Gonge Hilltops

I am a pediatric physical therapist who sees kids primarily in their homes or at community settings like a local park. These little guys, while being a bit too expensive imo, have been pleasantly sturdy and appear to be exactly what I was looking for in terms of having a portable "balance" task that is both versatile and not too cumbersome to set up/break down. The bright colors are enticing and the rubber grips around the bottom edges seem well made. I will update my review down the road but for now, my initial thoughts are positive as they appear to be well made, durable, and (hopefully) built to take some degree of consistent "abuse."

Fantastic! Great fun for indoors and outdoors, we love love love love it, we make up many games with this, we have the hilltops and the river stones. Here in NY the winters are dreadful so I try to have active toys and activities we can do inside too, and this is GREAT! Our Occupational Therapist suggested we get this, and I am glad we did! Extremely well made, we have this for a while now and it still looks like new, twins 4 years dropped it "accidentally" many times and there this thing is handing strong, not a scratch or dent.

This was a gift for 2 year old granddaughter. The blocks are sturdy and easy to move around. The Hilltops provides the perfect challenge for her to grow into.

We originally bought these to compliment our Foamnasium play area in our basement for large motor play during the winter months for our kiddos under 5. (Incidentally, go get yourself some Foamnasium, the tunnel, the large cubes, the ramp, the stairs, and the large circle.) We play balancing games, and made obstacle courses, and when it got warmer we brought them outside. The non-slip gasket goes all the way around the bottom, making for a very sturdy, very stable surface to play on. They don't. move. I did take a single star off for "value for the money" simply because they were so expensive.

I love these hill tops! I have a childcare and use these all the time! The kids climb on them. The kids flip them over and use them as baby beds with blankets! The possibilities are endless! The new walkers use them to stand next to when learning to walk or pull themselves to a stand! I use them indoors right now but could easily take them outside as well. They may mold a little if you aren't careful because along the bottom is a little rubber gripper strip. This gripper strip is great for tile floors however! But if you take them outside just set them up to dry or put in the garage etc. out of the rain etc. I highly recommend!

This review is of the Gonge Hilltops. The Hilltops are sold in a set of 5. They are made of a very hard, brightly colored and durable plastic. The underside is hollow which allows for the stones to be nested together for storage (much like one nests mixing bowls together). Being hollow does not effect the sturdiness or durability of this product. The underside of the hilltops has a non-slip rubber grip. We have used the stones on laminate flooring, carpet, grass, cement, and wood chips. None of the hilltops have ever shifted from the position that they were set. However, I would suggest that you be aware that uneven surfaces- such as the wood chips I mentioned - would effect the sturdiness and safety of the item. These were purchased for a special needs 3 year old to use indoors for practice with balance and color identification. Our children and neighbor friends -aged 3 thru13- also use these. They have a variety of ways to play with them: scattering them, lining them up, placing them in a circle, and making an obstacle course with them. I feel they encourage both structured and imaginative play. They have never scuffed or damaged any of our various flooring in any way. We also use these outside in the same manner that we use them indoors. The kids have used these for games such as tag (the stones are safe bases) and as parts of obstacle courses they create. The stones have endured the heat of summer and occasional rainstorms without being damaged. I do not know how much these would fade with continued exposure to the elements. I would recommend that, if you want to mantain their vibrancy, they be stored out of the elements when not in use. The picture I have included is to show the varying sizes of the stones. Please note that only the 5 hilltops with the arrows pointing at them are included with this purchase. The others that are shown here are Gonge Riverstones which can be purchased separately (which, by the way, I also recommend). I have never used the Hilltops independent of the Riverstones , nor have any of my children. I feel all of the children would be completely content with only playing with hilltop set, but I feel that adding the Riverstones set increases the enjoyment out of the product. As an added note: only 3 of the 5 Hilltops are larger than the largest Riverstones (Riverstones can be purchased separately). 2 of the hilltops are the same size as the largest Riverstones. I have also included an image of 1 green hilltop set down right side up next to 1 blue hilltop set upside down. My last image is of all 5 hilltops nested together for storage.

These have been great fun for my 18 month old who is learning her colors and also for my three-year old who uses them for all sorts of imaginative play. We also flip them over and fill them with objects of the same color. Great skills building props. My only regret is that I wish the set came with more, especially for the price. Very sturdy as they withstand the weight of my 200+ pound husband when he plays with the kids.

We put a flashlight under each one and turned out the lights, they were really cool. THEY DO NOT LIGHT UP ON THEIR OWN. love these and they are easy enough to bring in the car as well.