get this wrong. Also, my son has autism - this means a whole slew of sensory issues. Proprioception - the sense of how your own limbs are oriented in space - is a big one. Will I shell out big then he decides he steadfastly won't wear them - anyone with a child with autism knows what I am talking about. You can read more about proprioception from a VivoBarefoot perspective right here.

VivoBarefoot - thank you, thank you. You solved my podiatry - and kindergarten - quandary. Here is a clip to intro you the world VivoBarefoot. Be prepared - it'll change your perception of school footwear. For good. And for the better. Watch:

VivoBarefoot kids' shoes are based on the simple principle that being barefoot is best
for growing feet. Yes, that is the cornerstone of their thinking.

The shoe itself is made with a puncture-resistant sole and an anatomic shape, which allows the foot to flex as nature intended, while providing protection for any kind of adventure your child undertakes.

Here are the shoes my children now wear and love daily - from every angle [because I know caring parents are super-choosy! Like I am]. First, the school shoes for girls:

And here, the shoes for boys [although they're definitely unisex]:

Tracy Byrne, a leading podiatrist and mother of two, says: “The human body knows just what to do without ‘help’ or interference, therefore feet need nothing more than the ground in order to develop as nature intended.”

Mark Cucuzzella, a leading American doctor and father of two, says: “A foot builds its own intrinsic support by communication with the ground. Changing anything from the natural in a developing child is never a good idea.”

An independent study, published in Footwear Science Magazine in 2009, observed
children aged between 7-11 who wore only VivoBarefoot shoes or went barefoot for two months. They found an improvement in foot muscle function, strength, and proprioception… in some cases up to 36%. These results revealed the benefits of children being barefoot over conventional supported shoes.

VivoBarefoot kids shoes are based on the simple principle that being barefoot is best for growing feet. The shoe itself is made with a puncture-resistant sole and an anatomic shape, which allows the foot to flex as nature intended, while providing protection for all types of adventure, of the school playground kind.

According to barefoot running coach Lee Saxby, barefoot shoes should fulfill the following criteria:

- The shoe must provide maximum proprioception or sensory feedback.

- The shoe’s weight must not unbalance your foot’s natural position.

- Your foot should not be restricted in any way by the shoe. The shoe must allow for spread.

A little more about VivoBarefoot: in 2003, VivoBarefoot became pioneers of the barefoot movement by launching the first patented, ultra-thin, puncture-resistant shoe offering maximum sensory feedback with protection.

From the beginning, design for sustainability was at the core of the company’s philosophy. Low-impact materials, efficient distribution, durability, design for disassembly, and lifecycle analysis have all been part of the production process. Since VivoBarefoot's inception, all shoes have been rated against a public eco-matrix that qualitatively details the impact of each design.

In 2011, VivoBarefoot joined forces with Dr Kate Fletcher, Reader in Sustainable Fashion at the London College of Fashion, to create an updated design commitment that moves beyond standard environmental risk management. Their aim is to develop an approach to business that enhances the lives of people and the environment on all levels.

Galahad Clark, Managing Director of VivoBarefoot, explains:
“VivoBarefoot was originally part of Terra Plana, a sustainable fashion shoe line. However, we were faced with an obvious paradox: how do you have a truly sustainable business when you are creating a product?

"Working with Dr Fletcher, we realised the answer was to create products that enrich people’s lives and connect them with the environment. We are passionate about the health benefits of being barefoot and fully committed to not just reducing impact, but to making improvements in the planet, so we made VivoBarefoot a standalone brand that we are focusing on full time.”

"Over the last twelve months, VivoBarefoot has been working to embrace sustainability as a new approach to business. Beyond working to promote the resourcefulness and ethical integrity of the product supply chain, the company is developing commercial opportunities in new ways. The recently launched VivoBarefoot Coaching Program and free eBook by the “world’s best barefoot running coach,” Lee Saxby, help people reconnect with their environment and rediscover the skill of injury-free, natural of movement.

