Contents/Sizes:

The Mame Ohagki set includes:

• a cute eco 100% hemp canvas storage/ carry bag (220 x 80 x 170mm)
• 100 (10 of 10 different coloured) wooden beans (each 15 x 3 x 22mm) and single wooden star
• a unique bean-shaped embroidered cotton pouch (150 x 3 x 100mm)
• a pair of chopsticks in a cotton case (35 x 2 x120mm)
• a wooden bowl (85 x 85 x 50mm)
• player instructions in Japanese and English
• a newspaper and postcard from gg*

Who could have thought you could have so much fun with wooden beans?

This adorable game, brought to you by the dynamic duo at gg* designs, has been created to not only appeal to children due to the colours, shapes and textures utilised but even more appealingly can be used and played in so many ways:

• Play a Game of Marbles... Mame Ohagki is essentially aningenious twist on the ancient Japanese marbles game Ohajiki. Traditionally played with small glass coin shaped pieces, pebbles or pieces from other games such as chess, players take turns flicking these pieces (called Ohajiki) with their fingers to hit other pieces. But, why play a game of marbles with standard small glass balls when you could play with brightly coloured beans instead?
• Play a Game of Dominos... Thebeans have cleverly been designed so that they can be arranged to stand on edge. With 100 different coloured beans to choose from, how long will your little one make their domino run before flicking the first bean and gleefully watching their colours of the rainbow fall?
• Play Basic Number, Pattern and Colour Recognition Games...With ten (10) beans in each of the ten (10) different colours, the types of basic number and colour recognition games that can be played utilising this wonderful set is limited only by your imagination... Get your little one to count the number of beans in a random handful of beans taken from the bag, take a bean out of the bag and ask your child to tell you what colour it is, take 4 green beans and 2 yellow beans and see if they can work out what 4+2 equals, set some of the beans up in a pattern (e.g. blue, blue, purple, green, blue, blue, purple...) and ask them to place the next three beans in the pattern...There are just so many games to play!
• Play Games to Improve Dexterity and Fine Motor Skills... The inclusion of a set of chopsticks and gorgeous wooden bowl in this set will not only see your little multicultural one improving their chopsticks skills but will see them enjoy creating a variety of games that will help improve their dexterity and fine motor abilities. Can they pick up all ten of the green beans from the pile of different coloured beans by just using the chopsticks?... How many beans can they pick up and place in the bowl in 2 minutes?... Play and find out!

Play value is only part of the appeal of this gorgeous Mame Ohagki game. So impeccably made and designed, it is worth mentioning some of its other features:

• Quality and Safety: The wooden components of this set are made from German beechwood and the delicate shades of colouring of the beans and star are achieved utilising German paints finished with beeswax. Approved by the (EN71) CE European Toy Safety Management Standards (has been called one of the most strictly regulated and stringent standards in the world) you can be rest assured this toy is non toxic and safe for children. Furthermore, the natural scent of honey and smooth surface texture will gently stimulate the senses of children.
• Immaculate Presentation:The brainchild of true designers, it comes as no surprise that much thought has also gone into how this delightful game is packaged and presented. The chopsticks have their own case, the beans are contained within their own bean-shaped embroidered pouch, the wooden bowl is beautifully shaped and everything is housed within an easy to cart hemp carry bag (with gorgeous wooden beads on the handle to boot!). This carry bag is then sent to you within a stylish box containing gg*'s signature newspaper (contains a poem and a message from gg*) together with postcard that can be sent back to gg* with a picture, a message or idea, to add to a book they plan to publish (how innovative is that!).

A Little About gg*

This renowned Japanese brand has been producing wooden toys and products since 2007. The concept was started by '2 girls'(Nobuko Shigeoka and Kazuyo Shiomi), hence the name gg*. The philosophy behind this brand is simple and is best exemplified by the words of Kaz herself...

'We hope to inspire many happy smiles, because for us they are the greatest treasure!

We wish to be a bridge between kids, adults and the world.

We want to give kids a little bit of inspiration to embark on new adventures.

We want to excite their imaginations so that they can discover for themselves the joy of playtime.

We see kids as the world's little artists, so creative and full of joy!

Through different games and activities, we want to learn with them and about them.

May gg* toys take you on an incredible journey of discovery.'

We certainly think they are doing that!!

This is a great present for any child. It will be cherished and loved both for it's play value and the little hint of Japanese culture that strives for excellence in quality and presentation that is obvious in this product.