Toys, toys, toys

There has been such great interest in my previous post about wooden toys for toddlers that I thought I’d provide an update with some new picks, new sites, and some handmade toys that we love too.  Here it is, just in time for Cyber Monday.  I don’t vouch for any of these companies, as I’ve just discovered them myself, or been directed to them by my crunchy parent friends in NY, The Not Quite Crunchy Parent, or Mothering Magazine’s shopping guide.  Many offer Waldorf and Waldorf-inspired toys, which are great!

Fun places to browse or shop for toys:

Back to Basics Toys:  http://www.backtobasicstoys.com/category/Classic_Toys 

Blueberry Forest Toys: http://www.blueberryforest.com/

The Construction Site: http://www.constructiontoys.com/ 

Constructive Playthings: http://www.constplay.com/family/default.htm 

Discovery Toys: http://www.discoverytoysinc.com/  (DC shoppers can email Carmelazega@aol.com to order if they don’t already have a consultant relationship.)

Fat Brain Toys: http://www.fatbraintoys.com/toys/toy_categories/baby_toddler/activity_toys/index.cfm 

Hearthsong: http://www.hearthsong.com/ 

Little Wonderland: http://www.uniquewoodentoys.com/

Oompa Toys: http://www.oompa.com/

RabbitnDuck: http://www.rabbitnduck.com/ which carries Haba Toys (http://www.haba.de/Toys.245.0.html) and several other European brands

Rosie Hippo: http://www.rosiehippo.com/categorydept.asp?deptid=3 

The Sensory Edge: http://www.sensoryedge.com/woodenblocks.html?gclid=CIf7_sKe4IgCFRVSVAodnm9NqA 

Usborne Books:  www.ubah.com/HOS75107

Willow Tree Toys: http://www.willowtreetoys.com/

What we’re considering:  Take Apart Townhouse from IP Preschool, like this one at Growing Tree Toys; cardboard building blocks, from Melissa and Doug or Discount School Supply; Eric Carle wood block puzzle, like this one at Rightstart.com; a wood or wood and foam geometric sorter; and wood trucks or a playset, like the ones made by Haba or Woody Click.  I particularly like the Scoop, Bobcat, and Dump Truck shown at http://www.oompa.com/cgi-bin/category/Wooden_Toys_SET.  These guys are cool.  They’re a puzzle that you put together first and then play construction trucks with.  We also like the wooden scale at Oompa for its design, but I think it’s overpriced.

What we’d love to find:  a construction set or block set that requires tools.  Widget loves loves loves to hammer, and we make up plenty of games, but it would be neat to have blocks that need hammering or drilling or something too.  There’s a toolbox from Melissa and Doug, but it’s not as stimulating as something that “needs fixing.”  

What we’re looking forward to:  I found this little construction set for ages 4+, but the munchkin is only 2, so that’s something for another year.  We’re also looking at marble runs from Quadrilla, Hearthsong, or even Discount School Supply (plastic, but inexpensive) once Widget and his brother are over 3 or at least beyond the marble swallowing stage.  Tinkertoys and unit blocks will be big for us next year, with a standard kindergarten set or mini sets available from Guidecraft USA.  Oh, and if this building interest continues?  There’s always more fun to be made from PVC pipe or Tobeez.

What I was most pleased to find:  I was thrilled to run across this old-fashioned step rocking boat featured at A Toy Garden.  This was one of my all-time favorite toys in preschool and later, when we cared for toddlers and preschoolers at the church.  It’s amazing what a group of kids can find to do with it!  That’s my definition of a classic toy:  something that stimulates the imagination, can be used three different ways, and doesn’t dictate the game or story that is being played.  Childhood is a magic time, and toys are just the tools to help make it so.  They can help make it easier to pretend, or to build, or to create, but we have to remember to set up an encouraging environment, meet the child’s needs, and step back and let the child enjoy in his own way, and in his own time.  Whether the child plays with sticks and leaves in the garden, or the fanciest of toys from Willow Tree, it’s the imagination that is in the end the most valuable of all.

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