The kids and I spent lots of time playing together over the weekend. After all, it is almost time to get back to the business of school. So, we kicked off the weekend by playing two new games. Monopoly and Battleship are okay I guess but my two smallest kiddos like to play something unique and usually something that involves animals. I like games that involve strategy and aren’t too commercial in nature. Both of these games were a perfect fit for us.

The first we played was Tier auf Tier. These games and the company that makes them are German, just another reason we like them! The standards for toy and game safety in Europe kicks US booty so I know I am relatively safe with their offerings. Haba has long been known as a great source for safe, more sustainable, natural toys.

The game box is actually what you use to play the game instead of a board. It is divided into 4 sections and you have a menagerie of wooden animals to place around each section on the box. The animals reminded us of our Haba Eene, Meene, Zoo blocks. They have the same adorable look and feel. A bridge crosses from one side of the box to the other and the object is to stack animals on top of the bridge trying to make the animal combinations on your playing cards. Since two to four players can be stacking at the same time it can be tricky to do. The first player who manages to complete all their animal stacking combos and discard the associated playing cards wins the game. It was fun for my younger kiddos and I think it will be a nice game for them to play with the neighbor kids before school starts next week.

The other game we played was an even bigger hit, with my two oldest and with me. It was so fun I wanted to keep playing again and again and it will likely be the game we break out to play with Dad over the holiday weekend. It is called Inspektor Hase, which means Inspector Rabbit in English.

The board game is a garden with a winding path and all throughout the bunny garden there are bandits! You roll the dice and move around the board to uncover the pairs of bandits… hens stealing jewels or moles walking off with gold coins. Each player has two matching bunnies and so when you uncover one of the bandits you can keep one bunny on that space while your other bunny moves around the board to capture the matching bandit. It is mostly a clever spin on memory but it also has a lot of strategy. There are two dice, one  that rolls between 1-3 and one that rolls between 1-6. You can roll one or both at the same time so half the trick is figuring out which die is mostly likely to get you where you need to be, the fastest. You can also boot other players off their space and beat them to the punch.

It is a really simple concept but it was a lot of fun… as are most Haba games we typically find. We enjoyed both of them quite a bit but in the spirit of Simplicity Parenting we will keep Inspektor Hase and donate the other to a needier family. Much thanks to Haba for sending these games our way!

Here are some my favorites that I have highlighted. One or two of these might still be in the future of my little girl (almost 7 now) but if not I doubt I will quit bookmarking them because they are so darn cute!

My FAVE has got to be the Bamboo Sunshine Dollhouse from HaPe International which makes those bamboo race cars I love so much. It is made of sustainable bamboo obviously, which is a grass that grows in 3 years, much faster than trees. It has a polished look that I love and this cute house is just adorable. It is rather pricey and all the furnishings come separately but this is more of an investment piece, something you will take care of. It can last for several generations if taken care of and it will be just as timeless tomorrow as it is today. I love the sleek design and lines, the WORKING solar panel, the real LED lights, the partitions, the winding staircase, and all the rooms. You can pack a lot of fun in this little house. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the gorgeous sets that can be bought for this including this greenhouse that can be used to grow REAL plants and herbs. Love, love, love this dollhouse. I wish it weren’t so spendy but this really is the Cadillac of eco dollhouses.

Another cute one is the Wonderworld Eco-Friendly Eco House. This one would be especially attractive to boys with the blue and green color scheme. What I like about it is that it is green – aka environmentally friendly rubber wood, non-toxic paints, dyes and lacquers and formaldehyde free glue – but also “pretend green” with solar panels, recycle bin, rain water collection system, and a wind turbine. The packaging is also made from 70% recycled materials.

It is a two story wooden playhouse that includes kitchen set, bedroom set, three wooden dolls and bathroom set as long as all the adorable features I mentioned above. The Eco range is part of Wonderworld’s new collection of products to educate children to the importance of recycling, saving energy and being friendly to our environment. The Eco House Wooden doll house comes complete with room settings and family. Themes include recycling, planting trees, solar panels, scooter and collecting rain water. I give it an A+.

After two rather pricey dollhouses this Krooom carboard dollhouse might be a breath of fresh air.

Fully foldable and completely flat in its package, no tools assembly. – Waterproof coating. Meets standards of moisture-resistance. – All graphics are applied with the highest quality printing. – Made of reinforced cardboard recycleable material. – Very strong and sturdy. – Environmental friendly. Free from hazardous substances. Corrugated board withstands top and side pressure, is crush resistant and has a high burst strength. It is impact, drop and vibration-resistant, yet light in weight. This would be an excellent dollhouse for a younger kiddo who might not take care of one of the nicer ones and it is an attractive budget option too.

Plan Toys is another fave brand of mine for kidlet toys and I like their Green Dollhouse with Furniture. Wonderful for older kids…  say 6 and up. Like the other above it is green on two counts. It is made from nontoxic natural materials such as organic rubberwood AND it has an energy efficient design that includes a wind turbine, a solar cell panel, and an electric inverter for generating electricity, a rain barrel for collecting rain. There is also a biofacade, which uses the natural cycle of plant growth to provide shading, and a blind that can adjust to the amount of sunlight and air circulation. Recycling bins are also included with the house. This dollhouse also comes with furniture for five rooms: Living room, kitchen, bathroom, children’s bedroom and master bedroom. This beautiful dollhouse and furniture are crafted from recycled, natural rubber wood, dyed with vegetable and soy dyes, and assembled in an earth-friendly process. The Plan Toys green dollhouse for younger kiddos (2-5) is here.

