Pink Coyote

Just For Fun

 

We've been having lots of fun this week playing with a new toy, the classic favorite of Louis XV: the Ball n' Cup. Truth be told, we're having a little too much fun.  I thought it would be a great toy for Miles: made of wood, good for hand-eye coordination, hip multicultural origin, requires some dexterity, favored by kings, you know, proper Renaissance-style amusement.  We've all taken a few whacks, but no one has ended up in tears and we are each becoming edgily competitive about mastering our techniques.  Miles is mostly just swinging it around, then picking up the ball and plopping it in the cup-(makes a most pleasing sound!).  I'd say that 3 is not the age a child will enjoy this toy the most-though it's rated for 3+. I'd wager a guess that he'll love it when he's about 5. 

I love sharing resources for natural toy companies that offer interesting alternatives to all of the plastic, lead coated, noisy, no-brainer toys that are available at toy stores and megastores-most of which end up broken and in a landfill before the year is up.  Down To Earth's selection of Natural Toys offers tons of affordable, well-made options that pose no chemical harm to our babes and they're the kind of toys you'll want to pass along to other kids later on. 

The other thing is that playing with this toy makes you look dangerously cool.

  

Skittling Across the Floor

 

Since all but swearing off plastics in M's toybox, we've been casually on the prowl for fun toys for him to play with that are made by artisans and craftspeople who are taking care of the planet while honoring their art.

We were thrilled to find Camden Rose, who have a beautiful story behind their imaginative children's company.  (I'm crazy to try their Demeter-certified baby woolens just to support those passionate people practicing agriculture properly!)

We ordered the above pictured birch skittles set for Miles from Palumba, who have a gorgeous catalog full of yummy natural toy offerings.

There are lots of games that can be taught to a three-something, but we have been having the most fun just setting up the pins and knocking 'em down American ten-pin style.  The set came with two balls and ten pins inside a little cloth bag, sweet!  We've taken them inside and out, on the grass, the sidewalk, tabletops, anywhere the pins will stand.  The pins are only 5" tall-but we found they were just the right height after using them for a bit.  They come unfinished, but you can shine them up with a bit of beeswax.  We opted not to, considering you-know-who-on-the-way  is going to have her baby lips wrapped around everything she can find by next winter.  That makes these sorts of toys even more fun.

We give this wooden skittles set points for encouraging counting, imagination, balance study, and accuracy.

Now, if only I could get all of the plastic out of my grocery cart!

Keep It Non-Toxic

I've added a couple of categories to the right margin and am attempting to get a bit more organized over here with my posts.  I want to  share links to two important search databases that you might find useful when selecting cosmetics or children's toys-both allow you to search by product name and see what toxic chemicals have been reported.  And both offer shocking information about what is used in our homes daily that is poisoning us.

Skin Deep is the cosmetic database, and they even give safety ratings for your products. If you're, for example, using California Baby sunblock on you and your little one, you can see how it sizes up to the other major brands out there. (California Baby does very well with most of their products).  Surprisingly, anything anti-bacterial with the ingredient of Triclosan is now on the all-thumbs-down list.  My germophobe mama friends will not be pleased to hear this.

Healthy Toys is the kids toy search tool and it is very helpful when choosing birthday or shower gifts for someone you know who is conscious about such things.  My hope is that you will try to eliminate from your child's toybox those items containing lead and known neurotoxins sooner than later!  Might want to rethink the Hannah Montana lead heart pendant, if you catch my drift...

Hopefully, you'll find them useful. This week I'll be reviewing a non-toxic classic toy that has become a favorite of Miles: Skittles!

Be well, yo.