The Best Natural Toys are Nature Itself!

This quote from Luther Burbank speaks to the importance of childhood exploration of the natural world. In my opinion, the best natural toy is a garden. There are many tiny creatures to explore and the wonders of plant life never cease to amaze a child. Our strawberry and … [Read more...]

Make Your Own Jewelry

Melissa and Doug/Lights, Camera, Interaction! make several wooden bed jewelry sets. These sets come with everything you need to make great jewelry. The hole size in the beads is large enough for little hands, and beading is great for buiding fine motor control. The alphabet … [Read more...]

Ban on Lead in Kid's Jewelry in the Works

From the Sierra Club: Good news over the holidays as the Consumer Product Safety Commission, in response to a petition from the Sierra Club, voted unanimously to move forward with a regulation that could ultimately ban children's jewelry that was more than 0.06% lead by weight. … [Read more...]

New Year's Blessing

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 … [Read more...]

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, … [Read more...]