A rather atypical dollhouse would be this exclusive from Magic Cabin. It is a mushroom house for dolls or gnomes. The mushroom-shaped abode is perchance the most charming home for gnomes ever seen. The sturdy wooden two-story dollhouse comes with lots of perfectly sized accessories: table, two chairs, two beds, red-checked bedding and pillows, two evergreen trees and eleven animals. The posable dolls are handmade in Brazil with soft wool hair and stuffing and cotton clothes. I just love all the little forest animals!

Okay I was done but then I remembered another unique dollhouse I featured a few weeks back.. the Enchantmints Fairy Forest Lodge. It is a treehouse for dolls and is quite adorable if I do say so myself. I tried to score one of these for Christmas when Magic Cabin had these for half off! But alas they went in minutes and I wasn’t so lucky. My daughter loves fairies though so this may still be in the cards for us.

Do your little ones have an new eco friendly dollhouse or do you prefer second hand ones?

One of the hot gifts for the upcoming year among the natural/green toys enthusiasts is the Pile of People Puzzle. I have been seeing variations of this basic theme everywhere.

They are wooden puzzle pieces in the shape of little men and these particlar fellas hail from Down to Earth Toys which specializes in natural toys. I have seen natural finishes (like above) and dark wood ones with varnish. These particular ones are made from reclaimed wood and are rubbed with mineral oil. They also have numbers on them to give them an educational bent as well. There are 18 of these little men with numbers carved on their chests. They are high quality too and will not break easily. Gotta love solid wood ya know?

My little guy needs to work on his motor skills and his numbers too so this is a fun toy for him. Plus what boy doesn’t LOVE to build? Perhaps it is due to his delays but he is only just now starting to play pretend with toys so these guys talk to each other while they practice their piling skills, and that is always fun to watch. In addition to stacking them you can also use them like you would dominoes or turn them number side down and play memory with them. A burlap sack comes with them so that they can be stored when not in play.

These are an excellent and simple toy for children and they are really opened ended too. If you love wood toys and minimalist toys then these are a winner.

Much thanks to Down to Earth Toys for sending them our way for review!

Just had to share this awesome sale. Our fave board game Wildcraft is on sale for 50% off right now. Read my complete review to learn more about why we love this game!

Christmas is around the corner. Many of you are probably already making your lists and doing your shopping. Some may want to do a handmade holiday or a second hand holiday, others will use their dollars to “vote” for products/companies they like… we do a combination of all that usually. One thing I am VERY big on though is educational toys for special occasions like holidays and birthdays. I love toys that engage my kids and make them use their noggins. The best toys IMO either exercise their bodies or exercise their brains. Here are my top picks for educational toys when gifting children. Many of these are perfect or homeschool too!

Inchimals – These adorable wooden blocks double as rulers that help children understand measurements. What can you learn from a rabbit that is exactly four inches tall? These lovely tools are thoughtfully designed. You get 12 Inchimals in the set which measure 1′ in height (the tiny ladybug) to 12′ high (the towering giraffe). With precise inch segments, correct numbers, and dot equivalent on ends of blocks, and cute animals – this learning toy will engage as it teaches Ideal for children of various age ranges.

Animalogic – It’s a toy, a game, and a puzzle. It also won toy of the year honors in 2009. This puzzle/game that will have your children working their brains overtime to solve these wonderfully smart safari stumpers! Lions, hippos, giraffes and camels are all waiting to get to the other side of the river. The animals know they may only cross the river bridge one at a time and they must travel in the proper order to safely arrive at the other side. With sixty puzzles and five levels of difficulty (beginner to advanced), these logic puzzles have players solving the correct sequence to remove the sixteen wooden animals from the game board.

The Soda Bug Can – It’s a science project and a REALLY cool build it yourself toy. It also teaches about recycling in a practical and understandable way. What boy wouldn’t be thrilled with this?? This unique robotics project uses a recycled soda can that you provide and transforms it into a robotic bug toy. A vibration sensation, Robug emits sound and moves across the floor as soon as you switch it on. The kit includes a motor casing, toy motor, body plate, body rims, battery casing, four large screws with bolts, small screws, plastic terminal caps, wire legs and wings, detailed instructions with fun facts. I think I know one thing my ten year will be getting for Christmas this year! Also check out the Hexbug.

The SpellMaster – We have had this toy for a couple years now. Basically it is a platform for developing sequential memory skills, increasing memory span, improving letter recognition, and spelling simple to complex words. Kids also find it fun… trust me. Read my full review here.

The Money Set by Melissa and Doug – Okay I swore we have enough Melissa and Doug sets but I saw this and had to add it to my own list.. even if the coins probably are plastic. It seems downright perfect for helping kids to learn to count money and it can double as a toy when you aren’t using it for educational purposes. They can use it to play store, farmer’s market, lemonade stand, bank robbery, whatever… It is a great way to introduce your child to the concept of money and basic math skills. Parents can get involved and make up fun learning games to teach addition, subtraction, interest rates, counting back change and much more.

Coliseum Blocks by Haba – I LOVE these! We love history, architecture, and travel so this is a three for one deal! In classic Haba style, you can recreate the splendor of the Roman Coliseum! This block set allows you freedom in feats of architecture and engineering with unique pieces of the highest quality beech wood. These blocks sets by Haba would be an awesome way to teach geography in a fun way that kids will remember. Other sets include an Egyptian Pyramid, a Mayan Temple, and Ancient Greece.

