Join the fun chat all about the toys you used to play with in this weeks #PlayFest. Plus your chance to #WIN an Etch-A-Sketch when you re-tweet and follow during your party.

Date: Tuesday 7th May 2013 on Twitter 8.30pm GMT to 10pm

During the #PlayFest we will be setting you the following challenges:

• Share what era you grew up in and why you think that made toys special.
• Tweet 10 reason why how you played when you was a kid was special.
• Share 5 of your favourite toys that you played with as a child. We’d love you to add them to our Pinterest board. Just follow our board and tweet @izziwizzi so that we can grant you access.
• Share 5 tweets that you think makes the way your kids play better than how you used to play.

Plus we have an Etch-A-Sketch spot prize this evening when you like and follow @izziwizzi

Hope you can join the fun. Just follow the hashtag #PlayFest and tweets led by @izziwizzi.

Thanks to everybody who participated in Play Fest this week. Congratulations to Leonie Gray the winner of Sensory Play Stacking Hoops from Play to Z and Sue Gascoyne’s book Sensory Play. 

I feel nervous! I don’t know what to say! I don’t know what people want to see!

These are just a few of the negative feelings that people express they experience when they first start on the journey of creating toy reviews and for many even after creating many video toy reviews.

I wanted to stop these negative feelings for our own toy reviewers, to help make the process of creating their video reviews fun and more relaxing. I also wanted to provide tips to help us to make good toy reviews that people want to watch and that brands are delighted with.

These video tutorials came about  because I decided to look back over 400 video reviews that have been created for the Izziwizzi Kids Play Fest®, take on board feedback from those who participate in Play Fest about reviews, take on board feedback from toy brands and my own experience of creating video reviews with my own family. That is on top of analysing viewer insights and drawing on vast experience in film production for really simple techniques that you could be applied to make the process of creating toy video reviews quick, fun and easy.

We had such good feedback about how these videos helped our review panel improve their review creation skills, that I wanted to make this video series widely available so that you have access to all the information you need to make really good, concise and fun to watch video reviews for toys.

So here it is, we have launched our finished product – How to Create Outstanding Video Reviews. You can find out more information here. We offer a 30 day no quibble returns guarantee if you are not entirely satisfied and we are so sure that you’ll love your purchase and want to tell your friends who also create video reviews that we also offer an affiliate scheme where you can earn by recommending the tutorials to others.

Congratulations to our winners from the Orchard Toys Play Fest in April.

On The Farm – Sam Ransom

8.30pm – Welcome to Play Fest with Orchard Toys. Getting everyone settled.

8.40pm  Welcome Orchard Toys

8.45pm Post Box Game

8.55pm On the Farm

9.10pm Pirate Shapes

9.20pm Goldilocks and the Three Bear

9.30pm– Spooky Steps

9.40pm – Animal Safari

9.50pm –Round up and close at 10pm

Chance to WIN featured games

Congratulations to our winners of Gelli Baff and the Jelly That Wouldn’t Wobble

We had 5 Gelli Baff winners on Twitter – Congratulations!

@bluebearwood

@sebsmummy

@minnowmep

@thesoupdragon44

@raspberrygiggle

Winners of Gelli Baff from Feedback - Congratulations!

Kerry Urquat

Dannie McKenzie

Tami Anderson

Fiona Martin

Anna Marikar

Winners of The Jelly That Wouldn’t Wobble - Congratulations!

Jenny Leonard

Anna Marikar

Fiona Martin

Tami Rushby

Laura Halls

Eileen Teo

Congratulations to Kelly Brett of Writings, Ramblings and Reviews who took part in Play Fest with Panasonic last week. You won the Panasonic V520 HD Camcorder that featured. Your camcorder will be on it’s way to you shortly.

Everyone is welcome to join in the chat with Panasonic this week who are teaming up with Izziwizzi Kids for a Play Fest®. Come and join the chat from 8.30pm-10pm on Twitter on Tuesday 5th March 2013 on Twitter (#PlayFest and guided tweets from @izziwizzi) and Thursday 7th March 2013 on Facebook. We are giving away a new release Panasonic V520 HD Camcorder to one lucky winner this week who takes part in Play Fest and gives feedback.

Please do feel free to ask your questions this evening in Play Fest by tagging @PanasonicUK into your tweets. Please be aware that it may be busy and where questions aren’t answered this evening then Panasonic will respond to questions as soon as possible after Play Fest.

