A favorite - Haba's Tack Zap

When Elfie was almost three (15 years ago!), her absolute favorite activity at her Montessori preschool was hammering little shapes onto a cork board. Haba's Geo Shape Tack Zap ($22.99) offers the same fun, learning activity for home use.



This game, intended for ages 3 and up because of the obvious choking hazard, contains 50 wooden geometric tiles, a small bag of tiny nails, a cork board and a wooden hammer. Each tile has a small hole where the child can fit the nail and then hammer it to the board. The geometric shapes allow for all kinds of creative hammering. A larger 100 tile set is also available ($32.90).

So, after remembering how much Elfie loved hammering little shapes into cork board, I bought a set for Arielle when she was almost three. Arielle adored it, but I put it away when Linnea started climbing and getting into things. Recently, I was assembling a bookshelf and to avoid "help", I took it out again. Linnea discovered the joy of hammering nails for herself. At first, it was a challenge, but after a few tries, she figured it out and she is so proud.

Because the parts are small and the tacks are sharp, use your good parental judgment about whether your child is ready.

Of course, Arielle didn't like sharing, so I bought a second set, the Haba Figure Tack and Hammer Set ($31.90). This set includes people and animal figures and makes a nice addition to the geometric shapes in our first set. For fairness, I mixed them together.

Now both girls (supervised) can spend amazingly long amounts of time tap-tapping away. No fighting and no mess. Here's the pictures.

Share the Joy sale at Hazelnut Kids

Enjoy 25% off your Hazelnut Kids order with the code "25INFEB",good through Febrary 28th. Also, check out their "deals of the day"for special prices.

Toy Recall Finder

Parent's magazine just launched a Toy and Product Recall Finder that you can use to check for information on toys that you own. I'll post a link in the sidebar.

CPSIA Update and more handmade toys from Etsy

First the good news , CPSC issued a 1 year stay on some requirements of the CPSIA and has exempted some natural materials and fabrics known not to contain lead. As of February 10th, toys have to meet the new standards for lead and phthallates (YAY!!!!), but third party testing and certification is not yet required. Hopefully, this will give law makers the opportunity to change the law in a way that will allow small manufacturers and hand made toys makers to stay in business.

The Handmade Toy Alliance (HTA) is asking for:

A) Component testing - if all the materials in a product are certified as safe, they'd like for that to count for certification.

B) They are asking for more exemptions of natural materials that do not contain lead.

C) Finally, they would like to NOT have to do “batch marking” on handmade toys. Imagine a big tag on a Juicy Bug; not nearly as cute. Since it's pretty hard to find space for a tag on a little needle felted doll, they would like to seek other options -- perhaps an enclosed card with materials, name of the maker and date of manufacture?

Thank you for all your votes on Change.org. The HTA proposal did make the top ten and they will have some help getting these changes. And, you can click on the teddy bear in the side bar to find out how you can help.

So, since we can still buy from Etsy, one more Etsy post :o) and then back to other things.

Valentine's Day came and went, and while I really like Rosemary for Remembrance for little Valentine's gifts. I think they are perfect for small presents anytime.



I bought a pink heart for Arielle last year, and it has been a favorite accessory since. This year, I bought necklaces with removable dolls for both girls.


Right now she has adorable little vegetable necklaces (around $10.50). I bought a pea and a carrot for our Easter baskets.

One of our readers, Cindy, wanted me to mention Geppetto's Wooden Toys. She especially likes these little wooden cannons that are just $5. She says "They have opened the door to endless fun for my 4.5 year old son and his friends. They don't look like much in the photo, but each one is BEAUTIFULLY crafted all with slightly different wood grains, colors, and detail." I thought I'd pass this along.

AsherJasper is a great source for wonderfully needle-felted balls ($15 each, $4.50 for mini balls). Arielle prefers the birds, but the farm animals are particularly cute.



Here are Arielle's birds tucked into their nest. They have a jingle bell deep inside the wool which would be fun for a younger child.



I love Beneath the Rowan Tree and check often to see what wonders Lori has come up with. She has play silks, felted wool balls ($10) and other natural toys. I think her lady bugs ($50) are a unique and beautiful learning toy.