Passport to Culture – This makes a great “family” gift and it is a GREAT way to teach about geography, history, and different cultures. And what kids don’t love to play board games? We love RISK as much as the next family but when we want more education and less violence then this is a good game to have. Passport to Culture is the unique, exciting multi-cultural board game where players circle the globe, uncovering mysteries of our amazing world. Test your knowledge of world cultures from Andorra to Zimbabwe. Challenge your CQ (Cultural Intelligence) with fascinating, fun-filled questions about people and places, food and drink, world treasures, greeting and gestures, pivotal historical events, customs and traditions. What you don’t know, you learn…

WWII Spotter Cards – A deck of cards makes a great gift, especially when you are a family that likes to play games. These cards are pretty cool because they are educational as well. Each card has the usual suit of course but also 3 different views with the name of friendly and enemy aircraft used in WWII. My oldest is a WWII history and military buff and would be over the moon for these. Another cool set my kids would like? These famous pirate cards. I think I want some of those myself.

Number Bean Bags – Great for smaller kiddos but also for older ones who are learning to spell the numbers and not just identify them… a great toy for many ages ranges. Each bean bag is embroidered with a number (1 to 20) on one side and its number word on the other. Even numbers are in blue and odd numbers are in red for easy identification. The bean bags come in a handy cloth storage bag with a “tip sheet” of beginning math activities for large and small groups, from number identification and counting to simple addition and subtraction. They also have shapes bean bags and alphabet bean bags.

Isn’t learning always better when you make it a game? And isn’t the gift of learning the best gift you can get or give?

Lately, my little guy has gotten into the habit of watching a bit too much TV now that the weather has turned cold. Since I am not big on making rules that will only empower the object in question (TV) I decided to bring a small table into our family room and give him alternative things to do. So far it is working like a charm! This coupled with morning hikes in the woods near our home is going to be a great way to keep him active and engaged before he goes to his afternoon therapy sessions.

This week he has been playing with Tegu Magnetic Wood Blocks. They are a bit easier for him to manage than our Citi Blocks or our Marble Run and yet they are still fun enough to engage my oldest boy too. My little guy likes them because the magnets help him to build structures and not have them fall over. He can easily spend an hour or two making different versions of “dinosaur homes” or houses for his moonstones (moms crystals). They definitely support open-ended and unscripted play, which is the best kind.

The wood is sustainably harvested making this an eco friendly toy as well. They have no lead, no plastic, and they are finished with a water-based lacquer. You get long planks, short, planks, and cubes and they are all magnetic so you can build structures that defy gravity. The discovery set has 26 blocks, which is perfect for my 4 year old. A bit more would be ideal for my older son though, and they do have bigger sets and add-on sets. The cost is prohibitive IMO though. A 52 piece Tegu Set costs $100. They are very high quality and the company behind the product seems solid so I think they are worth it but perhaps a bit unrealistic for the average green family. I think we will be more likely to stick with Citi Blocks or second hand blocks we find locally even if this set is very lovely.

Dominoes. Simple, fun, open ended, fast clean up, and very easy on the wallet, especially if you buy them up at auctions like me. ;)

For many years I have loved felt foods for pretend play. They make the perfect addition to any play kitchen or pretend picnic. Sure you can get cheap plastic faux foods but it just isn’t the same. Because I knew they would not be very hard to sew myself I often decided to go with wood instead of felt… ya know, why pay for something you can make right? The problem is that I never made any… the time it would take to draft a pattern and test and tweak just seemed like too large an undertaking and most of the patterns I have seen for them have been kind of spendy. Generally you will have the most luck finding these adorable foods or the patterns for DIY versions, from natural toy makers or Etsy artisans.

Recently discovered the VERY affordable Lilly Bean Market Felt Kits at one of my fave online stores for organic toys, Down to Earth Toys. These felt toys are so very cute and so very easy on the pocketbook. The Fruit Felt Kit is only $7.99 for instance, and you get the stuff to make 4 different fruit toys. It comes with the felt, the patterns, and the step by step instructions with lots of pictures. Plus, after you cut out the patterns, you can reuse them again and again with your own felt.

The kit comes with everything you need to make a felt apple, pear, banana, and strawberry. They were all equally involved with the strawberry being perhaps a bit more difficult than the others. All of them were pretty fun to complete.. after some swear words and finally figuring out the trick to turning the pear and apple right side out after stitching. Maybe it has been too long since I had a sewing day but that 3/4 inch opening was kicking my butt. All I needed to supply was was fiberfill, thread, scissors, a needle, and a sewing machine. The sewing machine to hand sewing ratio is about 30/70%. I haven’t done much hand sewing in recent years due to carpel tunnel syndrome, but I managed okay. All the fruit needs to be closed by hand and the leaves, stems, and ends of the banana all require hand stitching. Because you basically cover the stitched openings with other fabric elements, it all comes out very clean and nice looking.

For the hand stitching I chose to use like colored thread but for the machine sewing it was white or nothing.. call me lazy, but I still think they turned out very nice despite this.

And of course the real test.. do kids like them? Of course! They are infinitely better than plastic as far as texture and a real “feel” is concerned. My youngest son hasn’t quite caught on to why fake food is fun (that is his sister’s domain) but even he had to giggle and take a bite of the apple.

I am excited about having these groovy patterns now so that I can make up a basket of felt fruit for gifting the little people in my life and I am excited about our next LillyBean Market kit…  oh yeah.. we’re gonna make some pie! Stay tuned for that one!

Just make sure to put away your scissors when you are finished lest some child who will not be named take them to her hair… grrrr!

Giveaway now CLOSED. The winner is Little Lamb! Thanks to all who entered!!