Why not take a look at the Play Fest Panasonic Pinterest board ahead of Play Fest to see some of the film footage and reviews captured by Play Fest families using the Panasonic V520 HD Camcorder?

Here is an outline what you can expect from the events:

8.30pm – Introduction and welcome

8.35pm – Warm up – Share what you are looking forward to in Play Fest.

8.45pm – Introduction to Panasonic and some exciting things they have been working on with home video.

8.55pm – Common mistakes with video and tips from Panasonic to overcome them.

9.15pm – Understanding the difference between the Camcorder over other video capture equipment e.g. smart phone. When it is beneficial to use a camcorder.

9.25pm – Live discussion and questions and answers about the new release Panaonic V520 HD Camcorder. Views from Play Fest families and an overview with PanasonicUK.  Plus your opportunity to ask your questions.

9.45pm – Panasonic UK will be sharing tips for capturing video reviews

9.55pm – We’d like to capture what you have taken away from your Play Fest experience by sharing with Play Fest and completing our survey for your chance to WIN a new release Panasonic V520 HD Camcorder.

10pm – Close

If you are a fan of Izziwizzi Kids® and Play Fest® then you will know by now that we are hugely inspired by film and families on camera. Afterall,  it is the fun filled chat and moments captured by you on video that really bring Play Fest® to life. For these and many other reasons (including the fact that we are giving away a new release Panasonic V520 HD Camcorder) we are really delighted to be teaming up with Panasonic for a Play Fest® from 1st to 7th March 2013. If you are new to Play Fest®, then keep your eyes peeled as you are about to embark on something very unique and exciting.

To help you get the most out of the Panasonic Play Fest®, we would like to find out more about the challenges you face when capturing special family moments and product reviews on film. We’d like to find out exactly what you’d like to find out what you want to know about capturing film. Please help us by spending 2 minutes answering a few questions on or before Wednesday 20th February 2013. We can then shape Play Fest® with Panasonic to meet your needs.

What you can expect from the Panasonic Play Fest®:

The action starts on Friday 1st March 2013 on the Izziwizzi Kids Twitter and Facebook page where we’ll be sharing lots of content to support you in creating fantastic quality films and helping you to capture the most precious moments with your family forever. If you are excited about getting more tips ahead of Play Fest then you can find more information about capturing video on the Panasonic website.

In our usual style of Play Fest® weekly events you can join us on Twitter on Tuesday 5th March from 8.30pm-10pm and/or Facebook on Thursday 7th March 2013 from 8.30pm-10pm GMT. Panasonic UK will be joining us to give tips on:

• Capturing special moments
• Understanding the benefits of using different film media
• Tips to capture good product reviews
• An overview of the new launch Panasonic V520 HD Camcorder

What Families Think:

More importantly you also get to your share tips and in the true spirit of Play Fest® we are capturing consumer reviews. We are sending 4 Play Fest® families the new release Panasonic V520 HD Camcorder to report back and share what they think. You can ask your questions live and you can see how they are getting on with their camera as they are keeping video diaries in the run up to the events. They will be joining Play Fest live with Panasonic to explain in simple terms how they found the camcorder and will be available to answer your questions.

You can keep track of the video diaries on their blogs:

http://yummymummyflabbytummy.blogspot.co.uk/

http://bluebearwood.blogspot.com

http://www.thebrickcastle.com

http://mummyslittlestars.wordpress.com/

If you are new to Play Fest® then everyone is welcome, so join the chat and ask any questions as you go. You can always contact us via our Facebook page or on Twitter if you need a little extra help. And there is more…

Don’t forget the dates

To help you remember the event we’ve setup a text message alert facility. You can register for your free text message Play Fest alerts and find out how to WIN a Panasonic V520 Camcorder via our Facebook page.

Congratulations to our official Toy Review Gang for Play Fest® in 2013.

Lindy Hamilton
Mary Proctor
Fiona Martin
Pippa Ainsworth
Zoe Lester
Sarah Lee
Ann-Marie Carlin
Jenny Leonard
Anna Marikar
Kate Pollard
Kelly Brett
Angela Spicer
Tami Anderson
Laura Campbell
Eileen Teo
Laura Halls
Tina Mansfield
Anthea Barton
Lisa Prince
Rachel Neal
Al Boxall-Gordon