Our Favorite Wooden Block Sets: Open-ended Play for All Ages

Wooden blocks are well-used and well-loved at my house. We use them to build towers, houses, words, villages, roads, skyscrapers, boats, dollhouses and animal villages. We use them to count, weigh, build, balance, measure, and spell. Wooden blocks are never outgrown and never go out of style. They allow adults and all ages of kids to create and play together. My children (now 10, 8, and 6) still play with ours blocks constantly. These are the sets I plan to save and pass down to the grandchildren.

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Wild Mint Shop Helps Parents Avoid Toxins in Toys

This post was sponsored by Green Sisterhood. All opinions are my own.


Every holiday there are headlines about the toxic chemicals that can be found in children's toys. While some progress has been made in recent years, there are still plenty of materials to avoid. This situation presents many dilemmas for parents and gift-givers.

Let's say:

You want to purchase an open-ended well-crafted toy for a child you love, but when you browse the toy sections online or at major retailers, you can't figure out if the manufacturer uses safe materials.

-OR-

Your mother-in-law is planning to buy a gift for her grandbaby, and you are worried she'll choose one you don't feel comfortable letting your baby play with and mouth.

-OR-

Your child received cash as a gift that she plans to spend on a toy, and you want to guide her towards a non-toxic, sustainably-made toy without being a micromanaging negative controlling-pants.

What is the answer for all of these dilemmas?

Wild Mint. 

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The Non-toxic Eco-friendly Sandbox

Does Play Sand Cause Cancer?

Last summer I purchased a used rigid plastic sand box with a cover on Craig's List. Once I had the sandbox, all I had to do was buy some sand. Unfortunately, this decision was not as simple as I had hoped.

If you live in California, you've possibly seen the Prop 65 cancer warning on bags of play sand. That's because the super cheap fifty pound bag of sand you can pick up at home improvement stores or garden centers isn't actually sand. According to Healthy Child Healthy World, "'Play sand' is a manufactured material made from ground quartz that can contain carcinogenic crystalline silica and a mineral called tremolite, which is related to asbestos."  You can read more about the classification of crystalline silica as a human lung carcinogen in this OSHA document.

Some emphasize that the risk is mainly an occupational hazard for sand blasters who experience intense and prolonged exposure to the crystalline silica dust. While children certainly aren't subject to the same degree of exposure as sand blasters, parents still may not be comfortable with their children inhaling respiratory irritants linked to cancer. The issue isn't the silica, which is present in all sand, but the size of the particles. Finer particles can be inhaled into the lungs, causing respiratory irritation and an increased risk of mutations and tumors. So if you see a dust cloud above the sand box, you have an issue.

Non-toxic Sand

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How to Turn Cereal Boxes into a Lift-the-Flap Toy

Breakfast is my favorite meal and I make hot breakfasts several times a week. Still, we manage to go through quite a bit of boxed cereal at my house. Enough to make me want to do something useful with the cereal boxes before they hit the recycling bin. When I noticed by chance that the boxes of several of our favorite cereals perfectly nested inside each other, I just knew there must be something they would be useful for. Eventually, I came up with the perfect upcycling project, thanks to my middle child's love of lift-the-flap books (which she calls "peek-a-boo books").

Here's how to turn two ordinary cereal boxes into a fun crafty project that your kids will love making and playing with. We call them peek-a-boo houses at my house.

How to Upcycle Cereal Boxes into a Peek-a-Boo (Lift-the-Flap) House

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Kids' Party Favors on Etsy

These are the wands we gave out as party favors.
Sadly, they are no longer available.

Climate Crusader's excellent suggestions for goodie bag alternatives reminded me of an Etsy treasury list I started a couple of years ago when searching for party favors for my children's joint birthday party. First I'll say that I think the whole goodie bag business is completely superfluous, but oh well. I still feel obligated to give out something. But I try hard to only give out something I would want my own children to receive. A couple of years ago that something was a Hot Wheel for the boys and an Etsy flower wand for the girls (no points for gender neutrality).

While spending too much time searching Etsy for affordable kids' party favors, I found many additional possibilities depending on your price range (items below range from about $1 to $5 each). I've also pinned all these on my Kids' Party Favors from Etsy board.

Click here to continue reading on The Green Phone Booth


What have you found on Etsy lately?

Would you like more ideas and tips about Going Green Gradually? Sign up for my free email subscription to get each of my posts delivered to your inbox (I usually post one or two times a week). You can also follow me on Facebook, Google Plus, Pinterest, Twitter, or with your favorite RSS Reader. I hope to see you again soon!