In honor of Spring the lovely Etsy artisans at Natural Kids have donated a gift basket of natural toys and goodies for one of my readers. It is so gorgeous that I don't want to pass it on.. I want to KEEP it but alas one of you will be the new owner! But really I want to add a disclaimer that all this can be yours except… this.. and this… and maybe that…

If you recall Natural Kids is a actually a group of artisans that make a wide array of toys and goodies that will feed your child's imagination. I interviewed them a few months back. They have everything from clothes and decor to toys, dolls, and crafts. The winner of this giveaway will get a nice basket with a red cloth liner filled with the following:

A Waldorf doll – Polar Bear Creations

A wooden mermaid doll – The Enchanted Cupboard

A wool baby in a bassinet – Fairy Folk

A wooden horse toy  - Dad's Wooden Toys

A Rooster Pouch - Love a Little

2 Playsilks (one mint green and one multi-color) – The Polka Dot Dragon & Birch Leaf Designs

A cloth strawberry doll - Love a Little

A pair of organic cotton/hemp baby pants hand died green in a matching blue drawstring sack – Hand Full

Earthy stickers/decals (3 earth theme and 1 breastfeeding advocacy) – Elemental Handcrafts

2 photos of Waldorfs dolls and little cloth fairies –  Love a Little

3 tubs of Mama K's Aromatic Play Clay  - Mama K's

2 wool fairies with acorn caps (my fave item!!) – Hues of Nature

It has everything your kiddos need for hours of spring/summer fun!!

A new toy my kids have been enjoying and the neighbor kids have been itching to try. A Labyrinth Balance Board. It is a wood disc with a maze or labyrinth and it has wooden balls that you can nagivate through the maze by shifting your weight using your feet which are perched on each side of the disc.

I like that it is wood and therefore sustainable but I really like that it gets kids up and moving and working on their balance, agility, and problem solving.

I have posted about cardboard toys a couple times before.. I just love em! In addition to being fun they are essentially an eco friendly arts and crafts project as well as a toy. We recently got to review some of the cardboard play houses from the Imagination Box Company and while they aren’t as original as say the cardboard tree house or the castle we got this year… I am liking these better.

For one thing they keep it simple! The instructions on some of these cardboard toys can be very hard to decipher but these were assembled very easily. They are also throwbacks to more simple times. The cottage has a lovely ethereal, old fashioned feel to it with the cobble stone, wood framed door ways and windows, climbing vines, etc. It is exactly the kind of house a fairy (or me) would choose, so it made the perfect house for my daughter’s wooden fairy dolls.

Other cardboard toys we got came with markers and these toys came with watercolors paints. I love that. It made the decoration phase just a bit easier for the kids, cause who can stand to color with markers for 4-5 hours BEFORE you start playing with your new toy? My daughter spent about 2 hours painting her cottage and it was dry enough to play with immediately. Whereas my daughter colored only what was “in the lines”, she let her older brother do a little freehand flower on the roof of her house. If it were HIS house that blank space would be utilized in full.

We also got a one room schoolhouse which is another clever throwback. I often take my kids to historic schoolhouses for fun so I like this one a lot. But it has some modern touches that eco parents will love, solar panels and a recycling center.

As the company name suggests these are little units of imagination in a box. You get the basic framework and the kids (along with a parent) put it together, and then they can get to work decorating and designing. Then it can take them wherever their imagination wants to go. It has no doorbell that rings, it has no mechanical doors… the kids have to do the mental work and that makes these a couple of excellent toys in my opinion. Plus when they get trashed or tossed aside they can be recycled.

My daughter is going to be just like me I suspect when it comes to reading and writing… very passionate about both. Learning to read was her idea and every day she works on building her list of words she can spell, write, and read. In the car she spells random words, in the grocery store she tells the clerk about her spelling homework. She takes advantage of every opportunity she has to learn this whole reading and spelling thing and she finds it very fun to do. I wish it were that way for all my kids, but so far it is just her that finds excitement in writing and spelling.

I have reviewed a couple Natural Toys from Down to Earth Toys over the past year and when they contacted me to see what I might be interested in reviewing now, it was easy to choose the Spellmaster. It is a very unique educational toy that I knew my daughter would enjoy and I was not disappointed. She pulls her Spellmaster out 2-3 times daily to work with it for 30-60 minutes at a time and it has really helped her reach her learning goals.

Basically it is a platform for developing sequential memory skills, increasing memory span, improving letter recognition, and spelling simple to complex words.

When she uses her Spellmaster, she chooses a flash card with a word and picture first. She works through the word phonetically to find out what it is as the picture isn’t always a dead giveaway. Then she selects all the wooden letter tiles she needs, saying the letters out loud. Next she spells the word on the chalkboard panel below the tiles and then says the letters aloud again after she has written them, followed by the word. She also usually covers the tiles with the wooden flaps so that she can try to write the word from memory. Afterwards she moves on to the next card and she usually doesn’t stop until she has completed them all. It came with eight recommended steps in the instructions but she developed her own system of steps so we go with that. I knew she would like it but just how much she would like it surprised even me.

My nine year old son likes to use it for his spelling words as well and it is a fun, visual way to work on them rather than just having him write them over and over like the school suggests. Going through all the words on his spelling list 2-3 times is not to repetitive for him and using the Spellmaster makes it just a bit more interesting. The fact that they can hide the tiles and work from memory means they are more likely to learn from mistakes as well.

My three year old has taken a liking to the flashcards so we use those for some speech therapy at home. He was recently “upgraded” by his preschool teachers and therapists from a mere speech delay to a developmental delay. After going through the IEP with them I have to agree with much of their assessment so I am doing more to help him at home. I will have to write up a post about that whole issue later.

Anyway… I love that the Spellmaster is something my kids can pull out and use on their own or work through with me if they want. We make it a bit more challenging at times when I come up with a word there is no card for. You can use many variations to make it harder or easier depending on their spelling prowess. All the letter tiles are capital letters but you can order lowercase letters as well. You could probably come up with some small sentences if you had more tiles… aka See Jane Run. I looked for info on ordering different flash cards but didn’t see that info. I guess any flash cards would work though. There was no eraser for the chalkboard so my kids just grab a sherpa cloth to clean up with, easy peasy.

