As much we love to spotlight those big-ticket items on the top of every wish list, we also like to pay fair tribute to the smaller guys: those companies that fuel kids’ imaginations and give us yet another reason to wish we were little again. Urban Canvas is one of our latest favorites. They make eco-friendly toys fashioned out of recycled and reusable cardboard, including trains, buildings and even bugs. We love their Build 52 Playing Cards, a full deck of blank (save for standard numbers and letters) cards that kids can design and customize to their hearts’ content…and then use to assemble their own house of cards (thanks to their interconnecting edges). Not only is this toy a cool craft, but it lets kids [&hellip
eco-friendly toys Archive
When my now-preschooler was an infant, her pacifier was her best friend…and mine. It seemed like the only way to stop her frequent crying jags was with a translucent green pacifier that quickly soothed her spirit and helped dry her tears (even if it was only for a short time), as she suckled away, Maggie Simpson-style. Sometimes, my husband and I would hold our breaths when it inadvertently popped out of her mouth, and the sleeping babe failed to notice its absence, her little lips moving back and forth, no different than before. As she matured, but had not yet grown out of the pacifier stage, we feared those moments when she would realize exactly what had happened and cry her head off. Lucky for [&hellip
When my husband was a boy, he had a wooden rocking horse on which he happily rode off into the proverbial sunset. Well…not exactly, but I believe that horse had something to do with his signature sign-off, “Happy trails.” Today, we have that same treasured horse in our own home, so our girls can rock to their hearts’ content. Among all their other toys, it stands out as a treasured childhood favorite and is in sharp contrast to the high-tech gadgets and brightly colored plastic playthings of today. If you’re a fan of the toys of yesteryear, you can step back in time with a classic favorite that returns to the modern world. Woody Rocking Horse is a simple, but elegantly designed rocker just begging [&hellip
My 1st grader is so excited for her upcoming class trip to the aquarium, she can hardly contain herself. A recent trip to the local fish hatchery was enough to whet her appetite…now she’s ready for the big time! (Why do I foresee a follow-up trip to the zoo in the near future?)…It’s only natural that kids love animals. Think about it: they do what they please, eat without the use of napkins or utensils and spend their time either playing or sleeping. Did I mention that they can do what they please? When watching my girls play with their stuffed animals, they act out the silliest scenarios, so it only makes sense that they are drawn to playthings that mimic the very behavior they [&hellip
Tomorrow is my daughter’s 3rd birthday, and I can hardly believe it. Actually, I take that back. Some days, she tells me what to do so often, I feel like we’ve already skipped ahead to the teenage years! Seriously, though, I know that by the time we get to her next birthday, she’ll come home from preschool donning a homemade birthday crown. (My older daughter has a collection of them from over the years.) While I appreciate my girls’ teachers’ efforts in fashioning these hats from paper, the paper construction never quite holds up to the wear and tear of make-believe play. What a wonderful idea to have a smartly designed birthday crown that can be used again and again! Organic Birthday Cotton Crowns are [&hellip