Wooden Rainbow Stacker - Medium - Safari Collection

The Safari Collection version: Medium format, its own colours

Inside the box are 8 wooden arches of different sizes and colours and a wooden ball of 5 cm. Fitted together, they form an arc 26 cm long, 5 cm deep and 14 cm high, for a total weight of 1.05 kg.

What sets this model apart is its colourway. It belongs to the Safari Collection, so its shades are not those of our other Medium rainbow stacker. Both have eight arches and one ball; choosing between them comes down to the colours you would like to see on the nursery shelf every day. The photos on this page show the Safari shades better than words can.

What a one-year-old does with it, and what comes next

Suitable from 1 year, this wooden stacking rainbow starts out as something to dismantle. Sitting on the rug, a young toddler lifts off the outer arch, then the next, and finds a smaller one each time, a little like opening a set of nesting dolls. The ball adds a chase: it rolls off and has to be fetched.

Between 2 and 3, the arches go up instead of out. One arch placed on top of another, then a third: the first real constructions appear, and with them the first collapses. Curved pieces forgive very little, so children learn to place rather than drop.

Later still, the set becomes a box of building parts for small-world play. An arch on its feet is a gateway, three in a row make a paddock for figurines, and one turned on its back is a boat or a doll's bed.

Bridges, pens and ball courses: building with the arches

Each arch is a construction piece in its own right. A few builds that work well with eight of them:

• Tunnel: arches of decreasing size set one behind the other, so the ball goes in wide and comes out narrow.
• Bridge: the biggest arch spanning a toy road, or a blue scarf standing in for a river.
• Cradle: an arch laid on its back, which rocks at the lightest touch.
• Pen: arches stood in a ring to enclose a herd of animal figures.
• Ball course: arches spaced out across the room as gates, to be rolled through in order.

One piece of advice from experience: build on a rug or a play mat rather than on bare floorboards. The arches grip better, towers stand a little longer, and when they do come down, 1.05 kg of wood lands quietly.

Free play, and the skills behind it

Nothing about this toy tells a child what to do, which is the whole point of open-ended play: the same nine pieces serve a one-year-old who is nesting and a four-year-old who is staging a story. You do not need to demonstrate anything. Sit nearby, build something small yourself, and let your child borrow the idea or ignore it.

The learning happens in the hands. A thick arch is first grabbed with the whole palm, then set down with the fingertips, which is fine motor practice in disguise. Ordering eight arches from widest to narrowest trains the eye for size. A leaning stack teaches balance faster than any explanation, and the pretend games that follow are pure imagination.

Medium with one ball, or a larger rainbow

This is a Medium wooden stacking rainbow with a single ball. For more pieces on the floor, our XXL rainbow comes with two balls. The range also includes a further arch model, listed as our wooden rainbow.

If your child is closer to the first birthday and you are hesitating between free arches and rings on a peg, compare with the baby stacking toys department: rings give one clear task, arches give many. Either way, both belong to the same family as the other Montessori toys for babies in the shop.

Looking after the wood and putting it away

A wooden stacking rainbow needs little care. A soft cloth, barely damp, is all the cleaning the arches call for; dry them afterwards and keep them away from standing water and radiators. Marks left by enthusiastic play are part of a wooden toy's life.

At the end of the day the arches slot back into one another, and the assembled arc takes up 26 cm of shelf by 5 cm. Putting the pieces back in size order is a last quiet game before bath time, and many children insist on doing it themselves.

Safari stacking rainbow: parents' questions

What age is a wooden stacking rainbow for?

This model is suitable from 1 year. Younger toddlers take it apart and nest it; from 2 to 3 they stack and balance, and older children build with it.

How many arches does the Safari rainbow have?

Eight arches, each a different size and colour, plus one wooden ball.

What can children build with the rainbow arches?

Tunnels, bridges, cradles, pens for figurines and courses for the ball, as well as towers of balanced arches.

How big is the medium stacking rainbow?

It measures 26 x 5 x 14 cm when assembled and weighs 1.05 kg.

Is the wooden ball included?

Yes. The set comes with one wooden ball, 5 cm in diameter.

Specifications

• Collection: Safari
• Contents: 8 arches in wood, each a different size and colour, and 1 wooden ball
• Assembled size: 26 x 5 x 14 cm
• Ball: Ø 5 cm
• Weight: 1.05 kg
• Age: from 1 year
• Guarantee: 2 years