Super Eco

Photo credit: Green Toys Inc.

Preschoolers could care less about how safe and sustainable a toy is. All that matters to them is that a plaything sustains their gnat-sized attention span for more than a nanosecond.

Why should they care? It's not their job to know that their favorite, lead poison-painted Bedtime Dora was recalled (along with 21 million other toxic Mattel and Fisher-Price toys made last year in China). It's mom's job, and let's not forget daddy, too.

Eco Child's Play and The Goddard School just made our endless helicopter/safety-inspector parenting a little easier with this, their preschooler-tested Top 10 Greenest Toys 2009. Yay! Just in time for holiday shopping, if any of us can afford it. Wait! We can, well, sort of, because every toy that made the cut costs $30 bucks or less!

Mama like, but will my kids? Are these budget-lean, green machines (and soft, hug-able Earth balls and pretend veggie cleavers) "tight" enough to engage my picky kids?

Let's take a closer look at this year's hottest green playthings:

1. Aromatic Play Clay by Mama K (approx. retail $20-$22)

Smush and sniff this: 100 percent "natural," gluten-free biodegradable clay that "combines aromatherapy with activity." Sweet slogan, Mama K: "Soothing the creative beast in every household." Are little noses sophisticated enough to identify soothing aromas like bergamot, geranium, lavender, lemongrass and sweet orange? Forget the kids' Wish List! I'm putting a relaxing "5 Scent Tube" at the top of mine.

2. Count Octopus by ImagiPlay, $17.99

Yes, it's made of sustainable, plantation-grown rubberwood and hardwood. Yes, it's painted with nontoxic paints. And, yes, it teaches kids their 1-2-3s. But just looking at this complicated tentacled vulgaris gives me a headache. Quick! Roll me a clump of that de-stressing aromatherapy clay! Also, $17.99 is pretty steep for a puzzle, of any kind.

3.Desert Hothouse by DuneCraft, $14.99

The only thing missing from this dusty, windowsill-sized real-life desert is a miniature tumbleweed. Too bad it's encased in petroleum-based plastic. Why not corn? DuneCraft's bonsai-like terrariums also come with heavy Curious George, Spongebob Squarepants and Backyardigans branding, if you're into that kind of young-consumer-in-training marketing. I wonder what shade of "green" DuneCraft's just-add-water Super Snow is? Or their Astounding Polymer Properties Observation Kit? I'll stick with the au naturale Owl Pellet Dissection Kit, thanks.

4.Green Toys Recycling Truck by Green Toys Inc., $24.95

Hey, it beats a trash truck, and it's easy on the eyes, for a recycling rig. Is it even easier on the environment? Yes, mostly. All Green Toys, including the truck, are packed in recycled corrugated boxes free of plastics, cellophane or twist-ties. How about no packaging? Still, this recycled plastic milk jug-made machine drives home the three Rs without the eco lecture by showing, not telling kids how to reduce, reuse and recycle. Fun!

5. Green Toys Tea Set by Green Toys Inc., $24.95

An unbreakable green update to the traditional porcelain tea set. Like Green Toys' Recycling Truck, this 17-piece set is made from curbside-collected milk jugs, is BPA-free and meets stringent FDA rules for safe food contact. Just be sure to stick to water and juice. Decaf tea isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially not for children. 'Been there, benzene that.

6.Hugg-A-Planet by Hugg-A-Planet, $24.95

"A real globe but soft" and hug-able, of course. Kids can wrap their loving arms around the cruel, cruel world while brushing up on their geography, one brightly labeled mountain range at a time. But is this mini Eath as chemically-twisted as the real one? Nope. Its fabric is made from 100 percent organic, pesticide-free fibers and stuffed with 100 percent unbleached recycled cotton fibers. Have one customized with your own address to help your kids learn it. ... And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. If only it hugged back.

7. Joobles Collection by Fair Indigo, $25

Organic fair trade fuzzy animal creatures that make adorable attachment objects for touchy babies. I like the (unofficial) Lakers gold and purple Organic Buzzy the Bug, but would I pay $25 for one? Yes, only because a portion of their sales benefits the Peruvian women and children who hand-knitted and colored them with Okeo-tex certified nontoxic dyes.

8. Ring-a-Thing by HABA, $24 (Yes, less than $30 is nice indeed, especially when we're talking typically-expensive organic, ethically manufactured toys, but why do most of the items on this list lean towards the steep end, between $24 to $25? How about a $10 toy?)

A toddler's first game of "rules" that helps them grasp colors, shapes and spacial concepts in a clean, minimalist, German design way. The idea: Toss (throw or chuck?) an over-sized (no choking!) die and play ring-toss with water-based, nontoxic lacquered beach wood rings. Good luck getting a toddler to take turns and gracefully accept when they don't "win". Pairs well with calming aromatherapy clay?

9. Veggie Cutting Set by ImagiPLAY, $24.99

A sturdy pretend crudités cutting set for your budding gourmand. All the slice-and-dice, without the boo-boos. This adorable, trendy wooden set playfully develops kids' gross motor skills while brainwashing them to eat their vegetables encouraging them to dine healthfully. Bon appetit.

10. Tree Branch Blocks by Natural Pod, $29.00

"Rustic tree branch blocks" that "bring the outdoors in." These scream John Denver Rocky Mountain High, and, unfortunately, TIMBERRRR! Thankfully the edges are sanded sliver-free and nontoxic hand-waxed to protect exploring little paws that will stack them, roll them and build homey log cabins for their LEGO guys with them. (Hmm. Natural Pod's wooden teether ($19.95) looks like a brass knuckles set for scrappy babies.) 

What about a toy that's FREE and found everywhere? The big one that didn't make the list: The Great Outdoors. Remember that place? Call it what you will, a Green Hour, mama's Cure for Nature Deficit Disorder or Kill the Wii, Pronto! My three-child brood and I simply call it Outside Time, and the only props it requires are good weather, curiosity and imagination. 

Now, go! Leave your fancy "green" toys inside and get out there and see what develops.  

Want an even greener Christmas (or Kwanzaa or Hanukkah)? Check out Madeline Holler's Babble.com all things green for the holidays.