Miss E got a massive smile over her face and Miss M's smile dropped as she realised that she would not be having the joy of making these up that day as she was being disciplined for some outrageous behaviour the day before. Then my 11 year old son JJ practically got on his knees and begged to be allowed to help Miss E make the castle as he is Lego crazy.
Visual instructions help my daughter with dyslexia
Miss E decided that she should make the smaller set herself and that JJ could help her with the big one the next day, which was a good compromise as I wanted to see how she handled making it alone, without any help. Both boxes are labelled as being suitable for 8 - 12 year olds due to the complexity of the designs and Miss E will be 8 in a few weeks but as she is dyslexic, some things can take a bit longer for her. I'm pleased to report that making the LEGO set herself boosted her confidence loads and she was able to do it all by herself as the instructions are of course visual, rather than written.
Who are the LEGO Elves?
You may not have heard of LEGO Elves before so have a quick watch of the trailer and see what the story line is -
I think the LEGO Elves is a great concept and it allows my children to use their imagination and to have fun in the magical made-up land of Elvenden. I had to chuckle as I hard Miss E getting Azari and the other elves to make their Cub Scout promise yesterday.
Here are the sets that we received -
Aira's Pegasus Sleigh, which has an RRP of £34.99. This 319 piece set was made alone by Miss E and took her about 90 minutes in total, she worked at her own pace and was content with how long it took her to make from following the instructions.
Build a flying sleigh with Aira Windwhistler, the Wind Elf! Fly up to the clouds pulled by Starshine and Rufus, the 2 pegasi to help the LEGO® Elves find the magic wind key they need to send their lost friend Emily Jones back to the human world.
Load up the chest with cookies for the journey and then follow the magic map with Aira and Azari Firedancer, the Fire Elf, to an ancient windmill in the sky. Miku the baby dragon has the last key, but how will the elf friends get it from her? Help Aira muster her magic wind powers to blow cookies towards Miku, and distract her long enough to grab the key. Includes Aira Windwhistler and Azari Firedancer mini-doll figures, plus Miku the baby dragon and 2 pegasi: Starshine and Rufus.
Skyra's Mysterious Sky Castle (RRP £74.99). JJ made this set up and it took him about two hours (for an 808 piece set) but he was not rushing and I kept hearing little excited whoops when he found how cool some of the features were like the the opening portal and the disappearing staircase.
Find the magic portal to send Emily Jones back to the human world! The LEGO Elves have completed their quest to find all 4 magic keys needed to open the portal. Now Emily and Naida Riverheart, the Water Elf, must make their way through the obstacles in the amazing Sky Castle to reach the portal while Skyra, the guardian of the portal, watches on from above with her owl, Nascha.
Help the elves make their way through the overgrown entrance and use Naida’s magic water powers to find the secret door in the spa behind the waterfall. Then reveal the enchanted staircase to get past the lava kitchen and overcome Skyra’s protective Pegasus, to place all 4 keys into the portal. When you finally face Skyra, convince her to open the portal using her staff. Who knows when Emily will visit the incredible universe of the LEGO Elves again!
Includes 3 mini-doll figures: Emily Jones, Naida Riverheart and Skyra, plus Golden Glow the Pegasus and Nascha the owl.
Who are LEGO Elves for?
It would be easy to assume that the LEGO Elves range is for girls and looking at the wonderful bright and different colours of some of the pieces that might be how LEGO were targeting it at but JJ was quite sad he had not been sent some for himself, so the appeal spans the sexes and the ages. Like the very popular LEGO friends and Disney ranges these also feature the minidolls, rather than the classic minifigs and my two girls certainly love these mindolls and the ability to be able to dress and style them more realistically. JJ on the other hand says minifigs are the original and the best and always will be.
Overall Conclusion
We love the LEGO Elves range and we are off to Legoland for the day next Saturday, which is just perfect as Miss E tells me she needs to buy some more sets!
- We all know that LEGO is not a cheap toy but then it truly does stand the test of time, as much of the LEGO JJ plays with was owned by my now 36 year old brother when he was a kid.
- LEGO is really well made and built to last.
- As with all LEGO the instruction books are fabulous, really easy to follow and visual. All the pieces you need have been separated into different bags and it is obvious that you open bag 1 before bag 2 etc.
- LEGO is fantastic for helping to develop your child's imagination and there is so much scope with the magical Elves range.
- It is available to buy online and from all decent high street retailers
- I love the fact it led to harmonious play between my children of different age groups and sexes
- LEGO is something I also enjoy playing with and it is great to get on the floor with the kids on a Sunday afternoon and to create.
Disclosure: We received these two sets for the purpose of an honest review, we have not been instructed what to write. Thanks so much LEGO, we would love to work with you again.
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