My son is 21-months-old and soft animals no longer interest him. Pots do. So do balls. Pots make a lot of noise, though, and my son's got a good arm and an even stronger leg, so balls inside the house are a broken lamp waiting to happen. So what's he supposed to play with? It's below freezing now in Minnesota, limiting outdoor options. With six months of cold weather ahead of us, we need alternatives.
On Eco Child Play, Jennifer Lance has some excellent suggestions, like Haba toys, which are terrific. We've got Big Voyage (a cat, mouse, and bear in a soft wagon with wooden wheels that can be pulled by a string), Dragon's Egg (soft egg that a plush dinosaur can be zippered into), and Ramba Zamba (wooden rattle using nontoxic lacquers).
Lynch recommends Kapla blocks, too, which look awesome. Destruction has more appeal right now than construction for my son, but Kafka blocks can be used to create robots, boats, train trestles, etc.—which would certainly be fun to destroy.
Sun and Moon Jars are an electricity-free alternative to nightlights. Not a toy exactly, but another good eco option.
Count on Europeans (French for Kapla, Germans for Haba) for safe, innovative, eco toys. According to Lynch, sock puppets emerged from the Great Depression. With a recession upon us, the biggest perhaps since the Great Depression, maybe U.S. ingenuity will rise to the challenge. Sock Obamas, maybe?
Photo Credit: Timothy Sykes
How to foster green biodiversity
Comments (2)Add a Comment
Inappropriate or promotional comments may be removed.
Great suggestions, Eric. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have a bit milder weather, but rain rain galore. We use our garage as the stand-in play area when it gets too grim out there.
And totally agree that the Europeans know where it's at when it comes to toys.
Kafka blocks? Those are the ones that turn you into a giant insect overnight after you play with them? That could be interesting....