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Gifts that Encourage a Child's Sense of Wonder About Nature

Children are natural scientists and love to explore the world around them. But sometimes their enthusiasm for the natural world wanes as they grow up and become engaged in friendships, structured activities, and technology. Here are some gifts to encourage your child's sense of wonder about the natural world.

Books

There is no shortage of fabulous non-fiction children's literature about the natural world. Just the other day I found a "Like New" used hardcover copy of an amazing encyclopedia of extinct animals. My kids and I have particularly enjoyed books for the backyard naturalist. Our favorite books about trees include:

• Tell Me, Tree 
• The Tree Book For Kids and Their Grown Ups
• What Tree Is That? A Guide to the More Common Trees Found in North America (to identify trees)

For a long time my daughter's favorite book was Are You a Snail?, one of the books in the Backyard Books series, all about the little creatures you might encounter in your own yard.

We also have several books in the series of Take Along Guides for kids, including:

• Caterpillars, Bugs and Butterflies 
• Trees, Leaves, and Bark 
• Birds, Nests, and Eggs 

I also recommend investing in some guides for grown-ups about your own area's flora and fauna. My children have loved pouring over these, if only to look at the pictures, and they are great to take on hikes and outings (along with the Take Along Guides mentioned above) to help identify any wildlife or plants you might encounter.

Recently at the library I found the book Where Does My Shadow Sleep: A Parent's Guide to Exploring Science with Children's Books, which includes chapters on exploring the natural world. Find additional ideas for books about the natural world in Bugs, Bogs, Bats, and Books: Sharing nature with children through reading, published by the American Library Association (contains book descriptions, no activities).

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Eco-novice's Favorite Kind of Toy: Wood Stacking Toys by Grimms

In my six-plus years as a parent, I've acquired and discarded a large number of toys. Some toys broke, some were made of possibly toxic materials, others were too annoying for the adults or overstimulating for the kids, and many quickly lost their appeal and were soon ignored. So I now have some well-defined preferences when it comes to owning toys.

Eco-novice's Toy Preferences

• Quality over quantity
• Natural, sustainable, and completely non-toxic materials
• Aesthetically-pleasing
• Open-ended to facilitate creativity and imaginative play
• Durable
• Appealing to a wide age-span (including adults)
• Created by a business I can enthusiastically support
• Worth saving for the grandkids

If I had it all to do again, I would own only these types of toys. In every way, our Grimm's toys fit perfectly with this philosophy.

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Another Craig's List Success Story

Actual photo on Craig's List.

I thought I would share with all of you my latest Craig's List find.

Two days ago my daughters asked me to attend their puppet show. They have been very into puppet shows lately.

While watching them perform this show while unsuccessfully ducking behind pillows on their bed I thought, maybe we should buy a puppet theater.

Of course I could make a puppet theater, but I've had that thought about a dozen times already with nothing coming of it. I know myself well enough to know that I probably won't get around to making a puppet theater until my kids are too old to enjoy it. Or I'd make a cheap and fast one out of cardboard which my toddler would destroy within a week.

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Buying an Eco-friendly Outdoor Wood Play Structure: Why I Chose CedarWorks

After our used pressure-treated wood play structure debacle, I began researching options for new wood play structures. I seriously considered six different manufacturers. I searched online for reviews and discussions in parenting forums, drove considerable distances to look at play structures in person, asked salespersons and customer service representatives numerous questions over the phone, and crunched a lot of numbers. Although it was a bit of our stretch for our budget, in the end we chose to purchase a CedarWorks Frolic play set for the reasons explained below.

Why I Chose a CedarWorks Frolic Play Structure

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Worth Saving for the Grandkids: Colorful Wooden Blocks by Grimms

My 18-month-old building with Grimm's Color Charts Rally Building Blocks Set
(wooden cars and people not included).

In Search of Colorful Wooden Blocks (not made in China)

A few months ago my husband suggested that it would be nice to have some colorful wooden blocks in addition to our numerous unfinished natural ones. I agreed, but quickly discovered that the choices were surprisingly slim. There were quite a few inexpensive sets of small blocks that were painted colorfully, but all were made in China.

I eventually started checking websites for individual brands I like (Plan Toys, Maple Landmark, Holgate Toys, Haba) as well as natural toy stores I've purchased from in the past. And what I found was that not one offered a large colorful set of basic building blocks. I was feeling rather defeated about the whole thing, when one day our Grimms stacking rainbow caught my eye. Of course, Grimms! I went to the Grimms website and immediately found gorgeous colorful sets of blocks. A little online comparative shopping landed me on Amazon where I found a wide variety of Grimms blocks sold by The Natural Family Shop (purchases are fulfilled by Amazon).

