Tots to Teens: Have a field day with this model-farm toy

Children can recreate the outdoors indoors with this model toy field from thefield.ie. 

Children can recreate the outdoors indoors with this model toy field from thefield.ie. 

The toy was inspired by a request from Roscommon man Padraic Cuddy’s young son, Tommy, who wanted a field for his animals to graze, and his father obliged by building a realistic toy field, complete with hedging and a wooden gate.

It was an instant hit, not just with Tommy, but with the children of family and friends. A business was born, and Cuddy now sells a range of toy fields and other farm-themed toys, all designed to foster creativity and inspire hours of open-ended play.

The field measures 61cm by 43cm and comes with its own certificate of title, authorising the child’s ownership of their own patch of land. It’s suitable for children aged three and older and costs €50.

Our gang

The Clubhouse Mystery, by Erica McCann, is a beloved children’s book that has a new cover.

The Clubhouse Mystery, by Erica McCann, is a beloved children’s book that has a new cover. Naomi Osibodu, from Mercy Mounthawk Secondary School in Tralee, won the 2025 O’Brien Press ‘design a cover’ Competition and her colourful artwork now adorns this story about the Bubble Street Gang.

The gang consist of Cass Okara and her best friends, Lex and Nicholas. The trio have adventures, investigate crimes, and solve mysteries together. They even have their own secret clubhouse.

But they find the door to their clubhouse open, with crumbs on the table and hairs on the floor. Who has been sneaking in?

Perfect for young readers who enjoy tales of sleuthing, it costs €8.99.

Playing to the gallery

Inspire little ones to make art with First Steps, a series of art and nature classes, designed for parents and toddlers, that take place in the Glucksman Gallery in Cork city this autumn.

Inspire little ones to make art with First Steps, a series of art and nature classes, designed for parents and toddlers, that take place in the Glucksman Gallery in Cork city this autumn.

On September 27 and October 18, parents and toddlers will get to visit the gallery before opening hours and then take a nature walk in the surrounding grounds, before settling down to some hands-on creative activities. 

Tickets cost €15 for an adult plus a toddler, and can be booked via glucksman.org.

Screen saver

Families often struggle to set rules and limits on their children’s screen time and device use. The lack of structure can lead to arguments or disruptive behaviour,  leaving parents at a loss to know how best to respond.

Aoife Lee, a mother of three, certified parent coach, trainee psychotherapist, and founder of parentsupport.ie wants to help. She offers an eLearning course called ‘Managing Family Screen Time and Device Use’.

This is a self-paced online course, in which you cover five modules in your own time. It’s aimed at parents and caregivers of children from pre-school years up to teenagers, and it consists of videos, digital downloads, and audio content. 

The multimedia package focuses on setting goals, realistic expectations, and boundaries around device use as a family, the pros and cons of technology, how to keep children safe online, and the red flags to look out for when it comes to device usage. It costs €50.

Child immunity

Children typically pick up four to five illnesses during the school year, and new research by Holland & Barrett reveals that this is a cause of concern for 41% of primary school parents in Ireland.

Many take preventative measures to keep their children healthy, with 46% giving them supplements to support immunity.

Holland & Barrett has launched an immunity bundle to help these parents. 

The €40 bundle contains Holland & Barrett’s Immunity Support Trail Mix, its Wellmune Vitamin Complex orange-flavoured powder, vitamin D tablets, high strength, effervescent vitamin C and zinc, Bluey Immune Support Mixed Berry Flavour Gummies and Kids’ Multivitamin Strawberry Gummies.