{"product_id":"montessori-rainbow-music-tree","title":"Montessori Rainbow Music Tree — Wooden Ball Run with Musical Leaves, Ages 3+","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDrop a ball at the top and the tree plays itself down.\u003c\/strong\u003e Wooden leaves spiral down a standing trunk, each one a slightly different size — so as the ball tumbles from leaf to leaf, each strike sounds a different note. One ball, one falling scale.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eThe sound is the whole point\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMost ball runs are about the drop. This one is about what the drop \u003cem\u003esounds\u003c\/em\u003e like. Because every leaf is cut to a different size, every leaf rings at a different pitch, and a single ball plays a descending run on its way to the tray. Send two down close together and the notes overlap.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat makes it one of the rare toys where a child can \u003cstrong\u003ehear cause and effect rather than just see it\u003c\/strong\u003e. They start experimenting almost immediately — one ball, then a handful at once, then racing two from opposite sides.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd it goes together from loose parts. The trunk stacks and the leaves slot in, so building the tree is the first activity and rebuilding it differently is the second.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eHow the leaves are set\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe leaves don't sit in flat rows. Each one is fixed a little lower than the one above it and turned a step around the trunk, so they \u003cstrong\u003ewind down the post in a continuous spiral\u003c\/strong\u003e and radiate in every direction. That is what keeps the ball moving — it hands off from leaf to leaf all the way round rather than dropping straight through.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eTwo sizes — and they are genuinely different\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSmall — 31 cm tall on a 16.5 cm square tray.\u003c\/strong\u003e A short spiral in three colours only: red at the top, yellow through the middle, blue at the bottom. The right size for a three-year-old to load and reload on their own, and small enough to live on a shelf.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLarge — 71 cm tall on a 22.5 cm square tray.\u003c\/strong\u003e More than twice the height, with \u003cstrong\u003ethirty leaves\u003c\/strong\u003e spiralling down through six colours — yellow, orange, red, purple, blue and cyan, five leaves of each. Twice the fall and far more notes: a genuine centrepiece on a playroom floor.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf the full colour run is the point of the gift, take the large. The small is a three-colour tree.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBoth come with \u003cstrong\u003eten wooden balls\u003c\/strong\u003e and a shallow wooden tray that catches them at the bottom. The trunk arrives in sections with the fixings and an instruction sheet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAge guidance\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3 and up.\u003c\/strong\u003e Three drops balls and watches, over and over, which is exactly right. Four builds the tree themselves and starts sending two at once. Six begins listening for the pattern and trying to make the run sound different.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMaterials\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSolid wood throughout with water-based paint. No bells, no metal, no electronics and no batteries — the sound is wood on wood. Contains small balls; supervise under-threes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFrequently asked questions\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes it really make a tune?\u003c\/strong\u003e It makes a run of notes, not a melody. Each leaf is a different size so each rings at a different pitch as the ball hits it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhich size should I get?\u003c\/strong\u003e Large if it is the main gift — the longer fall sounds noticeably better and it carries the full six-colour run. Small for a first one, a younger child, or a smaller space.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs the small one a rainbow too?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. The small tree uses red, yellow and blue only. The full colour run is the large.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow many balls come with it?\u003c\/strong\u003e Ten, with a tray to catch them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes it need batteries?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. Nothing on this toy is electronic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Little Cubs","offers":[{"title":"Small — 31cm","offer_id":47895138894001,"sku":"CJYZ243583603CX","price":39.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Large — 71cm","offer_id":47916042485937,"sku":"CJYZ243583602BY","price":63.97,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0528\/8476\/6897\/files\/rbt-01-hero.webp?v=1789072429","url":"https:\/\/little-cubs.com\/products\/montessori-rainbow-music-tree","provider":"Little Cubs","version":"1.0","type":"link"}