The actual unit is made of wood so it is MUCH more sustainable than comparable plastic toys and it is made by TAG and is just one of many Toys Made in the USA. It gets two enthusiastic thumbs up here.

Thanks Carrin and Down to Earth Toys for sending the Spellmaster our way!!

We love to  play games in this house or uh… couldn’t tell ya by this post on educational games, or this post on eco theme board games? Until my kids can give me a run at Gin Rummy, Hearts, or Bonco then board games do the trick.

For MANY months now the favorite for my kids has been The Farming Game. Mom was getting mighty board with it and I thought they might never find a new favorite. I hate to even say that since it is an awesome game that teaches the concepts of farming, farmer’s markets, and food value and it is great for teaching math at many levels. But playing it over, over, and over… can wear on you.

But no worries, they have found a new favorite and this one I can see us playing for a very long time. No doubt the weekend tradition that will be with us all winter will be a couple rousing games of Wildcraft and I am THRILLED because I love this game as much as they do. In fact I am thoroughly convinced this is the coolest game ever… no seriously… coolest EVER. This purchase was well worth the money, even if it was a hair pricier than CandyLand.

It is a gorgeous game that teaches the players all about herbs and how useful they are. The players are on a mission from grandma to go and pick wild Huckleberries. They have to go up and down a long mountain path to get them and along the way they find herbs (plants cards) and they they even run into some trouble (trouble cards). Some of the trouble you find would include sore muscles, an earache, a toothache, a hornet sting, diarrhea, splinters, and much more. But thanks to the herbs you have been collecting you may just have an herbal remedy to help you.

On the trouble cards it has little pictures of herbs and you must identify what they are. I love that it doesn’t just give you the name of the plant, it makes you look closely at the leaves and flowers so you can visually indentify the plant. That feature makes it easy for non readers to play and it ensures that older players are really learning these herbs and their uses. If you get a hornet sting you look in your collection of plant cards to see if you have the herbal remedy and if you don’t you must wait until you do before you can discard that trouble card.

Another cool feature is that there are cooperation cards, yes the entire game is cooperative instead of competitive. The whole mood that it created was wonderful. I admit I went overboard with the imitations of pain and anguish when I got a sunburn or a toothache but it was still lovely to see my kids so worried about getting to their turn so they could help me (or another player) out with an herbal remedy they had in their own stash that I did not.

As you play you risk backsliding down streams or landing on “moon” spaces. The moons then have to cover the suns at the top of the board game, giving you less time to finish the game. Everyone has to get back to grandma’s house with two buckets of Huckleberries each before nightfall. The cooperation cards (or rainbow cards as my kids call them) can also be used to move a player that is far behind forward so that the game can be completed on time… its all about cooperation!

I love that we learn about the medicinal uses of plants as we play and learn to identify them by eye. Hearing my kids talk about how they can use St. John’s Wart for this and Dandelions for that is just amazing. So many kids grow up thinking over the counter medicines are required for healing and soothing but it just isn’t so. And for all of us to learn to identify edible plants that can be eaten when hungry is incredibly useful. The earth has always provided what we need if we care to educate ourselves and look. I love that this game was invented by a Dad who just wanted his kids to play something more valuable than Candyland.

This game is also eco friendly! Box/board made with 100% recycled chipboard, printed with vegetable oil based inks, water based coating on paper, no varnish. Forest Stewardship Council certified paper. All material is 100% recyclable.

Wildcraft is a real gem and one that I think every natural, holistic, green, family is going to want to play.

Also available at Amazon

When I think about what I want my kids to get out of all the time they spend playing I realize that beyond learning and creating I also want something more for them… enchantment, magic, adventure.

To this day one of the most magical play moments I recall as a child was when I was about 8 years old. I was on an overnight trip, staying in my grandparents motor home. We were at a horse show where my grandfather and my Aunt were competing in the barrel races. While I was interested in watching them compete I was not so interested in watching the other 100 or so contestants so I had to find some way to occupy myself.

My brother and I decided to create a fairy and gnome village using sticks, leaves, branches, and nuts that were in the wooded area next to the arena. We made little huts, cottages, general stores, and a whole fairy/gnome world with our own rules and stories. I still remember how delightful and enchanting that day was. I was very sad to leave my fairy world behind.

That is probably why I have a soft spot for play that involves woodland creatures and little people AND why I love to buy those types of toys for my own kids, especially my daughter. Lucky for me she is just as enchanted with the fairy world and one of our favorite places to shop is The Enchanted Cupboard. They are on my Christmas list year and I wanted to share why we love the toys so much.

What you see above is a Fairy Tea Party. I wasn’t into tea parties as a child but my daughter sure is and miniature tea parties are the best. Here you see Ivy, Rose, Jewel, and Ashlan eating muffins and sipping tea on a beautiful Fall day. The are dining on a mushroom cap table on top of a play silk, surrounded by trees and mushrooms. Heavenly, magical, enchanting… I love watching her play. Those fairies engage in some lively conversation but they also talk about the more mundane things like high car insurance rates. Who knew they would drive when they have wings?

All of the toys are wood and painted with non-toxic paints by hand. They are little pieces of art as well as toys. When my daughter is grown I know she will remember toys like these before she remembers plastic techie toys like they sell at big box stores. These toys have a story or rather they inspire you to create a story. I would have LOVED to have had these as a child. Just look how adorable they are. I want Ivy’s hair!! If I could get away with turquoise and magenta hair I would be all over that…

My daughter has her eye on the mermaid dolls she saw in the store now. I think a blue play silk next to the tea party would be a lovely place for their mermaid friends to swim no? She also wants the laundry set. Oh sure.. laundry is glamorous when you are five…

And of course little girls aren’t the only ones who are drawn to these toys. My little man likes them too or rather he likes to watch them as my daughter plays with them.

