We've seen lots of toy lists this year, from best to worst and even a bit unwired. So, we'd like to add some of our favorites.
Our guiding principle for selecting all the toys in our store is play value. We ask, how much will your child enjoy playing with this toy compared with
what it cost? Our observation from 15 years of parenting is that the toys that kids play with most are the simplest--toys that require kids to invest their own imagination instead of just responding to a pre-programmed microchip. The one toy in our store with the most play value is probably our BEKA Unit Blocks, which have been a part of our kids' play from the age of 1 through 12 and beyond.
So, with play value in mind, here's our list of favorites for 2011!
- Green Toys Vehicles - these tough trucks are safe for toddlers and perfect for big kids! They'll hold up to hours of sandbox play and are made in the USA from recycled milk bottles. We're particularily fond of their brand new School Bus!
- The Grow Up Transformable Wooden Ride On & Cart - These just arrived! This brilliantly designed toy transforms from a toddler push cart into a cargo-carrying ride on and then into big kid shopping cart. A great value that's three toys in one!
- Our Wooden Fishing Pole - This toy is truly a Peapods classic, and it recently won recognition as one of Mothering Magazine's Best Natural Toys of 2011.
- Nuchi Wooden Train Sets - These back to basics wooden trains don't blink or beep or talk but
they're capture your child's imagination nonetheless.
- Rody Ride on Toys - Made in Italy, these are perfect for indoor gross motor play during these long winter months!
2 comments:
i love the train sets. My son is really into trains and his cousins had some old Brio Trains which I loved because they were so different, they had animals, and some had sounds etc. My son took a different brio train with him to sleep every night. Are they fair trade? Or made under good labour conditions?
Sonya, Nuchi are very like the orignal Brio trains. We aren't given any information about the conditions where they are made, so we can't really answer your question. However, we do also carry trains from Plan Toys, which are made in Thailand. Plan is one of the only toy companies in the world to be certified to both fair labor and environmental standars. See http://www.plantoys.com/about_who_concept_manufacturing.php . Plan trains are also compatible with Nuchi and Brio tracks, but their trains use plastic clips instead of magnets. Hope that helps.
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