VivoBarefoot is also developing a range of barefoot shoes with Soul of Africa, a non-profit that creates sustainable employment by teaching previously unemployed women in South Africa to hand-stitch products. Soul of Africa donates all profits to a local African orphanage. 

The best part? How the VivoBarefoot is made. Behold:


ORGANIC CANVAS
All the canvas they use in their shoes is 100% organic and comes from sustainable sources.

ECO PU
Unlike most Polyurethanes, the PU’s they use in our Vegan line are non-toxic. They are
made with minimum effluents and maximum efficiency in a factory where all byproducts
are properly treated to ISO14001 standards.

THINSULATE
Synthetic fibre thermal insulation used between upper and lining to trap air in between the fibres, so the heat stays in and the cold stays out.

FAUX FUR
This non-toxic thermal lining is used as a replacement for sheepskin. Suitable for vegans.

THICK MESH
This is a functional mesh used throughout the collection. The cover is composed of 100% recycled plastic bottle fibres, the middle layer is completely biodegradable and the lining is made from 50% recycled  plastic bottle fibres.

RECYCLED NYLON
All the nylon we use in our shoes is made from 100% recycled plastic bottle fibres.

HYDROPHOBIC MESH
A non-toxic, breathable, lightweight, waterresistant thin mesh.

ABRASION LEATHER
Durability is a key factor when making sustainable shoes. We increase the life of our products by using a non-toxic PUcoating to prevent abrasion issues.

DRI-LEX® FANTASIA S PERFORMANCE LININGS
Lightweight, multi-purpose pique fabric made from renewably sourced ingredients that replace those made with petrochemicals.

HYDROGUARD
Waterproof, non-toxic lining made to perform up to 50,000 flexes.

INSOLE
Our insoles are non-toxic and made from cold-pressed EVA, which is easily recyclable.


And now, more about Galahad Clark:

Galahad is a sixth generation shoemaker from the Clark family, brings a dynamic approach to VivoBarefoot that drives the success of the company and inspires the team working there. A passionate environmentalist and fanatic barefoot runner, Galahad guides VivoBarefoot to create shoes that are good for the body and the environment.

Galahad’s unique heritage meant growing up immersed in a world that honored tradition and pushed boundaries of design innovation. As a teenager, he spent summer holidays on various shoe production lines in Europe learning the family’s trade from his father, Lance, and uncle, Nathan, who is credited with the invention of the Desert Boot.

After finishing school in Somerset, Galahad was offered a Morehead Scholarship at the University of North Carolina, where he earned a degree with honors in Chinese and Anthropology. While there he founded ‘Students 4 Students International,’ an organisation created to help disadvantaged students in Africa go to university. There are now three such projects thriving around the world.

Galahad’s degree led him to Taiwan and China, where he studied the language and researched technical shoe production. This rekindled his passion for shoe development
and, when back in the US, he designed and developed ‘Wu-Shoes’ for rap/hip-hop trailblazers, Wu Tang Clan. In 2001, after returning to the UK to be with his sick mother, Galahad took over Terra Plana and set about transforming the fortunes of the brand by reinventing the product range and introducing new concepts. Every product was designed with a sustainable concept in mind, and eco-friendly materials were actively sourced from all corners of the world.

According to Galahad, “sustainable design is just good design.” For Galahad, sustainable products are efficient, durable, lightweight, enjoyed by users and don’t cause any unnecessary harm.

In 2003, Terra Plana became pioneers in the barefoot movement when Galahad launched VivoBarefoot, the original and authentic barefoot shoe with a patented, ultrathin, puncture-resistant sole that allows the body to move as nature intended. Nine years on, the company has introduced a total barefoot lifestyle solution, and VivoBarefoot has become a leading brand in the category, inspiring people to move naturally.

Outside of work, Galahad continues to spread the barefoot message. He completed the 2009 New York Marathon - barefoot, of course.

Click here for where you can buy VivoBarefoot. The RRP for all leather kids' shoes is $109.95.

I highly recommend these shoes - and will be a repeat customer, year after year. They are truly worth investing in.