Puppets at Palumba

Arielle and Linnea love putting on puppet shows at the moment. What a great way to use their imagination, practice story-telling, and play-act social skills. So, my Christmas list includes finding some special puppets to encourage this activity.

The puppets at Palumba definitely qualify as special. Just look!


Fairy Hand Puppet ($39.99)



The puppets are handcrafted for Camden Rose in Canada. They are made out of wool and cotton and have beautifully embroidered faces and pretty decorative details.

Palumba sent us a Queen hand puppet ($39.99) to review.

Watch the show.

Arielle's best friend, Cockatooey, warms up the audience.



And now for our star.... The Queen. Isn't she lovely? Her gown and felt crown are accented with metallic embroidery. Her hair is of golden wool that is styled in a regal braided bun. Her cheeks are rosy, and her embroidered eyes have a wise, yet kind expression.



The show begins. A mischievous rabbit comes on the scene.



But, he can not compete with the loveliness of the queen, nor will she give him any attention. So, he leaves on a quest for a golden carrot. The queen bows.



And sings a solo. "A B C D E F G....."



Definitely an award winner!

Linnea enjoys using the puppet as a soft doll. At this moment she is being tucked in and covered with kisses.

Also, check out Palumba's incredible selection of Waldorf finger puppets with the same craftsmanship and attention to detail ($19.99 each).



Don't forget, Palumba has offered our readers 5% off until the end of December. That's a great excuse for new puppets, don't you think?

It's Raining, it's pouring.....

and Linnea wants to go outside. She's yelling "Tside! Tside!" and pointing out the window.

So, why not?

She just puts on her PuddleGear rain suit from Natural Pod and she is ready to go.

Off to check out the garden in Benny Jacket ($53.95) and Olle Pants ($57.95)



PuddleGear is made in Sweden of Atek fabric and is also also ÖKO-tex certified. Atek is a PVC-free Polyurethane-coated stretch fabric. It's a very light, soft, tear-resistant material that allows a full range of motion. It is watertight, tolerates normal temperature changes, and is easy to wash. There is no toxic smell like in PVC raincoats. And, Atek isn't crinkly or hard. Rather, it is very flexible and easy to move in, so Linnea has no problem looking for a good stick among the dried sunflower stalks.


Or, checking out the bird feeders with Arielle.



And, when she lies down in the leaves, she stays nice and dry.



Leaves are fun!



Linnea could play all day and poor Arielle is soaked and shivering.



PuddleGear rain suits are available in a variety of colors (pink, red, blue, yellow and black) and styles. There is a one piece available and even beautiful pink suit decorated with butterflies. They are 100% waterproof, machine washable (hang dry) and tear resistant. The collar is lined with fleece, they have reflective trim for safety in the dark, a hanging loop and an internal name tag. They come in European sizes 80-130 which fit children from ages one to eight. Mommy sizes are available by special order. The Olle pants have a double layer on the seats and knees which I found especially cute. They are quite roomy, so order by height. Linnea is normally a 2T and had plenty of room to grow in size 90. She is even wearing a fleece jacket and pants under her rain suit since it was quite chilly that day. And they are pricey, but are made to be handed down. But the best thing is that they keep PVC, one of the most toxic substances on the planet, out of the environment and out of your child.

New Toys at Natural Pod

We recently reviewed a few of the new hand-crafted products that are available at Natural Pod.



Wool Felt Crown ($39.95 CAD) by Little Red Caboose.

Natural Pod has a variety of these Canadian-made crowns in styles colors suitable for both girls and boys. Each crown is made of soft 100% wool felt and lined with a blended felt of either 40% or 80% wool. There is a cotton fabric covered elastic at the back, so the crown can fit various-sized children's heads. The buttons are made of wood; the super cute trim on ours has frogs and mushrooms on it, but there are also trims with Matroyshka dolls, birds, squirrels and other fun pictures .

Arielle says it is an excellent princess crown to be worn by the Princess who lives in the Forest when she is kissing frogs. Apparently, Forest Princesses also love mushrooms.

Poot and Boogie Dolls ($39.95 CAD)



Poot and Boogie dolls are individually handcrafted in British Columbia from 100% cotton and wool and are stuffed with eco-friendly, corn-derived fiberfill. The faces are neatly embroidered rather than painted, and no two are alike. They are about 13 inches tall and 11 inches wide with arms outstretched -- about the size of a Groovy Girl Doll, but so much cooler.



Ours is blond with a laughing expression, green mini-dress, and wavy-striped tights. Arielle immediately named her after her sixteen year old sister, Elfie, "because she's so cool-looking." "Elfie" the doll fits nicely into the diaper bag and makes an excellent and cuddly car seat companion.

I've also noticed an absolutely lovely, handcrafted doll pram ($159.95) at Natural Pod that is made of birch and maple with a natural, oiled finish. All of Natural Pod's toys are made of natural and non-toxic materials such as wool, cotton and wood, and are chosen carefully to inspire creative and imaginative play.

Natural Pod ships to both the US and Canada.

Natural Pod is still offering 10% off your first purchase with the code "sarastoybox10" until 6/30/2008.