5 Alarming Things You Must Check Before Choosing The Best Learning Tower For Your Child

(#3 Will Blow Your Mind!)

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New Zealand and Australian safety testing authority research reveals a crucial checklist that all parents, carers and grandparents should read before purchasing a Learning Tower for their child. 

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Shocking Free Check List Below Reveals All!

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FREE CHECK LIST:

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1. Will the Learning Tower tip over with my child in it, is it stable?

2. What weight limit has the Learning Tower been tested to?

3. Are there large gaps in the Learning Tower's walls that my child could fall through or small gaps where they could get their limbs stuck?

4. Are the materials that the Learning Tower is made of safe and compliant?

5. Has the Learning Tower been put through any testing to ensure it will last?

Safety Tested image of the Arc Assistant Learning Tower in White

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What you should check for to answer the above questions:

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1. Will the Learning Tower tip over with my child in it, is it stable?

Did you know that when a child is boosted to stand on a platform at height, they often get excited? This excitement comes out in the form of jumping up and down, rocking or stepping from side to side...

What does this mean for the engineering of my Learning Tower?

Simply put, you need to check if the learning tower has been put through the Tip Over Test 5.24.3 under AS/NZS 8124 /Pt.1/2016.*

When designing the Arc Assistant Original Learning Tower, we put it through numerous rounds of safety testing where we tweaked the design to ensure that this product helps decrease adult stress, boost child development and is MOST IMPORTANTLY safe to use.

This is why the Arc Assistant Original Learning Tower has four protruding feet at its base. Making the design look a little like a rocket ship, these feet along with the sizing and weight of the Arc Assistant Original Learning Tower means it 100% complies with the Tip Over Testing. It was put on a ramp and pulled by machines at different angles and it did not tip. 

Learning Towers without safety feet and compliance with the "Tip Over Test" 5.24.3 within safety standard AS/NZS 8124 /Pt.1/2016 should be queried. 

Learning Tower the Arc Assistant with safety feet

2. What weight limit has the Learning Tower been tested to?

When researching the best learning tower to purchase a crucial fact to know is, to what weight has it been tested to?

To claim that a child product like a seat can hold up to 80kg, three times 80kg, i.e: 240kg must be applied and tested on the product in question, in an accredited laboratory. This is direct from the "Overload test for ride-on toys and seats" 5.24.3 within safety standard AS/NZS 8124 /Pt.1/2016. Only when the child product in question withstands 240kg of weight, can it be stated that the Learning Tower can safely hold up to 80kg.

The Arc Assistant Original Learning Tower, at an IANZ accredited Laboratory in Auckland, New Zealand, had 240kg of weight applied to it and it withstood this. As a result of this testing The Arc Assistant Learning Tower is compliant with the overload testing and can safely hold up to 80kg.

NZ Made Learning Tower the Arc Assistant

3. Are there large gaps in the Learning Tower's walls that my child could fall through or small gaps where they could get their limbs stuck?

Another key question to ask yourself when looking into Learning Towers, is: Does it have large gaps my child could fall through or small holes that my child could get their hands or fingers stuck in?

Children for example when using The Arc Assistant Original Learning Tower, enjoy playing the age old game of peek-a-boo. No matter the progression in technology and the toys available, this is a game that never gets old. If The Arc Assistant was to have large gaps in its four walls, this would be a hazard for the child as when they pop down for their fun game of peek-a-boo their little backs would protrude outside of the learning tower. This means when the child jumps up to appear, they would hit their back on the gap in the learning tower's wall. This is one of the reasons The Arc Assistant Original Learning Tower has durable solid walls with no large gaps.

Another important factor to consider is - are there any holes that my child could use as climbing slots? In order to comply with the safety testing the Arc Assistant Original Learning Tower was designed with "wall plugs" to securely fit into the walls to 'plug' the standing platform holes when not in use. With three standing platform heights the Arc Assistant Original Learning Tower 'grows' with your child, and as you lower the standing platform you plug the higher standing platform holes with the bungs to ensure you have no climbing slots. 

One more question around gaps to consider is, are there any small gaps where my child could get their limbs stuck? Under the safety testing there is a requirement that any small holes (like our two handle holes) at the very top of the right and left walls be of a certain size. This is crucial to check and an important design feature, to ensure that no heads can fit through, whilst at the same time, hands and fingers won't get trapped. For the safety of your child, The Arc Assistant Original Learning Tower's top handles are of the compliant sizing requirements. 

The Arc Assistant Learning Tower Showing no large holes

4. Are the materials that the Learning Tower is made of safe and compliant?

An important question to ask yourself about the Learning Towers you're researching is - are the materials compliant for use in child products? Could my child swallow any of the product parts? What testing has the product been put through, so that I can be confident that the material it is made from is safe for my child to be around?

From Standard AS/NZS 8124 /Pt.1/ 2016 The Arc Assistant Original was tested for and complies with the "Material Quality Test" 4.3.1, and the "Wooden Toys Test" 4.7.3.

Learning Tower with text about the board safety

5. Has the Learning Tower been put through any testing to ensure it will last?

We all know that children can be hard on their things. Not intentionally of course, rather because they're often full of energy, without the understanding of how to care for items yet. There is a great test called the "Reasonably Foreseeable Abuse Test" 5.24, from Standard AS/NZS 8124 /Pt.1/ 2016 The Arc Assistant Original was tested for and complies with. When designing this product we wanted to ensure that it would stand the test of time. 

Throw away products are bad for the environment, which is why The Arc Assistant Original Learning Tower, has been engineered, safety tested and is made in New Zealand to stand the test of time and to 'grow' with your child. 

Summary:

There you have it, 5 key questions to ask yourself when purchasing a learning tower to help support your child's development.

