Our wooden toys make perfect gifts for “truckers” young and old.
Video Rating: 5 / 5
Making a Wooden Top with a bandsaw, drillpress and a few sanding tools. This toy will be sure to delight young ones just as it must have done many years ago for our grandparents. Project originally designed for junior high shop students. High quality video avalable from my website CatchMyMemories.com
Ocean Springs, MS (PRWEB) August 13, 2008
The toys that are around today are not of the same caliber as toys of yesteryear. Many of today’s toys focus on trends, neat gadgets and are no more than glorified commercials for cartoons. Carol Lee Cantin has her own ideas of engaging a child’s mind — none of which involve a television.
“We have adorable and safe wood toys,” Cantin says of the products she offers on her site, http://www.EasyWoodenToys.com. “We have chosen wooden toys for boys and girls alike; toys that are fun and educational.”
The toys that are available in the contemporary toy store setting are based upon movie or television tie-ins and have almost no educational merit. Cantin’s store deviates from this notion and supplies families with puzzles, matching games and other wooden toys that will stimulate a child’s imagination.
Cantin also launched http://www.WoodenToysBlog.com in conjunction with http://www.EasyWoodenToys.com. Her Wooden Toys Blog focuses on the benefits of wooden and educational toys, as well as provides information on the safe, non-toxic toys sold on her site.
As Easy Wooden Toys races towards its one year anniversary, Cantin laments on the strength of her products: “I have four children, 15 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, and nothing pleases me more than seeing their happy faces while they figure out how to put an easy wooden train together.”
Cantin’s message is clear: wooden toys are as exciting and stimulating as their cheap plastic, commercial counterparts; the only difference is that your child will walk away from the experience having used their minds and not having their imagination stifled by preprogrammed sounds and kung-fu grips.
###
Find More Wooden Toys Press Releases
Brendan Canning – All the Best Wooden Toys Come from Germany
from Something for All of Us… (Bonus Track Edition)
Price: USD 0.99
View Details about Brendan Canning
Most people might think I am crazy writing about buying outdoor toys in Winter, because you won’t be able to use it on the snow. To be honest yes you can but it’s not advised to use it of course. I recently bought two trampolines; one mini trampoline for fitness reason and one outdoor trampoline which can be used by my children during the summer to play on. I am huge car fan and I actually saved a fair bit last months for the new car accessories I wanted, but then I thought why not surprise my children this Christmas by buying what they wanted all that did not include a swimming pool.
So the reason why I bought the trampoline at this time of the year is simply because it’s much cheaper to buy it now. The prices are low during the winter because no one actually buys outdoor toys at this time. And when you get towards April/March the prices will start to come up again. We have seen this happening across other retail products as well and not just the outdoor toys range.
I saved about £50 buying these trampolines at this time, which means I can use that as a Christmas present to my children and also use that £50 to buy my wife what she wanted for Christmas. Now I have sorted my Christmas presents so why not do what I did.
Of course there is a concern about where you will fit the trampoline but if you have a garage why not shove it in there till the summer because after summer you will still need to store it somewhere.
To help you enjoy the August bank holiday weekend that’s quickly approaching, Modelzone are offering discounts on popular kids toy and model ranges.
Valid for only the bank holiday weekend, all you have to do to claim your discount is enter the following codes within the basket page.
Remember that these offers are only available during the August bank holiday weekend so don’t try and use them before or after as you won’t receive your discount.
I posted a question recently on answer bank and was really surprised at the response.
My question was what do you reckon was the best toy you ever owned?
First reply was etch a sketch, I too had one of those and got hours of fun out of it.
Next up was Hungry Hippos probably one game that most people have either owned or heard of.
Someone else said it was a yo yo and another juggling balls which kept them amused for hours.
Football was mentioned utilising Mums washing line to make your own makeshift goalposts in the back garden. Also a boomerang.
Another real old favourite was lego which I suppose really took over from mecano.
For the girls there was of course Sindy, My Little Ponies, and of course Barbie Doll.
The strange thing is if you notice out of all the replies there is only one game which requires more than one to play.
Wonder what that says about our childhoods or do we just prefer our own company? Maybe we were simply just used to amusing ourselves better, thats my theory anyway!
I suppose when I look at all the different toys what strikes me most is the lack of computer games. It seems that the good old fashioned traditional toys are the ones that seem to stand the test of time and its those we remember best!
What do you think?
Do you have a DVD system in the car to keep the kids entertained? Is the DVD system your sanctuary so you do not have to engage with the children?
Surely kids already watch too much TV? Do you really want to subject their eyesight to a 7″ LCD screen which is bobbing up and down during a typical journey.
Don’t get me wrong, TV is not a total evil for little ones, it’s like anything, all good things in moderation. If I am with children I prefer to sing songs and engage with them. There is always a selection of CD’s available that hold a multitude of children’s songs which if anything are fun to learn.
A few years ago I just happened to be watching bid-up TV when a pack of 10 Childrens CD’s were on – I brought one and they are still in use today. I have never seen the same pack again which is a shame as there are plenty of other children who would enjoy the variety of songs which were recorded.
