Seaside Sidekicks Giveaway

When I'm looking for toys for the Peanut and the Bean I go out of my way to find playthings that are well made, educational, affordable and (this is purely a personal preference) not awash in pink.

So it's not surprising that Melissa and Doug is one of our favourite go to places for play things. We're always excited to receive Mellisa and Doug toys and art supplies. Since imagination and creative play are practically built right into their toys it's no wonder that they are among the most played with at our house. The Peanut gets hours of fun out them and once the Bean gets to be big enough to play too, we know she'll be getting just as much fun as her big sister.

So the Peanut has been chomping at the bit for sandbox weather since sometime last November, and with a summer filled with beach outings on the horizon we're thinking about some new sand toys. Lucky for us Mellisa and Doug have just introduced some cute sand toys that could provide endless entertainment at either the sandbox in our back yard or the beach.

Now, I can totally picture any number of under the sea role playing opportunities with The Seaside Sidekicks Sand-Molding Set, "Hello Mr Sea Turtle, have you met my little friend Tiny Blue Seahorse? He's been simply frantic to meet you, he's a huge fan of your work in sand molding."

"Why, Tiny Blue Seahorse, I'm simply delighted to meet you! might I offer you some tea?" And now that I've got my lackluster try at writing gripping dialogue out of my system...

With each mold nesting inside the next, this set just screams to be packed up to the beach; compact toys are a must when you're headed to the sea side via public transit and you have to make sure you have plenty of diapers and wipes along with the other beach day must haves like lunch and a change of clothes.

The Seaside Sidekicks Sand Cupcake Set is a must have for any little baker and I have to say that the unique hinged cupcake molds are genius! The tropical colour scheme is lovely and the sea creature cake toppers are too sweet for words. The sea turtle, little crab, sea star and the gold fish toppers create the perfect set.

I can see the Peanut baking sand cupcakes, building mini castles and using the icing to create even more fun designs in the sand.


I am eternally amazed by the bottomless well of creativity that the Peanut and her friends delve into when they play. The Seaside Sidekicks Sand Baking Set is a fun set featuring everything needed to cook up some beach time fun; bowl, whisk, mixing spoon measuring cups and a sifter.

Not only can I see the Peanut keeping busy making sandcakes with this set but also some seaweed soup too. Plus I'm sure (little budding paleontologist and treasure hunter that the Peanut is proving herself to be) that she'd also use the set for digging up dinosaur bones and panning for gold.



If you're going old school and a pail and shovel are all you need to get your sand party started then the Clicker Crab Pail and Shovel is the combo to get. A bright red to stand out against the sand on the beach with a friendly infections face to bring a smile to your face. This sturdy pail is perfect for hauling water and filling with sand for sand castles and other sand sculptures. It's also a pretty cool place to hold all the shells and pebbles your little collector brings back to the blanket.

And about now I'm guessing you're wondering what is all this about a giveaway? Well, Melissa & Doug has generously offered to send a prize pack of all four of the sand play sets I've talked about here once they get 200 Facebook followers from this giveaway! Pretty exciting right?



To Enter:

Mandatory Entry

Jump over and “Like” Melissa & Doug on Facebook, then come back here and leave a comment telling me that you did.

You can leave it at that if you want but for all the eager beaver's out there, extra entries can be had by doing any or all of the following (just remember to leave a separate comment for each extra entry that you complete):

- Subscribe to Melissa & Doug’s Treasured Toy and Birthday Club e-mail list
- Visit PeanutButterPie on Etsy and tell me which item you like best.
- Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to your post in your comment
- Follow PeanutButterPie on Twitter and tweet the following (worth 2 extra entries) :

I entered to win a @MelissaAndDoug prize pack for some prime sand play this summer from @PeanutButterPie! http://bit.ly/jzBWCg

Rules

Contest ends just in time for the beginning of Summer on June 20th 2011 at 9:00 p.m. PST. Deadline for this giveaway has been extended! The cutoff for entries will be June 27th at 9pm PST. An extra entry will be given to all those who entered before the original deadline as special thank you. I will select a winner at random from all eligible entries. I'll email the winner before posting an announcement on here so please make sure that you have a way for me to contact you.

If the winner does not respond within 48 hrs of being notified, I'll pick a new winner. The prize will be mailed directly to the winner by Melissa and Doug.


Good luck!

Disclaimer: I have not received any monetary compensation for holding this giveaway. The giveaway is contingent on the giveaway sponsor receiving 200 new fans