When I saw the Melissa & Doug Pizza Party set at my local second hand store for only $1.50 I snatched it up.  It retails for $20, so this was a steal!

This is a well made toy, each piece is made of wood so it's very sturdy and will last for years.  The "pizza" comes in a wood take out box.  It sits on a green serving platter and comes with a wood pizza cutter, a wood pizza server, and 54 pizza toppings.

The wood deep-dish pizza is divided into 6 equal pieces, all of which are connected with Velcro on the sides.  There are three Velcro sections on top of each pizza slice, and you can attach wood toppings to the pizza.  The toppings consists of mushroom, red & green peppers, and pepperoni.  The toppings can be stored in three individual compartments in the wood take out box.

My daughters daycare kids LOVE this toy.  I gave it to them today and they spent a lot of time playing with it.  The 9 year old girl kept pretending she was a pizza delivery person.  Unfortunately she was a little pricey, charging us $50 pretend money for one pizza (because it was an extra special one that took 6 days to make). 

This is a great tool for teaching kids how to learn fractions and how to count.  I would give the kids different scenarios, such as "I want two pieces of pizza.  Put two mushrooms and one pepperoni on one slice and three peppers on the other slice.  The girls got so excited about making my slices to order, they even cut them with the well made pizza cutter and served them to me on the green plate.

The pizza cutter is made of wood and the blade is beveled and actually rolls like a real cutter.  My daughter has a toy oven in her daycare and the girls really loved pretending to bake the pizza and then serving it up.

Of course my daughter and I would pretend to eat our pizza, but my almost 2 year old granddaughter actually bit into her slice!  The deep crust pizza is thick, probably about 1" thick, with toppings that are 1/4" thick and about 1" in diameter.

What a great toy for the development of children.  Great for their imaginations as well as counting skills.  This toy is one example of how children can learn a lot during free play!  I love this set and can't believe I got it for only $1.50.  I'd gladly pay the full price for the Melissa & Dough Pizza Party.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 1.50
Type of Toy: Educational
Age Range of Child: Whole Family