A friend sent me this New Year's blessing by Edward Abbey. It reminds me of the beauty of children's imaginative play. Benedicto: May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets' towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red ... continue reading...
Melissa and Doug Farm Nesting Blocks
This is an all time favorite toy in our home! Both of my children love to play with these blocks. My daughter builds high towers using the largest block as the foundation all the way up to the tiniest block. My son loves to place the blocks within each other in the correct order, which is a tidy way of storing them nested together. The farm animals on the sides are great for teaching animal names and sounds. We have had these blocks for over a year and have needed to glue one of the sides on one ... continue reading...
Go Bucks!
You can't grow up in Ohio and not be a Buckeye fan! As my daughter has grown older, I have struggled with her interests in "girly" things. It was easy when she was two to buy her a bulldozer and watch her explore the garden dirt with her new toy. She still enjoys gardening, but now she wears her pink crocs and daisy work gloves. She definitely favors pink, princesses, and cheerleading. I use to blame her friends for influencing her, but now I wonder what is the harm as long as she does not ... continue reading...
Under the Nile Organic Teething Toys
Chewing on plastic toys may be harmful to children, so what are the alternatives? All young children explore new toys with their mouths and chewing/biting relieves some of the teething strain in infants. What your child puts into their mouth is very important, and Under the Nile offers organic fruit and vegetables toys that are perfect! The fruit and vegetables can be purchased individually or in a group crate. Made in Egypt of organic materials, you do not need to worry about your child ... continue reading...
San Francisco Bans Certain Plastic Toys!
Sunday, November 19, 2006 (SF Chronicle) TOXIC TOYS/San Francisco prepares to ban certain chemicals in products for kids, but enforcement will be tough -- and toymakers question necessity Jane Kay, Chronicle Environment Writer Widely used chemicals with suspected links to cancer and developmental problems in humans are present in common baby products like the yellow rubber ducky, bath books and clear plastic bottles, a Chronicle analysis confirmed. The toxic chemicals, which are used to harden ... continue reading...