Ok ... talk to me about HABA beads - if that's what they're called?

[NotQuiteCockney]

I'm thinking about a product where you arrange little coloured beads, and them iron them so they stay in position? Is that right?

What are they like? Do your kids use them? From what age, to what age?

DS2 is 4, and pretty art-oriented (unlike DS1). He's become obsessed with a go board, arranging the pieces in patterns. So I was thinking ...

We've never finished one. DD had one nearly finished before lunch, coughed and knocked it flying.

Had more success with the water ones, but I suspect her dad is doing those for her.

DD is 5 btw.

HAMA beads. Theya re the work of the devil. Ds2 loves them. Theya re good and he was given them at his old school because they said he had problems with his motor skills. But they do get everywhere. He is now (just) 9 and still uses them, has done since he was about 4/5

What are the water ones?

DS2 has great attention and patience, he's spent easily half an hour on this go board at a time. He's counting things and arranging them.

My dd is nearly 5 and loves them. (They are Hama beads btw) She will sit for ages concentrating on putting them in patterns then I iron them, them I sneak the finished creations gradually into the bin. Everyone happy.

HAMA.

They rock.

DD1 only really got into them around age 5/6, but it clicked with DD2 by age 5.

Cue hours of kids leaning silently over tables of patterns picking out beads like chimps grooming.

They also make a hugely satisfactory racket going up the hoover.

(Hama, by the way ). Get everywhere...

THe water ones are bindeez.

How do the water ones work? Do you end up with a finished product?

I'm not sure how interested DS2 is in finished products, I think he'd just be happy to obsessively faff about with teeny tiny beads and a grid.

Hama beads I think you mean , not Haba( a German wooden toy manufacturer).

dd(7) has enjoyed them intermittently sicne about 4 but they are fiddly to start with unless you buy the larger version. You can get sets with ready made designs to follow and all the relevant colours. The larger and more intricate ones take forever to do and the beads are easily displaced bya knock or jerk. Once the design is completed on the peg board you use the paper supplied(or any baking parchment) to iron over it until they melt and fuse together.

They are good exercise for fine motor skills and creative but a faff and get everywhere so you hoover more up than you use ! Ikea sell a cheaper version of random colours.

Oh, and if they like HAMA, they'll love CORDZ - the only issue there being that the velcro board they give you to stick the cordz to also attracts every known fluff in the northern hemisphere.

Oh, I'm not a fan of velcro, we have cats, there's enough fluff in this house.

There are three sizes - I was thinking of getting midi (the 5mm beads)? DS2 has very good manual dexterity, I have no tinies in the house, DS1 is 7. Should be ok?

If you live near Ikea they do a big tub of standard sized hama type beads. Great value (but they still get everywhere 0

SD - I seem to remember someone telling me that the IKEA ones don't fit on HAMA boards - is that right?

We have about a million of the things.

Until recently, DD didn't have the concentration span to finish the larger designs so I spent many hours (or so it felt) finishing an almost life-sized Eeyore that she wanted to give to her aunt.

They certainly do get everywhere. We were looking after DD's friend a while ago when they decided to rip open the new packs of beads which DD had been given for Christmas, hold the bags above their heads and shake. It looked amazing - a bit like that advert for paint where paint bombs exploded from the top of a building - but beads are still emerging from under the sofa now.

Mine fit on Hama boards.

Thanks, SD

Oh, I was thinking about going to Ikea, good tip.