Nature Bag

I am so excited to tell you about Nature Bag ($39.95 CAD/ ~$37.00 U.S.), an eco-friendly, treasure trove of outdoor activities designed to help children learn about nature.



Nature Bag is the creation of Silvie and Katharine, two Vancouver moms who between them have 4 children, 10 years of teaching experience, a Masters in Environmental Education and an International Business degree. They suggest you take Nature Bag whenever you venture outdoors. We keep it hanging on the front door knob.

The sturdy organic cotton, fair-trade bag contains a rubberwood magnifying glass (Linnea loved this!), soy-based crayons, a recycled pencil, a recycled notebook, an organic cotton blindfold, two leaf viewers, 8 color cards, hemp twine and a booklet containing activities appropriate for every season. All the paper products are made from 100% post-consumer waste, and the pencil used to be blue jeans!



Why am I so excited? As a scientist, I think that getting kids out in nature, observing and appreciating, is the best way to build an early interest in learning about the world we live in. That is what science is all about -- getting interested, making observations and trying to explain them. I think it is especially important now, because kids that care about nature will grow up to care about protecting it. The Nature Bag is awesome because everything is included - even the ideas. Parents who have no idea where to start can easily lead their kids on these early adventures.

With Nature Bag, kids can learn about nature without causing harm. The activities are appropriate for children between the ages of 3 and 12 and can be used in the city, or in the country, or anywhere in between. They can be used over and over and will change with the seasons and as the child gets older and can understand more.

We've had the summer of bad weather, so on one of our rare sunny days, we took the Nature Bag outside. Nature Bag can be used in many types of weather, but my camera doesn't do as well.

But first, Linnea checked out the magnifying glass.



When we got outside, we used the leaf viewer to look at maple leaves up close. Then we compared them with linden tree leaves and apple leaves. The shapes and sizes and even the greens are different, but so are the patterns of the veins.

Here's Arielle holding her leaf up to the light.



Linnea tries.



Then we blindfolded Arielle and took her to a tree. "Is it fat or thin? Rough or smooth? Are the leaves high or low? Can you find moss? How does it smell? Which tree do you think it is?"



"Hmmm.... maple tree?" Good guess, most of our trees are maple. "Which one?"



Then Linnea tried. We fooled her by visiting a tree that had fallen during a winter storm.





Arielle drew a maple leaf that she found on the ground.





The absolute favorite activity was the color cards. The girls gathered objects that remind them of summer and made a nature collage. This obviously will change with the seasons.



Our beautiful results!



And, there are so many more activities to try. Nature Bag is a nice addition to a family camping trip, a picnic, or to a home school curriculum. While it would also make a great gift for the kid that wants to be a scientist or explorer in the future, it might also be nice for the child that is a little reluctant about the outdoors.

Martial Arts Paper Toys | Hartia Toys

Moolka was kind enough to send our karate crazy boy this set of folding toys by Hartia Toys:



The set, Martial Arts, comes with a variety of cool fighty dudes. Our favorite was the sumo wrestler. He is super rad, reminds me of Japan and is the butt of many jokes now...literally! If you choose the set comes with materials to build your own mobile. Very cute!

However, we have not made it that far. Mr. Jack is just six, and had a bit of trouble with some of the folding/cuts. I do think that the toy is great for a careful, patient six-year-old or for anyone older. Also, we ended up using one of my knitting needles to make the creases as the included stick didn't quite hold up to Jack's serious kung fu grip. Like I said, a more careful child would have no issues I am sure.

We do love this set and look forward to completing the set after our big move.

Note: You will need scissors and glue to assemble the little dudes, they are not included.

Let the cutting begin! We used these very sharp scissors, which worked very well.



This series of cuts was accompanied by many giggles. Fun!




The instructions suggest using a ruler to guide the lines. This is a great idea that Jack decided to skip. Still, I do think a straight edge to guide you would help.



Carefully gluing on the nose. Tricky but satisfying! This really is a nice quiet toy and would help any child improve their hand eye coordination.



Full on sumo action complete with a "HYYYY-YYYAAAA!!!" and serious marital arts face.



Please visit Moolka here to check out their many paper toys. Perfect for the older kiddo in your life or for you (I really enjoyed them!).

What's a Bilibo?

Bilibo ($29.98)

What's a Bilibo? It is whatever a child wants it to be.



A doll bed.



A laundry basket.



An igloo, or a cave for penguins. Arielle claims that it also makes an excellent animal hotel.



A Bilibo is a scoop shaped piece of Made in China plastic. It's also an award-winning toy that challenges children to be active, use their imagination and come up with new ideas. And, that's why Sara's Toy Box is reviewing it :0)

When we unpacked them, the girls asked "What's that?"
"I don't know." I said, "What do you think?"
"Hmmm....."
"Is it a bird's nest?" and they climbed right in.

It was a beautiful day, so we took them outside. Imagine filling one with sand or water or snow.




Yes, they are also fun to rock around in. They also spin.



Lucky us, we tried one of every color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and pink. We played musical chairs - a little silly with just three of us, but still fun.



What is Arielle building?



It's a tightrope!



A little bit of a challenge for Arielle.



Too hard for Linnea, so she came up with a new game. Crawl over the bridge.


They've also been turtle shells and silly hats. Two put together make an egg that can hatch out a baby bird. Linnea can tote around a whole pile of stuffed animals by dragging one around. Turned upside down they make pretend rocks. It's all up to your child.