Moonchild Studio makes little Mushroom Moondrop babies ($10 each). Linnea has a few that she likes to tuck under play silks or tote around in a basket. These Waldorf-style babies are perfectly safe for small children - just right for little hands, but too big to choke on if chewed - but, they also make a nice addition to a spring nature's table.



Linnea's babies in a basket.



And finally German Dolls. I have been admiring Ulla Seckler's Waldorf-style dolls and accessories for some time. I love the dresses with the pocket babies - just too cute!

Update - columns from Little Sapling Toys

I mentioned that I wasn't able to resist this.

Free-play Column Set infant/toddler toy ($26.00)



These very smooth, satiny blocks arrived last week. They've been playing very nicely with Palumba's Building Sticks ($9.99, reviewed in November 2007 and a favorite at our house) and a few wooden friends. Arielle loves that she can now build multi-story structures.



The columns are definitely adding another dimension to her block play.

Princess Nimble Thimble

And another teeny, tiny handmade treasure from Etsy.

Princess Nimble Thimble , Dannielle, is another Etsy artisan who makes cute little dolls. These mermaids, fairies, princesses, elves, and children are available both with and without painted faces. I chose faces because they look so sweet and friendly.

Elf or Gnome ($9.50)



Of course, these were a big hit with my girls who like both princesses and teeny tiny things. The dolls are about 2.5 inches tall - just the right size to be a pocket friend while at the dentist or to be rescued from a block tower. They remind me a lot of the "Halfpenny Dolls" that my older children played with. They are too small for most doll house furniture, but worked fine with the doll house stacker.

Arielle says "They are pretty and the dragon won't eat them." So, it must be true. Again, the workmanship is perfect and these dolls are sturdy and meant to play - just not with children who still put toys in their mouths. The girls like to combine them with their Juicy Bugs and needle-felted animals for extra-fun adventures.

Here are some live-action pictures.

Piece-ful Farm from Magic Cabin

Pieceful-Farm ($34.98)




This sweet toy from Sevi is a 7 x 7 x 1.5 inch wooden box containing little wooden play figures. These include a little farm mill with water wheel, a barn or hen house, a tree, a duck, a chicken ,a rooster, a tub of water, a laundry line stretched between two poles that insert in the box, laundry that can hang on the line, and a pretty doll with long blond ponytails. And, playing with this can keep my girls busy for hours. Arielle particularly enjoys the farm birds and loves to have the "Princess" take care of them.






The game is suggested for ages three and up, but we've let Linnea play with it while supervised. The biggest problem has been that she wants to dress the doll in the clothes, but they are only meant to be used as laundry on the line. Linnea insists that the tub of water is a TV. She turns it on its side and lines up the farm animals so they can watch it -- so I guess, depending on the child's imagination and interpretation, there are many possibilities for play.



At clean up time, everything fits neatly back in - just like a puzzle with each piece in its specially marked spot.



Little, self-contained sets like these help to promote independent play. They are easy to transport and are perfect for airplane travel, going to grandma's house, restaurants, waiting rooms, etc. They are also a great new sibling gift, as they are a creative way for an older sibling to play quietly while Mom is nursing the new baby. The box makes the toy feel special, and clean-up is easy. I've been keeping ours on the dining room table to keep the girls occupied while I cook.

It could also be combined with blocks for more fun play options.



Also available are an eight piece transportation set (very cool with train, helicopter, construction vehicle, truck, taxi, garage and mechanic) and a bigger, nineteen piece city set ($69.98). The sets are mde of wood and colored with vegetable-based dyes. They are very high quality, but they are made in China. They are manufactured under the direct supervision of Sevi, an Italian company that has been making toys since 1831. Sevi products meet all U.S. and European safety standards.

NATURAL Kids and Toys

And, more cute little things from Etsy!



I grew up without Santa Claus. But, in our family, we have the legend of the New Year's Mouse. All year, the Mouse travels around the world in a toy helicopter collecting tiny treasures for his favorite people. On New Year's Eve, we leave our socks on the dining room table. We put out a little cheese and crackers, and when we wake up in the morning, the cheese and crackers are gone and the socks are filled with little gifts.

