Hide And Seek Periscope By Hape!

There’s a train of thought that too much of a prescription for play with children is a bad thing. I get it, I do but then I also think if you don’t set up certain scenarios then how can they role-play, re-enact and create games from nothing. A toy kitchen I can see isn’t entirely necessary if prescriptive play really isn’t your thing. We all have one in our homes and kids get to see us using things in it in order to inform them of the world so that they can use the information either in their own made up games where they are the main character or in small world play too. It’s lovely to see my children play like this, at being mini adults, (though where they’ve got the idea for ironing from – a favourite pretend of Jimmy’s when he was little – is anyone’s guess as I certainly don’t do it either in reality OR game) and sure yes, no prescriptions are NEEDED but we like some sometimes anyway in our house!

And then sometimes, with some toys I think that certain element of prescription can be so helpful. A periscope for instance (Raffie was sent one to play with and review for Hape Toys recently), now when would he get to see one being used in real life I wonder. Definitely not in this house! It arrived and provided us with much discussion immediately as Rafie thought it was a telescope, something he DOES see at home.

No Raffie, we told him, it’s not a TELESCOPE but a Periscope which is quite different and it took us on lots of conversations where one might come in useful. A submarine he thought initially, so that he could see out of the water when underneath it on missions with the Octonaughts (his fave) and when his big brother said he’d help build him one to play in out of cardboard boxes the prescription of the periscope was entirely worth it!

As it turned out, as the boys built using all the boxes we had collected, they decided to turn the submarine instead into a tank which again could absolutely use a periscope! What a wonderful time playing they had all built around the periscope. Games and crafts they wouldn’t have happened upon had they not had this toy which they are also using rather magnificently to spy on each other!

The Hide and Seek Periscope is made by Hape Toys and we were gifted one as part of a collaboration with the brand.