Most of the stuff you see is from The Enchanted Cupboard. This store was nominated for an eco toy of 2009 award and was recently seen on Nickelodeon. If I recall, a book is even coming out about them. Yeah, well I thought these toys were awesome BEFORE they got all trendy!

Notes - The tea set and some of the trees and mushrooms were sent to us free of charge, courtesy of Beccijo at The Enchanted Cupboard.  We love her stuff and have known her for awhile and I am always happy to highlight her latest toys when she sends them. The fairies and some of the other toys were purchased by us from same store over a period of time and one or two of the trees are thrift store finds. The play silk is from Beneath the Rowan Tree.

The Organic Holiday Sleepwear on my daughter I bought from Hanna Andersson.

Been kinda absent but I have an excuse… I have been finishing my 2009 Green Christmas Gift Guide. It includes my top green older kids toys list, my top green toddler toys list, my top green baby toys list, and my eco moms and dads gift list. It took awhile to research it and find the BEST toys (in my opinion of course). I am only buying one or two small things for my kids this year so I wanted value.

My fave toy this year would have to be the E-Racer. My boys will be thrilled with these! The E-Racers will thrill eco-minded moms and kids with sleek design and nimble handling and the extra benefit of having a tiny environmental impact. The body of each E-Racer is built from one single piece of renewable bamboo and finished in non-toxic, water based paints. Simple, sustainable, classic, beautiful.

I am also loving these Nesting Rainbows for my daughter. They would make excellent fairy and gnome homes.

I have also been busy making lenses at Squidoo. While searching for some leg warmers, tights, and socks for my daughter I decided to create this Funky Leg Warmers, Socks, and Tights page to highlight some of my awesome finds. I’ve got some other great lenses there to like Sexy Nursing Bras and Soft Sole Shoes. Oh and my Vita-Mix 5200 review lens.

And speaking of shopping I spotted two really good deals on organics kids clothes this week. Hanna Anderrson is offering 20% off of their organic long johns. I ordered some for my kidlets… just couldn’t pass that deal up. Also BabyLegs is having some great sales and a pumpkin hunt for coupon codes. I bought several pairs including a couple sets of organic wool leg warmers for only $7. Plus shipping is free through the end of the month. Woot!

Organic kids clothing can be so expensive.. I just LOVE finding good deals. Happy Shopping…

So as part of my xmas shopping I have been heavily researching cooperative board games. We have a few already for younger kids but not so many that will keep my oldest boy begging for more and none that my hubby and I could play alone after the kids go to bed. I want something fun, educational, and if possible, cooperative or collaberative rather than overly competitive. I think I will pick one or two up NOW though so we can get a jump on the season.. my oldest has gone fishing on his own every day for a month but the past couple of days the trips have been short since it gets cold and dark earlier.. soon he may not go at all.

Luckily I had a few good games in mind, suggested to me by some wonderful unschooling moms, and those opened the door to even more awesome possibilities. Here is some of what I found. They are not cheap like what you find at Wal-Mart but supposedly the quality leaves the usual Hasbro type games in the dust.

Shadows Over Camelot- This is a 90 minute game that takes you into the world of Camelot and Knights. It is collaborative and it would be especially good for us since we have been watching and enjoying the BBC show Merlin. Evil forces are gathering around Camelot – The Black Knight was sighted atop a desolate ridge a scheming Morgan plots her revenge; the Saxon troops are on the move; and acres of timber are being felled for the siege engines. And yet Lancelot has all but vanished, with Excalibur yet to be recovered. These are heavy times indeed. Will you, young squire, come forth and pledge allegiance to your fellow Knights at the Round Table? Is your heart of pure intent and ready to sacrifice for the good of all? Or will the dark promise of power seduce you into treason? As the incarnation of the Knights of the Round Table, players work together to defeat the forces closing in on Camelot. This game was recommended by a TV free family I met on another web site of mine… for its educational nature. I think the next one would be good on that count too.

The Colosseum Board Game – My son and I watched a two hour documentary a few months back on the Colosseum and he was so enchanted with the structure and the world of ancient Rome that I ended up buying him several large Roman history books that he devours nightly. He is so much like me… I love ancient Roman history too and this game looks amazing. As commanded by the Emperor, Rome is in the midst of a 100 day celebration commemorating the opening of the greatest public arena ever conceived by man – the Colosseum. Players earn wealth and glory as one of Rome’s greatest impresarios by producing grand spectacles in the hopes of attracting the most spectators to your events.

Another game I know my son would love is Cleopatra And The Society of Architects. He and I both can’t get enough of ancient Egyptian history, mummies, pyramids, Pharaohs, etc. And Cleopatra is a tie in to ancient Roman history as well. In this game, she calls on the members of the Society of Architects to build her a magnificent new palace in Alexandria – with a Pharaohs ransom to the design that pleases her most. It includes a true, three-dimensional palace that players compete to build. Players strive to become the wealthiest of Cleopatra’s architects by constructing the most magnificent and valuable parts of her palace. The twist however is that players will be tempted to deal with shady characters and trade in materials of dubious origins in order to help them build faster.

Ticket to Ride- This is a game recommended to me by several unschoolers. It is great for learning about geography. It is an award-winning strategy game that challenges players ages eight and up to complete multiple train routes connecting major cities. As miniature trains begin to populate the board map of North America, secret city-to-city rail connections are completed or hopelessly blocked by merciless competitors. There is also a Europe version. These might be just what you need to help kids struggling with their geography or social studies lessons or classes.