Bilibo is appropriate all year round, indoors and outdoors, and is fun for ages 2-7.

More than 50,000 visitors!!!!

Thank you!

Just a few updates...

My husband finally made it home a few weeks ago. He was injured at the end of his tour in Afghanistan, but now he is good as new - even better! It's been a busy few weeks while we've adjusted to having him back. Thank you to all of you who sent good wishes.

Meanwhile, my computer started freezing up making it impossible to finish a post. Yesterday the friendly people at Dell fixed it right up for me and I'm so happy to have it working again. I'll be catching up with long-overdue posts over the next few days.

And, Arielle (and Cockatooey) graduated from preschool. I can't believe she's so big. Next year, we'll be experimenting with home schooling.

The best sand toy ever!!!!

Even the college-aged big brothers loved it!

The Sand Play Castle ($22.98) from Magic Cabin Toys is comprised of twenty-two large pieces that stack and connect to form wonderful structures reminiscent of Rube Goldberg machines (you know, the mouse pedals a bicycle and makes the spaghetti boil which makes a bird jump which makes a whistle toot... and so on..) The sieves, funnels, wheels, strainers and levers move sand (or water) from top to bottom and actually fulfilled the promise of hours of outdoor entertainment. Not just for the two and four year old little girls, but also for their big brothers and dad. I played a bit as well.

The Sand Play Castle is made in the Czech Republic of high quality, pthallate-free plastic .

Here are the girls and big brother, Merlin, trying it out.



As you can see, the pieces stack together, but can also be used independently. There is plenty for everyone.



They had to try it out while they worked.


Linnea was really busy.


Almost done.


Will it work?


Yay! A moving, working sand tower machine. And next time, they can build something completely different.


What a great way to learn and play.


This is not a small toy, but add a few buckets and you have everything you need for the beach or sandbox.

Happy SquashToys

Sara's Toy Box loves to support Handmade Toys and I'm pleased to review another Etsy seller, Happy Squash Toys. Their brightly colored rolling toys caught my eye while browsing Etsy.

Flower Cars ($15.50 for set of three, or $5.50 each)



Both my little girls adored cars and trucks until they were about two. At two, they turned into princesses and everything was about pretty. Clothes had to be pink (and sparkly), tap shoes became everyday footwear, and crowns were necessary for trips to the grocery store. And they started eying the pink things at Walmart (Ack!)

So, a pretty car.... well, they love that. And, I love that because pretty and simple and powered only by imagination. What else could I want?



I'm pretty sure that while some little girls want to be full-time princesses, they still enjoy the same toys that they always did. Linnea certainly enjoyed the cars. The cars had some interesting conversations.

-Beep Beep. Where you going?
-Brmm.. Brmm... I going to play hopscotch.
-Brmm... Brmm... I going home to princesses.
-I'm going for Nayna (Linnea).




Happy Squash Toys hand makes original toys from poplar wood. The bright, happy colors come from non-toxic, lead-free paints and finishes. Painted toys all have two coats of water based paint with a light sanding between coats to provide a smooth and even finish. Natural toys finished only with beeswax are also available.



The cars are sturdy and smooth and just the right size for little hands,



Cute!

Happy Squash Toys also makes rolling farm animals, jungle animals, dinosaurs, board games and cars of all colors. All reasonably priced and handmade in the U.S.

Award-winning Rainbow Sound Blocks from Wonderworld

Wonderworld Toys are made in Thailand out of environmentally-friendly replantable wood from expired rubber plantation trees that no longer produce latex. Wonderworld works with farmers, the Rabbit in the Moon Foundation and the Thai government to plant two trees for each tree used. The colors come from non-toxic water-based paints and at least 70% of all packaging is recycled paper,

I first heard of Wonderworld Toys from some of you - our readers. I'm thankful to Toys and Games Online for allowing me to check out their extensive selection of Wonderworld Toys. The decision was tough, but I chose to review Rainbow Sound Blocks.

Rainbow Sound Blocks ($34.00)



The Rainbow Sound Blocks are part of the WonderEducation collection, a collection of learning toys for ages birth-5. The Rainbow sound Blocks are suggested for ages 2 and up. I chose them both for their learning value and for their creative play value.

You all know that I love blocks, and I love mixing in new shapes and textures. This is a cute little set of six blocks that can be used alone by young children and incorporated into larger sets by older children. Wonderworld makes an inexpensive 50 piece Basic Block Set ($25.00)

These blocks have been around for a while. They were the winner of the Silver Practical Pre-School Award in 2006, and National Parenting Publications Award in 2001, as well as numerous international awards.

The six wooden blocks come in a wooden storage case that is fun to pack and unpack. Each block is wooden with a translucent colored-plastic front and back. They are filled with different combinations and sizes of beads, so each has a unique sound when shaken.

The blocks can be used for stacking, matching, sorting and it's really fun to just look through them and see the world in a different color. I like purple :o)

Linnea liked packing and unpacking the blocks into their storage case - not an easy task as they don't fit if thrown in haphazardly. She also calls it a door. Maybe because of the shape of the storage case?

Here she is checking out the beads. She had fun shaking the blocks, but the enthusiasm was too much for the camera. I just got a pink blur.







Building a tower.


Wow! Everything looks "lellow".


That was my favorite part. I think Linnea knows her colors, but she loves to give the wrong answers on purpose. It's a two-year-old thing, just like the outfit. But, she was so distracted that she got them all right! Yay!