Back to School with Playmobil

Ever since R. spotted this Playmobil Furnished School Building in a 2010 Playmobil catalog, she has been obsessed with getting it. This year, for her 8th birthday, I gave in. She loves it--so it was worth the price, effort, and back pain from assembly. Like most larger Playmobil sets, it is a lot of work to put together, and there will always, apparently, be teeny tiny pieces floating around (microscropic milk cartons, anyone?) But at this time of year, especially, she and her little bro are having a blast playing "school" with it. This particular set, an update of an older Playmobil school model, contains lots of classic accessories (a spinning globe, a skeleton, a microscope, etc.) as well as some more modern amenities (a computer lab with laptops). The smaller pieces are fun for the kids to help put together. R. especially loves the erasable chalkboard (she wrote, "Welcome to First Grade" on it). I do NOT recommend, however, letting your children "help" you assemble the main structure. Better to wait till they're asleep. Trust me on this! Buy it for $169.99 at Amazon.com.