Camping camping: A DOUBLE review of two Pretend Camping Set Toys

One of our favorite things to do is go camping. We haven't done it nearly as much since Cocoa Puff was born, but we have taken Froot Loop a few times. The plan is to start camping again with both of them in the spring, before it starts getting too hot. 

Sprouts:

Learning-Resources:

Froot Loop got both of these camping sets for his third birthday. They go really well with his play tent and he really enjoys “pretend” camping. He likes to set up the lantern and camp stove and turn on the lights (The light up ones belong to the green set). He also loves playing with the play food from the New Sprouts set- putting the hotdog and the marshmallow on the fork and cooking them and eating them. Then he puts the smores together and puts the chocolate and graham crackers into the orange first aid kit from the other set. They actually fit perfectly. 

He tries to put the watch on his wrist but still lacks the dexterity to get it closed. He has asked me multiple times to put water into the canteen, but I haven’t allowed that since he manages to spill everything.  

The New Sprouts set is made for younger kiddos, under 3 especially. It’s made of soft rubber and some plastic. The 11-piece set includes, 2 logs with flame, glow-in-the-dark lantern, fork, hot dog, marshmallow, chocolate bar, 2 graham crackers, and duffle bag. The Duffle bag measures 9"L x 5"W, and it’s nearly big enough to store everything inside when you’re done playing. 

The 2 logs are grooved so they can be put together and taken apart by little hands. The “fire” is a little plastic piece that sticks into a slot onto the top log. 

The other set, Learning Resources, is made for kiddos 3 and older. It has a light up lantern and cooking stove, a water bottle with cup, pan, shovel, first-aid kit, pretend watch, and utensil set with compass. The pieces of this set work pretty well with the other set, so that works out well for us. The water bottle canteen fits inside of the cup, which saves a little bit of space. 

Overall, both of these sets are pretty well made. The younger set is very cute and even Cocoa Puff likes to play with it. He likes to chew on the pieces (of course) and he likes to “feel” the textures of the different rubber pieces. The older set has more complicated parts. The compass actually works, but it’s on the weak side. The shovel folds in half. The pan folds in half too, like a real camping pan. The utensil set has a plastic knife, fork, and spoon that flip out like a Swiss Army knife. There’s also a manual can opener that flips out from the other end. This was Froot Loop’s favorite part for awhile… he’d just flip them in and out and in and out over and over. 

The pan sits on top of the camping stove and it balances just fine. I was a little worried that it would keep falling off, but Froot Loop quickly figured out how to balance it up there. I also like that the handle folds in half and flips into the pan, just like a real backpack camping stove. 

Right now, we have everything except the green lantern and cooking stove in a plastic bin (those two don’t fit). I would like to get him a small backpack that would fit everything so he can pretend to go backpacking/camping. 

If I had to choose, I’d probably choose the older camping kit since it has more functionality. The younger set is great for babies and toddlers though. 

When was the last time you went camping? Do you use a campsite stove or a campfire?