Guest Posted October 7, 2005 Share Posted October 7, 2005 I am looking through the Hope and Galt Catalogues to buy home corner/role play equipment. Has anyone had experience with the new play panels they are doing as an alternative to the traditional playhouse with opening door and windows ? The panels look so bright and colourful but my concern is whether they are as sturdy - they are connected together by removable connectors at the top and bottom of each panel and we would have to put the house away at the end of the session. This is a large amount for us to spend out in one go so I don't want to make the wrong decision. Can anyone help ?? M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_2732 Posted October 7, 2005 Share Posted October 7, 2005 Without actually checking they are the same thing, I would say, yes they are lovely, but we did have a problem with a bright spark some time ago who cottoned on to the attaching thingys - OOPS!! The worst incident happened when he managed to collapse everything in on himself, though, which he considered hilarious, as did parents (phew!), so be warned. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 7, 2005 Share Posted October 7, 2005 Dont know whether this is of any help but if you look at the following sites they have reduced play panels. Sorry don't have any experience of them myself. http://www.earlyyearsresources.co.uk/acata...INUED_PAGE.html http://www.schoolsurplus.co.uk/cgi-bin/Sch...plus.storefront Look under role play Jo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 7, 2005 Share Posted October 7, 2005 Hi metropolis - I have got the play panels from early years resources (Jo 1 has shown the link) and I would thoroughly recommend them. They are strong and have so far withstood 2 years of us setting them up and putting away every day. When I first set it up, I wondered about a wooden bar that runs along the bottom of the panel with the door in it (children tripping over it) but so far so good .................oh hope I don't end up regret typing that !!!!!!!!! I really like them - and have no hesitation in recommending them and they're reduced which is a big plus! janice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_2732 Posted October 7, 2005 Share Posted October 7, 2005 Hmm, Yes, they look better than the ones we had at the time, but still be careful! Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_3975 Posted October 7, 2005 Share Posted October 7, 2005 We have a new wooden playhouse but to be honest as we are in a church hall and have to get it out all the time it is a lot of hassle and quite heavy. We used to have the ones you menetion at where I worked be fore and they were much easier and flwexible, we had one with a mirror on it. A big plus was that they were so light to get out. Occasssionally the children would knock they over but no harm was done. I am thinking of getting a few of them myself. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_480 Posted October 7, 2005 Share Posted October 7, 2005 Hi Metropolis, After searching for ages through all the catalogues we decided to buy the play panels from Hope. They arrived today and are very sturdy, we liked the fact that you can arrange them in different ways with the removable connectors. Th e panels are different colours on each side and are not too heavy if you have to out them away at the end of the session. Thanks to the PTA if they read this post!! What would we do without you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_1027 Posted October 7, 2005 Share Posted October 7, 2005 Hi metropolis we have some of those panels, they do come in handy for blocking things off but personally i would say they were unsuitable for a home corner. The conectors break very easily and although they are not heavy they do fall over regulary. Also if you stick displays/posters on them you have to do it with sticky tape as bluetac dosnt work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 8, 2005 Share Posted October 8, 2005 Thanks to everyone for giving me food for thought - children do have a wonderful way of letting us know we are not all that clever don't they ?!! My little girl looked through the catalogue with me - they have the playhouses and market stalls at school - she said they had to send the garden conservatory one back and exchange it as children kept getting their heads stuck in the narrow windows !!! I'm going to use the next few days to consider all the risk elements before ordering. If any other members can enlighten me on any more pros and cons I would be very pleased to read them. Many thanks - this site is such a great source of support. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 8, 2005 Share Posted October 8, 2005 Hi! It sounds like they are the same I have in my Nursery. They are ok but have had 2 incidents of the children managing to pull all of it on top of themselves. We have had them a while now though and have withheld quite alot! The children love the door- but think that it is as strong as a real one and have to reminded that it is not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_1490 Posted October 8, 2005 Share Posted October 8, 2005 A wooden house is heavy to manoever on a regular basis but is ideal for us because we can leave it in situ as a store cupboard against the wall . When in use we found the opening windows a safety hazard so we secured them. They can still see out of them but cannot be opened on an innocent child walking by. During this term my hall is used for jumble sales so I put the house away for a few months and used cardboard partitions. I purchased these from S.B.S. many years ago. During the year we sometimes use them them to display wall collages and pictures. We attach the partitions together with large clips. They have large cut out shapes so voile can be attatched to them which gives the children privacy but I can see whats going on inside.They are lightweight stable and sturdy and cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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