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Matilda
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| Posted: April 27 2007 at 8:32am | IP Logged
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Shawna's comments in this thread and others like them have inspired me. We have back-to-back birthdays coming up next month. My daughter will turn 8 on the 24th and my son will turn 3 on the 25th. Party, party, party!
Do you have any suggestions for quality toys for either of these ages? What catalogs, online stores, etc...would you recommend or consider absolutely must-have resources?
My daughter is a total girlie-girl. Pink is her favorite color. She is interested in music, audio books, learning how to bake, sew and weave (I am up to my ears in potholders  !) She has made a specific request for a small doll just like her sister's that I made a few years ago using a Magic Cabin Doll kit. Maybe some accessories to compliment this?
The soon-to-be 3 year old is all boy. He loves Superman (1950 cartoon version), cars, trucks, trains, baseball, and kitty cats (his soft side!).
Thanks for your help. We are spending the days leading up to the big days cleaning out the junk and focusing on quality and educational.
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Charlotte (Matilda)
Mom to four (11 , 10 , 9 & 5 ) an even split for now
with bookend boys and a double girl sandwich
Waltzing Matilda
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florasita
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| Posted: April 27 2007 at 9:12am | IP Logged
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Nova Toys , wooden toys .
Ok may sound starnge but I've collected stones and driftwood for the boys and sand them and polish them with oil . They loved them along with big stones too .
dh sort of laughs but then when I watched Fr.Pinto's dvds he said our children don't need loads of stuff . All this super sizing everything . We do it with toys too all that plastic stuff . He said give them sticks and stones .It's true .Ever watch kids in the 3rd world play ? They make toys out of anything .
My boys love playing with thier sticks and stones .Thye have lego guys to play with too .
for Christmas dh made a house out of cedar planks for them .It is about 3ft high . I glued moss and bark all over it . Its open front and back and has two stories . I sew little saint / angel robin hood type dolls for them to play with . Similar to waldorf dolls but we call them saints 
I can take a pic if you like to see it .
I know others also shop at that magic cabin place online . I think I also have a heritage toy site on my blog . I can check and see .
The kids absolutely love the beeswax for modeling .It is much more fun then plastersine 
Have fun . Rox
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May I rise & rest with words of Gratitude on my Breath
May I have the Heart & Mind of a Child in my Depth
May I forever remember to be a Light
May Peace Love & Hope be My Sight
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Anne McD
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| Posted: April 27 2007 at 10:05am | IP Logged
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If you have the time/opportunity, I'd suggest going to Marshalls, Ross, TJ Maxx or Tuesday Morning. Quite often, they carry high quality wooden toys at half the price than you'd find in the usual stores.
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Anne
Wife to Jon
Mommy to Alex 9
James 8
Katie 6
William 3 1/2
Benedict Joseph 1
and baby on the way! 10/14
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Betsy
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+JMJ+
The best toys from my experience are ones that are totally a bummer to open up on a Birthday. They require a lot of creativity to be added by the child.
If I had to only pick one toy that my boys have love and has sparked tons of creativity it would be their unit blocks. These were pricy, but I would buy them for double for how much they have played with them.
Some other good toys have been play silks and swords & shields
Betsy
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Matilda
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| Posted: April 27 2007 at 12:56pm | IP Logged
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Thank you for all of the suggestions and please keep them coming.
Regarding things like blocks, we already have a set similar to these. I know I could always add to them, but I guess I feel pressured to come up with something new for the younger ones. I have often wondered what parents of 6, 7 or 8+ kids do for birthday gifts for the littlest ones?
This has actually helped me get rid of some junk rather than saving it to hand down. I'll think, hey...if we get rid of it, we can give a new one for a birthday!
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Charlotte (Matilda)
Mom to four (11, 10, 9 & 5) an even split for now
with bookend boys and a double girl sandwich
Waltzing Matilda
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folklaur
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| Posted: April 27 2007 at 5:21pm | IP Logged
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Betsy wrote:
| The best toys from my experience are ones that are totally a bummer to open up on a Birthday. They require a lot of creativity to be added by the child. |
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Wow - this is so true. My son got "snap circuits" this past birthday (very unimpressive box, he didn't recognize it, etc)He LOVES this. He plays with it ALL the time, making the fan go, the doorbell. He loves to explain to anyone who will listen about the way the circuits work, etc. But when he opened it ( and it was his "big" gift, as it was pricey, he barely gave it a glance (I was  )).
Also -- did you ever notice how even the games with the wooden pieces just feel...better...in your hands? My daughter brought this game to her "Girl's Club" meeting recently when they had a game day. It was such a hit. I love so many of the games by Haba, Selecta, etc. They are always the ones the kids choose to play with (and we have lots of the regular games given by grandparents, etc.).
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helene
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Just be careful that not every gift has a thousand little pieces to it. Your sanity will disappear quickly!
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Happy Mom to five girls (20,17,13,11and 4) and five boys (19, 15, 10, 8 and 6)
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guitarnan
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| Posted: April 27 2007 at 10:15pm | IP Logged
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My daughter loves the game Herd Your Horses (it is actually a couple of games using the same cards, pieces and board). She is 9 now, and got this game a couple of years ago.
Other family favorites include Apples to Apples (they also have a Junior version, which might be good for you given your age ranges) and Scrambled States of America. (Moose in the House is fun...you don't need to read for that one!).
For a creative boy, go for Legos/Duplos and wooden railroad or block sets. (We have TONS of Legos. Ds (15) still uses them.) Also, years ago my son received a Fisher-Price castle (plastic, with toy knights) and I am really glad we still have it. My daycare boys adored it (without the "violent" knights; I used plastic Winnie-the-Pooh figurines) and visiting children think it is great. They don't make it any longer; I'm suggesting you look for something similar.
You can never have enough balls for outdoor play (maybe one of those red rubberized ones, similar in size to a soccer ball but lighter, for your son to kick around the yard?).
Kites are also good, multi-age fun. My son received a basic diamond kite when he was 3 or 4 and not only do we still have it, we still fly it!
Clay (the old-fashioned kind, grey) plus rolling pins, a garlic press to make hair, and a bunch of plastic knives and cookie cutters makes a great gift. My mom used to set up a small kid sized table for us to play with clay!
One year my dad brought home a bunch of cardboard boxes without the tops on, and we made a big cardboard train. He made the locomotive (used an exacto knife to make a curved piece and a cylindrical smokestack); we cried when it all had to be dismantled.
When I was very young, my engineer grandpa pounded nails into a board for me to loop rubber bands around in various patterns. He also made us wooden blocks (all kids need these!). A little later on (my brother was 4), he made basic circuit boards for us, where we could attach wires to batteries and light up tiny bulbs, activate buzzers, etc. It's probably not considered safe now, but it was great fun.
My son loved a "camping" set around age 3 or 4...compass, flashlight, canteen, etc. He's now well on the road to Eagle Scout, so I guess it stuck.
It's fun to shop for younger children; older kids so often just want money!
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Quality toy suggestions?