Grimm's Set of 100 Stepped Blocks

And then I hesitated. For several months in fact. Because, as is often the case, choosing to purchase high-quality, crafted by hand, ethically and sustainably-made products can result in a bit of sticker shock. But as is also often the case with such purchases, once I forked over the dough and received my item, I was so pleased with my choice. I say with the utmost confidence that you will not find colored blocks any where more attractive than those made by Grimms. What Makes Grimms Blocks Special?

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Hidden Dangers in Baby's Nursery Infographic by HCHW

Last month I wrote about Healthy Child Healthy World's free eBook Easy Steps for a Healthy & Safe Nursery last month. Now they've released this informative infographic called Hidden Dangers in Your Baby's Nursery.

Via Column Five for Healthy Child

Share, tweet, and pin! Spread the word to help parents protect children from harmful chemicals during this vulnerable stage of development.

Related posts

• Eco-novice's Top Five Tips for a Healthy Nursery
• Easy Steps for a Healthy & Safe Nursery: a Fantastic Free Resource from HCHW
• Avoiding Toxins in Baby Products
• What Does a Baby Need?
• Non-toxic Crib Mattresses
• In Search of the Affordable Natural Bed
• The Best Time to Try Cloth Diapers

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Favorite Sources for Play Food and Dishes

One of my favorite classic toys is a wooden play kitchen, along with the accompanying play dishes and play food. I wrote about our wood play kitchen earlier. We still love it. My only regret is not buying it sooner. I bought it just last year, when I should have purchased it when my first child was a year old. My one-year-old plays with the kitchen the most of all my kids. She is endlessly fascinated by opening and closing the doors, by putting things inside and taking them back out, by dropping things through the sink hole and then opening the door to find them inside.

Here are some of our favorite sources for play food and play dishes.

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A Few Favorites from MightyNest

Rainbow stacker ($78) sold by MightyNest

MightyNest is one of my favorite online stores for eco-friendly products. Their Registry and Wish List tools make it easy to help friends and family find gifts for your family that you'd love to have in your home.

Today is the last day for 15% off and free shipping at MightyNest on any order over $25 (use the coupon code REINDEER15). Your order today is also guaranteed to be delivered by Christmas! So it seems a great time to share with you some of my favorite products from their store that are difficult to find anywhere else. We own and have test driven for many months the first six products.

Rainbow stacker ($78). I reviewed this toy recently here. In addition to being a stacking puzzle, this toy by Germany company Grimm's Spiel and Holz can be used to make bridges, arches, tunnels, homes, boats, or for construction play. The larger size is really cool, but the smaller size is just $16.99. All of Grimm's toys are beautiful and open-ended. I also have my eye on the Color Connect Game ($34.95), which would be super cool for making designs as well as for playing a strategy game.

Beeswax crayons ($13.49 to $39.99). Do your kids eat crayons? Mine do. That's why I decided to invest in some crayons made with something besides petroleum. The rectangular ones are fun for rubbings.

Blessed Nest organic nursing pillow ($87). Before my third baby, I tossed the hand-me-down My Brest Friend (stuffed with polyurethane foam containing flame retardants) and invested in natural nursing pillows. My baby is one-year-old, and I am still regularly using my Blessed Nest Nursing Pillow, made with organic removable and washable organic cotton cover and filled with organic buckwheat hulls. Read my full review of this nursing pillow here.

Stainless steel 8 oz. cups by Sanctus Mundo ($7.95). We first purchased these cups about 18 months ago. Since then, several friends and many family members have purchased them after trying them at my home or based upon my recommendation. Dishwasher safe, made in Thailand, and just the right size for little hands, I wrote about why these cups make the perfect child's cup here.

Stainless steel plates by Sanctus Mundo ($8.95). Because we liked their cup so much, I decided to also try Sanctus Mundo's stainless steel plates. The smaller 8" size is a good size for my children and they clean up beautifully in the dishwasher.

Stainless steel sippy cups ($16.50 and up). We love both the Klean Kanteen sippy cup (which my 5yo and 3yo now use with the sport spout) as well as The Safe Sippy. Stainless steel containers mean beverages are not sitting in plastic. They also keep their drinks colder longer. We use The Safe Sippy at home and the Klean Kanteen in the car and on-the-go (church, lunch at the park, etc.). My kids have one of each. Note that The Safe Sippy is not leak-proof (liquid dribbles out slowly when not upright). Klean Kanteen recently changed their sippy spout, so I cannot comment on that one (the old one leaks a little, but less than The Safe Sippy). Click here to read a review of all the stainless steel sippy cups we've tried.

Din Din Stainless Steel Bus Plate ($17.95). Dishwasher safe and made in Korea. We haven't tried this one yet, but I think it is very charming and would make a great gift for a toddler or young child.

