Order before 16:00 on working days and we ship the same day!
It is a stack of curved planks. That is all. And yet the wooden rainbow is the most photographed toy of the past decade, because it can be almost anything. A bridge for cars, a tunnel for animals, a cradle for a doll, a fence around a farm, a slope to roll marbles down. And when nobody is playing with it, it simply looks good on the shelf.
You will find twenty-five rainbows, arches and stacking arches here from Grimm's, Raduga Grez, Mushie, TickiT and Stapelstein, from a small set at €15.95 to a giant rainbow ninety centimetres wide. Ordered before 16:00 on a working day? Then your order is shipped the same day.
A rainbow is made of half-circles that nest inside one another, smallest to largest. Taken apart, every arch becomes something else: a bridge, a tunnel, a swing, a fence, a roof. Nothing about it says what you are supposed to do. That is the whole idea, and the reason the same object lasts for years while the play around it changes.
Alongside the rainbows you will find stacking arches. The two words get used interchangeably, but there is a practical difference. A rainbow is thin and light and usually coloured: the versatile all-rounder. A stacking arch is heavier built and more often in muted, earthy tones, so it stays stable under weight, and you can build gateways with it that carry other blocks. They combine beautifully; start with a rainbow and add arches once real building begins.
Almost everything here is wood: solid beech or lime, untreated or coloured with water-based paint. One exception: the Stapelstein Mini Rainbow is made of EPP foam rather than wood. What each brand uses is stated on the product page.
The question we get most often is which size. That depends on how it will be played with, and the range here is wide, from €15.95 to €745.95.
A rainbow gets better with loose material beside it. Put it with the wooden animals and a landscape appears; with building blocks you build higher and more complex; add the Grapat mandala shapes and it becomes pattern and story at once. On a light table the coloured arches take on a completely different effect, and in a wooden sorting tray everything stays tidy. Have a look at the brand pages for Grimm's and Raduga Grez, or at all our wooden toys.
From about eighteen months it is about taking apart, knocking over and putting back together: no building yet, but endless repetition, and that is what they learn from at that age. Between two and three the tunnels and bridges appear: cars drive underneath, animals live inside. From four there is real construction (gateways, ramps, roofs) and stability starts to matter; that is where the heavier arches prove their worth. Older children move on to balancing and testing: how high can it go, how far can it lean, what falls over.
Because there is no right outcome, children of different ages play with the same material at their own level. That works on a mixed group and just as well at home with brothers and sisters. The exact age indication is on every product page.
Rainbows and arches are in daily use on our own childcare groups, and what stands out most is that this material draws children together. One holds while the other builds on, and they have to agree on where the gateway goes. That negotiating is one of the strongest drivers of language and social development we know.
And then the practical side, because we deal with that too: arches take a beating. They get knocked over, stood on and thrown into crates. What survives a year with us is what we are willing to sell, and that is why we carry few brands here, and not the cheapest. Torn between two sizes? Do ask; we are glad to think along.
A rainbow is made of thin half-circles, usually coloured, that nest inside one another. Stacking arches are heavier built and more often in muted tones, so they stay stable under weight. They combine well: the rainbow is the light all-rounder, the stacking arch the foundation.
Small is lovely as a first one and as a gift; the large Grimm's is the size for constructions a child can crawl under. The Raduga Grez stacking arches sit in between. When in doubt: start small or medium and add later, everything combines.
From about eighteen months with supervision: at that point it is about taking apart and stacking. Real building starts around two to three. Always check the exact indication on the product page.
Bridges, tunnels, fences, cradles, ramps, towers, a roof, a swing for a doll. And that is exactly the point: there is no right way. Children come up with things you would never have thought of.
Wipe it with a slightly damp cloth and dry it straight away. Never soak it and never put it in the dishwasher: that makes the wood swell and damages the finish.
Sand it lightly with fine sandpaper and treat it with beeswax or a natural oil. That is the advantage of wood, you repair it instead of throwing it away.
Within one brand, almost always. Between brands the sizing differs, so it varies. For loose building an exact fit is not needed; for nesting inside one another it is.
Yes, and it is one of the materials we use on our own groups. Choose a larger set and the heavier versions, so several children can build at once. Have a look at our selections for one to two year olds and for toddlers.
