I really like the sound of this Paragon Fire Station Activity Book and Playset as I knew that Holly would look forward to playing with a fire station but she is also very much into puzzles and colouring right now so the activity book is perfectly targeted to her (she is 3 and a half).
Holly was really eager to get going with the play set and discarded the book as she was rushing to get to the pop-out sheets of cardboard pieces to build the 3D fire station and fire engine. She popped out all of the pieces and was able to get the people and cones up and running but she struggled with the rest of the pieces. To tell you the truth, I struggled with the construction too! There are brief pictorial references in the booklet to guide you and in general the construction seems to be common sense but it certainly isn't something for tiny fingers and some of the pieces really needed a precise shove to fit together. I found the fire engine front and back to keep popping off!
But, once constructed, Holly enjoyed playing with the fire station. She placed the people and animals around the station and enjoyed rotating the ladder on the fire engine (even though the front kept falling off the fire engine!).
After a couple of days, Holly's interest in the playset waned so we found a box to hold each of the pieces - at this point she rediscovered the activity book. The book contains a couple of puzzles and pictures which are suitable for children of around 3-6 years old. With a bit of guidance, Holly was able to complete most of it unaided and she enjoyed the fireman theme.
All in all, I was pleased with the Fire Station Activity Book and Playset, as long as you don't expect it to be a long-lasting toy then I think it's a fun, engaging activity that you can share with your child. After the set is created, a little imagination leads to plenty of play and, if the pieces get worn out, you can always recycle them as they are simply made of card.