Carcassonne- Yet another unschooler recommendation… how it is they find these awesome games? The Carcassonne is a clever tile-laying game. The southern French city of Carcassonne is famous for its unique roman and medieval fortifications. The players develop the area around Carcassonne and build cities, roads and monasteries in the South of France. The skill of the players to develop the area will determine who is victorious. The game is for ages 8 and up and 2 to 5 players. Who do you think is going to know more about medieval history.. the kid in a classroom or the kid playing a strategic game set in that time period? This game is actually pretty cheap in price and I think it may be because there are many expansions packs you can purchase to add on to the game.

They look like fun right? What games to YOU play to keep everyone entertained when the weather is less than optimal?

It is no secret that I love Etsy for just about everything under the sun. I buy toys, housewares, clothing, patterns, craft supplies, and decor. I love the fact that I can find mom made, hand crafted items there and supporting other moms is a wonderful thing. Last year, if you recall, I discovered The Enchanted Cupboard. The wooden fairy dolls in the picture above came from that Etsy store. My daughter adores that store and everything in it. Whenever she has a special event coming up, like a birthday, she wants to visit The Enchanted Cupboard to look around.

The owner of that store Beccijo, recently joined a group of mom and dad artisans to form the NaturalKids store. It is heaven on earth for a mom who wants natural, magical toys for their kids. I asked the folks there to chat a bit about their store and what they are trying to accomplish with it. Enjoy!

NatureMom: The Toys in the Natural Kids Store seem to be throwbacks to a simpler more natural time of the human existence. Do you agree? Do you try to instill “old school” values and a way of life in your kids and family life and if so why?  

Tonya – Knitting Momma – Yes, the toys may seem like throwbacks but it is more than that – children truly do not need fancy, noisy, excessive toys either in quantity or expense.  Children respond in a more natural way to toys made of natural fibers.  There is a connection to nature.  In addition, many of the toys are beautiful yet simple and require children to use their imaginations which stimulates creativity.

Since we use natural fibers in creating our toys, they are environmentally sustainable.  If for some reason the toys are no longer loved, they are compostable.  We do not use plastics and papers for packaging which also makes handcrafted toys good for the environment. Our family has chosen to live more simply than the average American, I guess.  We do not have television, are very careful about how often we participate in consuming new products, and we spend lots of time together working and learning.

Donni of Fairyfolk – I am hoping that we are on the cusp of a new era, a collective movement away from the frantic, shiny, plastic longing for more, bigger, better. My family and I have opted to take a step sideways, toward a simpler, calmer, more handmade life. It takes longer to bake a loaf of bread, but there is so much joy in the baking that is missed if we had not taken the time. The flour on my son’s nose, the smile on my daughter’s face as she bites into the warm, buttery slice she has just helped me bake. We have come to realize that the reward is in the human love that has gone into something handmade, a love that is tangible and magical and infuses our souls.

Joshua at Dad’s Wooden Toys (photo credit for picture above)

Yes in times gone by, these toys were the norm
You could say in a way we try not to conform

When my wife and I went searching to find
toys that were natural and good for the mind

The toys every where made noise and light
but I think the kids not the toys should be bright

I like that these toys say “life is what you make it”
not “whatever you find in the box, you must take it”

I enjoy the assurance that these toys won’t conflict
with the values my family and I want to depict

when buying the latest of a cartoon craze
a parent is tied to the values they praise

if that character lies or sasses its dad
then I promote that to my little lad

The toys in our store don’t come from a script
you can rest easy no values are shipped

Our toys come to you, a perfect blank slate
the lessons to learn are yours to create

NatureMom: Why types of natural materials are used in your craft and why is that so important?

Cyn at Fairies Nest – Natural fibers like silk, cotton, and wool are not only better for our environment because they are renewable resources, but they are also lovely to look at and wonderful to touch! Who wouldn’t chose
these over hard plastic or nasty polyester? Wool stuffed toys also
have the amazing property of feeling more alive. Wool holds warmth, so
as a child plays with a wool stuffed doll it warms to body temperature
and feels alive increasing the child’s bond to the toy. So much better
then cold plastic! (Image below by Fairies Nest)

Wendy at Birchleaf Designs- We use mostly wood, silk, and felted wool in our toys because it just feels good. It feels good to touch and to play with them. These materials came from the earth and to the earth they shall return. We try to stay away from plastic and other nasties that are not good for our bodies or the Earth.

Jen, SewnNatural- We use all natural materials, mostly organic and upcycled cottons, wools and silks. Our toys are mostly stuffed with natural carded sheep’s wool, which warms quickly in a child’s hands and gives a “living” feeling. We choose to use organic cottons wherever we can, because conventional cotton is far less “natural” than we might think. The average cotton T-shirt is only 73% cotton fiber – the rest is chemicals and resins. Now imagine a big baby blanket! If 10,000 people choose an organic baby blanket instead of a nonorganic one, we would keep the weight of over 22 people in pesticides out of nature. So using organic and eco friendly is better for the earth, better for kids’ bodies and better for nourishing their imaginations. (Image below by Sewn Natural)

NatureMom: How do these toys compare in terms of fun and creative use to mainstream toys?

Sara, Woolies – Spark Imagination – the child brings the toy to life. The faces on my animals and dolls are simply embroidered, so the child can decide if her toy is happy or sad.

Joshua at Dad’s Wooden Toys

New toys it seems have one use intended
Very few are made to be open ended

I want my kids to actively play
so I avoid toys they would just watch most the day

When you give kids a toy that’s hand made
it changes slightly how it gets played.

