Toys That Inspire

Its such a joy to see my grandchildren use their imagination in play.  Simple toys, soft Waldorf style dolls, stuffed with wool that is warm when you sleep with them.  Wool felted animals and gnomes that don't need batteries and require lots of creativity when playing with them.  Dirt is by far the favorite play thing around here at this time.  A bucket, my garden shovels and old discarded coconut shells from the compost pile, seem to provide hours and hours of play.  When our children were little, one of their favorite things to explore with, was a pair of binoculars.  Often times you can find a decent pair at a pawn shop for about the same price as some of the plastic toy binoculars.   I am always on the hunt for beautiful silk cloths for the children to play with, they made huts with them, they wear them, they become princes and princesses with them, or superheros and fairies.   Often times I just find some good finds of gauze cotton fabrics for them to play with too.   Boys seem to need cars and trucks.  We use plastic cars and trucks outside so they can be cleaned easily.  In the house, its wooden train sets and cars that transform our living room floor into raceways and train stations.   When we cut down a tree a while back, Emery cut slices of the trunk and turned them into a gnome home that is played with each and every time the children come here.  Simple toys are best and not tons of them.  Make it easy for the child to be able to pick up and put away their toys, not be overwhelmed by them.   I love Ostheimer wooden animals and figures which seem to last forever and worth the investment.   A favorite place to buy quality toys, http://www.bellalunatoys.com/