For the last few weeks we have been test driving the Step2 Deluxe Canyon Road Train & Track Table from Activity Toys Direct.

When we were sent this table my plan was to have it inside for a few days to get to know the features and design of the play station and then put it outside to encourage outdoor train play.

Anyone who regularly reads this blog will know that the twins, and William in particular, are train mad and we have lots of wooden trains and track.

This road and track table is a great addition to our rail themed small world play and as the table is plastic it is perfect for playing outside.

That is when we do not have the wettest January on record and the garden is less lawn and more swamp.

As our outdoor play area is still incredibly soggy I will write this review in two parts.

Indoor play and later in the year I will show you the move outside.

When the table arrived in January William and Daddy were very excited and keen to get the table out and up.

The table was relatively quick and simple to get into a state that it could be played with. Sticking the stickers on took quite a while longer. I have to say I am not keen on products that require lots of stickers to make them complete but I realise that they add visual impact for the children.

The stickers with the Step2 Deluxe Canyon Road Train & Track Table help to distinguish between road and rail, helipad and meadow. They do give the table some character and provided settings for storytelling and small world play. I am glad that Daddy had the patience to stick them all on!

Once the table was ready for action Esther and William collected trains to try out on the table. They were delighted to find that all their trains fit on the tracks and the roads in the canyon. They love pushing their vehicles up and over, under and round.

But the best use of the table and most frequent use of it is with those engines that move on their own. The design of the table and the edged tracks mean that you can set off a battery operated train and with a little guidance from helping hands they will run and run around the track table under the watchful eyes of the Fat and Thin Controllers!

Esther and William love setting their trains to work being really useful on the tracks. They love guiding the trains over and under the bridges and tunnels, round the bends, they love testing how much weight each engine can pull up a slope, finding the fastest and the strongest engines. The train table can be used for a whole range of problem solving activities that really get young children thinking.

We use a lot of train vocabulary when playing with the Step 2 table. We talk about going into a siding, huffing and puffing and chuffing, we talk about the steam trains needing to take on extra coal and water. We use directional language and comparative language. We develop characters and create narratives. We talk about forces such as pulling and pushing. There is so much that can be learned and explored through the use of this Step2 Deluxe Canyon Road Train & Track Table from Activity Toys Direct.

We love testing our trains, cars and other vehicles to see which ones are too tall to go underneath the bridges. We look at plotting routes to get from one section of the table to another. We try and plan routes that mean two trains will meet each other or follow each other. There is always lots of discussion as we play.

The table is really sturdy and is a good size for two preschool aged children playing together. Esther and William often play together engaging with each other but they also sometimes like to play alongside each other but playing completely different games. This table provides enough space for that to happen. William is happy to watch his trains go round and round and round while Esther puts ducks in the pond and cows in the pasture. Esther takes the trains to visit the animals and deliver their food. They can play very differently from one another with the same toys. It s fascinating to watch.

The Step2 Deluxe Canyon Road Train & Track Table from Activity Toys Direct is not small. We have a large playroom and the table does take up a bit of floor space but it is used a lot so I think that the space is justified. The table can be used to store trains and cars inside, it has a wooden lid that provides a space for children to draw on or have other toys. We often set up a Happy Land village on the table top and have a car mat underneath so that we have two levels of play from the one piece of equipment.

Our table will eventually be living outside. It is made of tough plastic and so will work well for us as an outside toy. I am looking forward to those long sunny days to get outside with our cars and trains, and farm animals!!

The Step2 Deluxe Canyon Road Train & Track Table from Activity Toys Direct costs around £100 and I think it is a great investment for train mad toddlers particularly if you want to take your train play and small world play outside.

We were sent one Step2 Deluxe Canyon Road Train & Track Table from Activity Toys Direct for the purpose of this review.