The closest that I have found to this is a CD on the Mulberry Bush site. The CD features a collection of 18 songs including ‘The wheels on the bus’, ‘Ten green bottles’, ‘If you’re happy and you know it’ and ‘clap your hands’.
Now in fairness I am aware that 18 children songs won’t go a long way if you are on a four hour drive. But there are also other alternatives, there are loads of story books including all the Roald Dahl stories on CD, and these are excellently narrated stories which children and adults alike can enjoy. But don’t segregate your children, enjoy stories with them.
Children love the interaction, and do you know what? Give it a chance and so will you!
Mulberry Bush – Children’s Travel Songs
Amazon – Roald Dahl Story CD’s
Where do you start with buying a learning toy for a child?
Are you the harassed Uncle or Auntie wondering what to buy a niece or nephew? Are you a puzzled Mum or Dad wondering what toy may connect with your child and develop them further?
Truth be told there are simply too many toys for parents to choose from and guess what the parents choice is typically narrowed by advertisers and peer pressure.
Look at every Christmas, there is typically a mad stampede for the en-vogue toy of choice, which inavriably ends-up in the obscure never-never land of the back of the wardrobe once the novelty wears off.
Another factor is are those buying presents actually that bothered whether a toy is going to have the right benefit for the child? My guess and experience is not, but you may disagree.
Do the likes of Argos, Woolworths and Toys R Us and the like actually give people the right choices? Or are mass marketed, mass produced, easy win, easy buy toys with attractive packaging co-ersing people into making an impulse purchase.
Have you ever tried asking a member of staff on whether a specific toy would be good for a childs reading, or writing or arithmitec skills? They haven’t a clue and subsequently a child is then in the hands of the gods.
Unfortunately this is endemic of society and the fast speedy world in which we live in which everything must be done at a pace. Thankfully there are a number of stores which do care about children and that do care about what toys they play with.
Traditional toys, wooden toys, retro toys, learning toys, educational toys call them what you like, they still have a place in homes up and down the UK, it is just a pity that so many people do not get to know about these stores.
I have purchased many of these ‘traditional toys’ but not from the big high street stores, I have always found the time to be purposeful about certain toy purchases. That is not to say that I do not enjoy a visit to Toys R Us? Of course I do, all that fun in one place. All I am saying is don’t expect to find toys that will make use of your child’s imagination and nurture their learning.
My favourite Toy Shops include Mulberry Bush Online Toy Shop which is great for Traditional Toys and Hamleys which is an absolute Aladdins cave!
The short answer to the question ‘Do boys play with dolls‘ is a resounding Yes! Baby boys, if given the opportunity, will cuddle and play with dolls and cuddly toys much the same as baby girls will.
The question is more of an issue for many parents who, if asked ‘Should boys be allowed to play with dolls‘ might answer, No! There are many parents who fear that their young sons will be considered a sissy or may be influenced towards being gay by being allowed to play with dolls. It is interesting to note how little girls who display boyish traits might be described as a tomboy, and this is not considered derogatory. Whereas if a little boy is perceived to display girlish traits and interests he may well be scornfully described as a sissy.
Whilst it is well known that allowing a boy child to play with dolls will not influence their genetic disposition studies have shown that a boys desire to play with dolls might be an early indication of that boys sexual orientation. Prohibiting a boy from playing with dolls will do nothing to change their genetic pre-disposition.
So, in answer to the original question, of course boys play with dolls, the same as girls will play with model cars and footballs. Considerate and thoughtful parents will not restrict their children from playing with any particular toys and will not try and force their offspring to be anything other than what they are.
This story from the BBC (No Outdoor Play Hurts Children) reports a worrying trend wherein parental anxiety coupled with increasingly popular sedentary activities, such as watching TV and playing computer games, are adversely affecting children’s health.
Play England is a project that has been established to promote play activities, to raise awareness of the importance of play and the provision of suitable play facilities and strategies. The fact that this project exists is indicative of how important this issue has become.
Outdoor play activities can make a significant contribution to a childs development. Children will begin to climb even before they can walk. Providing infants with safe outdoor play equipment which encourages them to climb and to discover their own physical capabilities aids the development of their psycho-motor and cognitive skills. When toddlers begin to walk they benefit from opportunities to develop their walking skills through balancing. Ladders, climbing frames, treehouses and other forms of outdoor play equipment can help them to develop their physical confidence.
As toddlers grow they need to encounter increasingly demanding challenges which will stretch their capabilities and help them to develop their physical skills. Slides, swings, ladders, trampolines and other garden and park play equipment can make a powerful contribution towards this development. Variety is crucial in ensuring that a child does not become bored by a challenge which is either too easy or too hard.
When children are very young they will need fairly close supervision from an adult. But as a child grows this requirement quickly diminishes and it becomes increasingly important that children are given the freedom to explore their capabilities in relation to the physical world around them. It is also important that they get the opportunity to interact with other youngsters of the same age. Appropriate outdoor play facilities can provide an ideal environment for children to learn through exploration and discovery and for them to share their experiences. It is up to the parent or guardian to facilitate their creative play by providing a safe environment for them to play in along with adequately stimulating and challenging props and outdoor play equipment.