This year, the Mouse visited one of my very favorite Etsy stores Natural Kids and Toys. Christine, the mom behind the store, puts together fun, natural play sets made of wood and wool and other natural materials. Perfect toys for little girls who like little things. I especially love her needle-felted animals.

Owl Surprise Pot ($16.95)



The girls were absolutely delighted. Arielle got a pot with an owl. Linnea's had a mouse. And, they each received a hedgehog. Arielle, being an imaginative young lady, thought that the owl was stuck in the pot and needed to be saved before being eaten. Who would eat such a sweet owl?

The play sets are original, cute and show a sense of humor -- perfect for children who like to pretend. Arielle is playing with the hen set right now. Hen is being visited by her friends Owl and Mouse and there is some serious egg laying going on.

Hen Play Set with Wool Nest and Wooden Eggs ($16.95)



Christine's site is full of little bits of fun; I wish I could show them all. I've written before about how much my girls like acorns. And here they are, in rainbow colors -- just perfect for those imaginary rainbow squirrels or as troll treasure.

Rainbow Acorns ($7.95)



Lucky you, Christine is having a giveaway and you could win one of three play sets shown below: a wooden bowl and scoop play set, a honey bee play set, or a Waldorf-inspired doll baking set. Just click here to enter on her blog.



This set is perfect for a play kitchen. To me, the mom of an imaginary bird, the colorful balls look like delicious worm snacks, but they could also be stock for a pretend candy shop or peppers (says Arielle).


Several of her sets would make nice additions to a nature table. Wouldn't this bee a cute way to welcome spring?

Honey Bee Play Set ($22.95)


Just add some yellow and purple flowers because bees like those best.



There are also accessories for Waldorf dolls. Do your doll house dolls or fairies enjoy cooking?

Doll Baking Set ($12.95)


I wonder what kind of tasty treats this doll is cooking up.

Don't forget to enter and good luck!

Dream A Little

If I were selecting the cutest toy ever, Juicy Bugs from the Dream A Little store on Etsy would be a serious contender. Just look at the packaging...


.... and when you open them up - Juicy Bugs!


Juicy Bugs are just one of many toys available on Etsy that are handmade by individual artisans who work out of their homes or have small companies. I am especially featuring handmade toys this month because the sale of these toys is threatened by the CPSIA. I decided I would spend Arielle and Linnea's Christmas money on handmade toys -- while they are still available.

Purple Grapes on the Vine Juicy Bug ($14.00)


I'd been admiring these itty bitty (just over 1 1/2 inches tall) beauties for some time, and I just knew that the girls would love them. They do. All week, I've been finding little Juicy Bugs carefully tucked into doll house cradles and little pots. They also seem to make excellent babies for our doll house fairies.


The tiny "bugs" are very sturdy, yet bendable, and definitely meant to be played with (by children that don't put toys in their mouths). The big mystery is how does Dana make those tiny stitches? I'm seriously wondering if she's really an elf :o) because every detail is so meticulous.

These are perfect little gifts for any child and even for a teenager -- and they come already all wrapped up. They'd be great in an Easter basket, as a Valentine's love bug, as a special gift from the tooth fairy, or even as a lucky charm before a big event like a spelling bee or college interview.


Oh, and they are even cuter in real life :o)

Puppets!

Finger Puppets by Cheryl A. Smith ($5.00 each)





Well, as you all know, Ariele LOVES finger puppets. I had Cheryl's page open on my computer when she came by.

-"What's that?"
-"Finger puppets."
-"I love finger puppets. I don't have any like that. I wish I had puppets like that."
-"Maybe you could get a job and earn money and buy puppets?" (I'm a mean mommy - especially right after a toy-filled Christmas.)
-"I have lots of money in my piggie. I can buy puppets.

And she did. She is really into birds right now, so that is what she got. Here's Arielle - just woke up and already playing with puppets.



Cheryl doesn't just do birds, there is a whole zoo's worth of creatures on her site.

Check out the Yeti.



Mouse.



Cows.



Cheryl's puppets are made of embroidered and stitched felt. She has been making and selling her puppets on Etsy for three and a half years and has sold over 1,100 with a 100% positive rating. She's obviously doing something great! Arielle agrees.