1. Will the Learning Tower tip over with my child in it, is it stable?

2. What weight limit has the Learning Tower been tested to?

3. Are there large gaps in the Learning Tower's walls that my child could fall through or small gaps where they could get their limbs stuck?

4. Are the materials that the Learning Tower is made of safe and compliant?

5. Has the Learning Tower been put through any testing to ensure it will last?

Curated, considered design is crucial when developing child products. Our children in our society are our most vulnerable little people and must be cared for and supplied child friendly products that have been put through the appropriate rigorous testing to ensure that they are safe and worthy of their use. This is why the New Zealand made Arc Assistant Original Learning Tower has been safety tested to such a rigorous degree.

White Arc Assistant Learning Tower, parked at the kitchen bench in white and brown timber kitchen

*Safety Standards Referenced Above:

AS/NZS 8124 /Pt.1/2016 - This joint Australian/New Zealand standard was prepared by joint Technical Committee CS-018, Safety of Children's Toy, It was approved on behalf of the Council of Standards Australia on 20 May 2016 and by the New Zealand Standards Approval Board on 2 June 2016. This standard was published on 30 June 2016.

The following are represented on Committee CS-018:

  • Safekids New Zealand 
  • Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
  • Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
  • Australian Industry Group
  • Australian Toy Association
  • CHOICE
  • Consumer Affairs Victoria
  • Consumers Federation of Australia
  • Kidsafe
  • Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment New Zealand
  • National Acoustic Laboratories
  • National Retail Association
  • New Zealand Toy Distributors Association
  • NSW Fair Trading
  • Office of Fair Trading, QLD

Purchase Arc Assistant Original Learning Tower here

 

 

 

 

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Activities for
Preschoolers

11 Fun Children's Activities

Activities For Preschoolers

11 Children's Activities to do at home to help their daily development in their Arc Assistant Learning Towers.

Activities for Preschoolers

Colouring in

Include them at the bench so that they can colour in, while you're doing the dishes. The benefit to you is, they're not under your feet and benefit to them is they get more face to face time with you. The more face to face time during their first 1000 days, the better their outcomes later in life. We learnt this from Nathan Wallis, Neuroscience Educator. 

Learn more

Activities for Preschoolers

Make Homemade cookies

Baking cookies at home helps your toddler learn valuable skills, not to mention having heaps of fun with you at the same time. 

One of the most important developmental steps for toddlers is learning to "self soothe". Teaching your child how to knead dough helps provide perspective and enables them to engage with you and themselves in a repetitive soothing manner.

Not to mention connect with you more, which always boosts their development too.

Learn more

Activities for Preschoolers

Have them 'help' to make dinner

Connecting with your child in The Arc Assistant Learning Tower while you're in the kitchen preparing meals everyday adds up to hours and hours and hours of extra time with you where they are learning. Times where they would otherwise be left out.

Learn More

Activities for Preschoolers

Make crepes

Make crepes or pancakes with them. Crepes are our personal favourite as they are so easy to make and most people already have the three simple ingredients already in the cupboards. How to make the perfect crepes?

Homemade basic crepes are ridiculously easy to make, and difficult to mess up. The main ingredients for French crepes are flour, eggs and milk. We always use 4 eggs, 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of milk and mix together. 

Bake Together

Activities for Preschoolers

Bubble play

Sometimes it's the simple things in life which cause the most joy and development. Take a look at the two below. We are not sure who is having more fun, father or son... Either way, this added connected time is helping his brain development and all it took was boosting him to stand up at the kitchen bench in his Arc Assistant and filling the sink with warm water, dish washing liquid and some safe kitchen utensils to play together with.

LEARN MORE

Activities for Preschoolers

Finger Paint

Finger painting up at the bench is not only the easiest area in the house to clean up after the fun is finished, It improves fine motor developmental skills. Toddlers also learn how colours work, especially mixing primary colours. This added connected time with you in their Arc Assistant Learning Tower supports them to grow into confident young children.

PAINT AT THE BENCH

Activities for Preschoolers

Play with Kinaesthetic Toys

Kinaesthetic learning activities at then bench help to develop their hand-eye coordination. Take a look below at this little one being included with his big brother and mum in the kitchen, all the while, learning too.

SHOP NOW

Activities for Preschoolers

Counting Vegetables

There is a very simple way to get your child to eat more fruit and vegetables without complaint and that is through including them in the preparation of their meals and snacks. The reason behind this is simple, the child feels empowered because they helped and therefore eat the food they took part in getting ready. Whether it be a salad sandwich or carrots, their inclusion makes them positively predisposed to enjoying the food they had a part in creating. 

Activities for Preschoolers

Play with building blocks

Playing with blocks help children develop their vocabularies, improves math skills, and even teaches them about gravity, balance, and geometry.

Building is all about size, shape, weight, leverage, and balance, and as your child works this out, their building and block play will become more and more complex. This also is great activity to have them do at the kitchen bench beside you as it is easy for your to cook dinner at the same time as engaging with your little one and helping them learn new skills. 

Activities for Preschoolers

Reading at the bench

Reading and sharing stories can: help your child get to know sounds, words and language, and develop early literacy skills, spark your child's imagination and stimulate curiosity.

Help your child's brain, social skills and communication skills develop through sneaking in that extra book each day with them in their Arc Assistant Learning Tower, while you work in the kitchen.

Read at the bench

Activities for Preschoolers

Counting

Using counting to combine and separate groups of foods (like fruits and vegetables or even delicious spreads, like Pic's Peanut Butter) helps develop children's understanding of the operations of addition and subtraction.

Children come to understand that when groups are combined the count gets bigger, and when groups are separated the count gets smaller. This is an easy activity that you can easily be doing with your child everyday, simply by using the items you're already needing to get out to make the meal.