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Green, Eco-Toys
I’ve just discovered a toy company I adore: HaPe Toys. This company features eco-friendly safe toys that “support children throughout every stage of development, starting at a very young age to help nurture and develop their natural abilities.” HaPe carries brands such as Quadrilla, Anamalz, and Woody Click, as well as Bamboo Collection. My family recently acquired Bamboo Collection’s Contina.
Bamboo Blocks
Contina blocks are similar to Kapla blocks, in that they are more like planks than standard unit blocks; however, Contina blocks are made from sustainable bamboo. These planks come in eight different natural colored finishes and can be combined to build many structures, given that you get 100 blocks in a set. You can stack them or line them up, and I am not sure if Eco Dad or my children had more fun when we first opened our Contina blocks.
Bamboo Collection uses Latin names for their toys, as they are designed for the world’s children. When I did a search on Intertran for the meaning of contina, I got the following results: “to touch, border on, to keep together, reach, befall, grasp, affect, infect, to keep in, surround, contain, confine, include, to hold back, restrain”. This definition opens up even more possibilities for these great blocks.
Bamboo Collection is the world’s first collection of bamboo toys. Although I advocate for wooden toys over plastic ones, I sometimes question whether the wood is sustainably harvested or if the toys were made from scraps of wood from construction projects. With bamboo, I don’t have to worry about sustainability, since a bamboo tree (it is really a grass) can grow back completely in three years after being cut down.
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My kids love Hape! We get them at Landbridge Toys:
http://www.landbridgetoys.com
Since when do the “world’s children” speak Latin?
good point Jim. I think the idea is that soo many languages have their roots in Latin, but this definitely excludes many language throughout the world and is a Euro-centric way of thinking. I did think it was interesting, though.
I have not come across these toys before. Will definitely be seeking presents from here.
BTW I have a free e-book to download on my my site that you might be interested in called Planning With Kids Top 100 Tips.
Love these! Thanks Jennifer.
These bamboo blocks are great and the hapetoys website has a fantastic range of toys