The toy is a toy but also a reminder
their mind is the actual toy and fun finder

the toy teaches kids that the things they may need
aren’t always bought on a treadmill of greed

instead one must give their thinker a chance
to find the solution for their circumstance

Beccijo – The Enchanted Cupboard- I don’t feel like you can compare these toys to mainstream toys. With open ended natural toys you are opening the child to their own imagination. Often times people look for and buy a toy that will ”do something”. The wonderful thing about handmade open ended toys is that the toy just “is” and the child does the “do something”.  Play time is early education and without basic creative play children lose the fondation to all good education.

Image credit: Fairyfolk

On the heels of my post on ethical toys and I wanted to post about cardboard toys. They are certainly not new… I remember I had a full size cardboard house that I used to play in when I was a little girl. It was very big, and it was black and white so that you could paint or color it yourself to personalize it. After many months of use, when it was starting to tear and generally look raggedy, we tossed it. Every year at Christmas time we would get another one from Sees Candy.

Cardboard toys are low cost and eco friendly. You can recycle them in your own backyard compost pile. They are also wonderfully creative toys for kids. Kids can assemble them and they can personalize them making the toy their own unique creation.

For the past couple weeks my kids have been playing with cardboard toys from the Creative Toyshop. They have TONS of awesome Calafant cardboard toys that go way beyond the simple house I used to play with. They have castles, tree houses, pirate fortresses, dollhouses, and so much more. They provide hours of open ended play and when your kids are done they can be folded away for storage or recycled if they are getting a little too well used.

My oldest son has the Calafant tree house. He was pretty much able to put it together on his own from looking at the pictures. The written instructions were kind of useless IMO but the pictures rocked. After putting it together he got busy coloring it. In true creative form he opted not to let the color photo on the box guide his color choices. I knew he would like cardboard toys because for years he has made his own creations out of leftover cardboard boxes. Creating a tree house of cardboard.. heck what could be better?

My daughter has the Calafant Rosegarden Palace. I put it together for her in about ten minutes and she colored it. She referenced the color picture on the box but more often than not chose her own colors… which surprised me since she is all about pink and purple. On a side note she complained that the markers that came with it stunk really bad, LOL. They just had a really strong marker smell which she didn’t care for (she’s a soy crayon girl)… we ended up donating them after she used them.

They both loved building and decorating these toys. My son now lets his sit in his room on display and my daughter plays with hers… putting her wooden fairy dolls in it. She plans on embellishing it with glitter and rhinestones… I just keep forgetting to check out the craft section of the thrift store.

I love that these toys are rather small since we don’t have a ton of room in our tiny 1000 square foot house. The child size cardboard house I used to have wouldn’t be practical but these are perfect. All pieces are pre-cut and pre-punched. They can be put together without glue and scissors thanks to the Calafant slot-system. They are creative, they provide hours of open ended play, they are eco friendly, and they are fun.

We probably all have memories of playing in cardboard boxes as kids. We too save any big boxes for the kids to play in before they get recycled. Cardboard toys take that concept and run with it. Calafant (German) makes small, medium, and large toys for all ages and interests. There are some larger ones that kids can play in too, just like I did. Fun!

This is a blog for parents and as such we likely buy toys for our children. Dozens of times I have written about toys.. Natural and Safe Dolls, green toys, the best toddler toys, toys with PVC and phthalates, lead in toys, etc. I even wrote about Natural Toys and CPSIA a couple times and how that dangerous legislation could limit our access to the safest toys for our kids.

So color me outraged when I read an article from the Washingtom Examiner about how two major toy companies.. Mattel and Hasbro actually lobbied for this legislation. Why? Well, they would no doubt tell us it is to save our children from the dangers of lead and other unsafe things in toys. But my guess is that they want to put small, ethical toy makers out of business and limit our toy buying options. They know full well that most small toy makers, the same toy makers whose products were already safe, will not be able to absorb the costs associated with legislation like this. The real kicker is that Mattel is the company who kicked off the lead toys scare. THEY were the reckless and irresponsible company that reminded us we need to be careful of what our kids play with when THEY put thousands of lead laced toys on the market.

Another slap in the face for consumers is this piece from the Los Angeles Times. Check this out:

Toy makers, clothing manufacturers and other companies selling products for young children are submitting samples to independent laboratories for safety tests. But the nation’s largest toy maker, Mattel, isn’t being required to do the same.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission recently, and quietly, granted Mattel’s request to use its own labs for testing that is required under a law Congress passed last summer after a rash of recalls of toys contaminated by lead. Six of those toys were produced by Mattel Inc. and its Fisher-Price subsidiary.

The whole basis of this legislation was to take the control of toy safety testing out of the hands of the toy makers, since profits could be placed before toy safety. Now we find out that that the company who started all this is getting a free pass? They are immune to this law?!!

According to Mattel they should be treated special because:

It has demonstrated to the product safety agency that its products go through rigorous safety tests. Company spokeswoman Lisa Marie Bongiovanni also said that Mattel has an appropriate “fire wall” in place to ensure test results are protected from corporate influence.

“We have extremely qualified people who work feet away from our production lines,” Bongiovanni said. “It allows us to do more testing than any other toy company out there.”

So says the company that just agreed to pay a $2.3-million civil penalty for violating the lead paint ban. Sounds reasonable… NOT!

I don’t know about you folks but Mattel and Hasbro are now on on my list of toy companies to never, ever support with my toy dollars again. 

There are numerous reasons why we don’t need the over marketed, hyped up, low quality, plastic junk that they sell anyway but this is yet another reason. As consumers we need to send our money to ethical toy companies that REALLY care about the safety of our kids. They need our support now more than ever.

Are you committed to buying quality natural toys from ethical companies? Comment below and tell me what and where you are buying… inquiring minds would like to know.

:)