Casa Cabana Cardboard Playhouse ($45.95). Made of recycled cardboard, this 27 x 27 x 41 inch playhouse features a door, 7 windows and spyholes and is ready to decorate. An eco-friendly way to encourage both artistic expression and pretend play. 

Gift Sets ($25-$100). Still not sure what to give? Check out MightyNest's Gift Sets (examples: New Baby Gift Set, Young Artist Gift Set) 

Or just give a Gift Certificate.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate for MightyNest  Many links are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. Please see my full disclosure policy here.

This post is part of
Top Ten Tuesday

Works for Me Wednesday
Your Green Resource

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Looking for a Wooden Monster Truck?

Dog Wood by Dave's Monster Truck is 10 inches long, 6 inches tall,
weighs nearly a pound and a half, comes in several colors,
and costs $15.95 (plus $12.95 US shipping).

Look no further. I found one for you on Etsy. This truck is made by Dog Wood by Dave and it made the perfect birthday gift for my 5yo.

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New Favorite: Rainbow Stacking Toy

We have a new favorite toy at my house: the Giant Rainbow Stacker.

I've had my eye on this toy for a while. I love everything about it: made of natural and non-toxic materials, open-ended, durable, well-made, and aesthetically pleasing. I leave it on display on top of our piano in the living room until the next play adventure. 

The 5yo, 3yo, and baby all love our Giant Rainbow Stacker.

So far, our Giant Rainbow Stacker been used as tunnels for cars and balls, houses for dolls, boats for animal figures and puppets, and as a bridge for little ones and vehicles. They are also a wonderful addition to our regular wood block set. 

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Wooden Toy Helicopter by treewoodworks

My daughter loves helicopters. Airplanes too, but helicopters even more. How do you think she felt when this toy arrived in the mail?

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Our Favorite Natural Baby Teethers

I used to have lots of plastic baby toys.  First I got rid of all the soft plastic toys (in case they were made of vinyl and contained phthalates), then I got rid of all the plastic toys except those that I knew were made of "safe" plastics. But in the end, I decided to banish all the plastic baby toys. I found that when I had plastic as well as natural toys, I often had to watch my baby favor the plastic ones.  But for my babies who never got to suck on plastic, I've found they like the natural toys plenty.

Since babies spend so much time with their hands and their toys in their mouths, and since babies are especially vulnerable to synthetic chemicals, why mess around with plastics? These days there are tons of awesome teethers, rattles, stuffed animals, blocks and other toys for babies made of cotton, wool, bamboo, wood and other natural materials. Here are some of my third baby's favorite teethers:

10 Natural Teethers for Baby

Click here to continue reading on Green Phone Booth.

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Book Excerpt: The Non-Toxic Avenger by Deanna Duke

Deanna Duke, long-time environmentalist and parent of two, used to believe that products sold in stores were generally safe since the FDA said they were. Although she started to think otherwise after reading Slow Death by Rubber Duck, still she was satisfied to let other environmentalists focus on toxins in products while she concerned herself with reducing waste and energy use. Then in 2007 Deanna received a "Double Whammy": members of her family were diagnosed with autism and cancer. Deanna was forced to confront the reality that environmental toxins, including those her family was exposed to through the use of everyday supposedly safe products, most likely played a role in these conditions. She then undertook a mission to reduce her family's exposure to toxic chemicals.

Through her very successful blog The Crunchy Chicken and her recently published book The Non-Toxic Avenger: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You, Deanna Duke shares with others her efforts to live free of toxic chemicals. Earlier this month, Deanna answered several of my questions regarding her transformation from a trusting consumer to the Non-Toxic Avenger.

Today as part of The Non-Toxic Avenger's Blog Book Tour I'm posting an excerpt from Duke's book (reprinted with the author's permission) in which she discusses using some expensive technology to identify toxic materials in her children's toys.

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We Love Our (Plastic-Free) Play Kitchen

I've been meaning to post about our wooden play kitchen for a while now.

We love it.

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10 Places to Use Your Toy Roll Up

Toy organizer travel roll-up ($15)

The toy organizer travel roll up ($15) by Kidsstore features seven pockets of various sizes that can hold crayons, paper, and small toys such as a deck of cards, Hot Wheels, or little play figures. The roll has a fold over flap and attached elastic closure (thick hair band) to hold everything inside once it's rolled up. It rolls up quite compactly and could easily fit in a purse or small bag. I've already used our toy roll ups at church and at a restaurant.  These are perfect for anytime you need your child to stay put and play quietly for a period of time. The fun of simply taking out and putting back the objects into their pockets should not be underestimated. Here are 10 places where I believe a toy roll up would come in particularly handy.

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