Natural Pod, one of our favorite online natural toy companies, has introduced a wooden kitchen series just in time for the upcoming holiday season. With options such as the Chef’s Kitchen, Chef’s Kitchen and Hutch, and the Chef’s Portable Kitchen, these large wooden toys will inspire and delight any child.  Best of all, these products are made Canada and carry the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) ecolabel, which verifies the wood comes from well-managed forests.

My children love the Chef’s Portable Kitchen.  It was designed by Natural Pod and is made on Vancouver Island, British Columbia with a combination of Europly, Birch, Oak, Fir and Purple Heart and finished in natural beeswax.  Purple heart is one of my favorite woods, so I was delighted to see the details done in this unique wood. The portable kitchen is rather large at 32 inches across, making it easy for several children to work cooperatively and share this unique, wooden toy.

Children love to mimic what is around them and kitchen play is definitely one of those activites that childern of all ages enjoy. This hand crafted kitchen has working knobs that really turn. Fits on the shelf on our playstand or can be placed on any play table or surface. A great kitchen set up for smaller spaces as it can be tucked away when not in use.

Dramatic play is really important for children.  From solitary play to cooperative play, children go through many stages of play as they develop. As children mature, they are able to engage in more creative, dramatic play, which is usually based on observations of adults’ daily lives. Kitchen play follows naturally, as children love to “cook” for their loved ones.  Encouraging and supporting children’s dramatic play, such as providing props and appropriate toys, will help their development.  In fact, research has shown a strong link between children who participated in sophisticated play in early childhood and later academic success.  Some specialists suggest that children experiencing learning difficulties in school actually need to go back and learn sophisticated dramatic play as part of their remediation.

Natural Pod’s Chef’s Kitchen, Chef’s Kitchen and Hutch, and the Chef’s Portable Kitchen are the kind of toys that will last for generations.  These are not the junky plastic toys that will end up in our landfills, but they will be cherished by children and grandchildren alike.  As Natural Pod founder Bridgitte Alomes explains:

At Natural Pod we wanted to create the ultimate heirloom toy, something that children could play with and enjoy but would also want to eventually pass down to their own children and grandchildren.  We loved that kitchens symbolize the home and hearth, warmth and nourishment, and when we couldn’t find many similar natural products that are currently being made in North America we knew we had to create our own.

If you live in North America, buying products that are manufactured closer to home lessens your carbon footprint tremendously. You might have to pay more for such craftmanship, but in the bigger picture, the cost to the environment, worker conditions, and your child’s health is the real issue in any product we buy.  Natural Pod is a company I trust to provide quality natural products for my children without harming the earth.