Posts Tagged ‘dragon’

Mechanical moving toys (Automata) are a great way to introduce engineering, mechanics, history and science with art and creativity by combining play and technology. We are so excited to be stocking a range of automata from Canadian company Pathfinders.

Pathfinders is dedicated to making kits that are fun to make, from sustainable materials (as much as we can!), and have educational value and play afterwards. We encourage parents to spend time with their children making the kits and talking about the ideas around the kit… We make all of our kits from purpose grown wood, and never use coatings of any kind – yup – all natural wood! We do use mdf too, which is also biodegradable, like wood.

Derek Wulff, originally a teacher, is Pathfinders’ primary inventor, and along with a team of advisors and students, he creates the new designs and tests them in schools with kids of all ages.

An automata‘s motion is usually created by mechanical tools like cams, cogs, gears and handles – the lower or inner part of the toy includes the mechanical elements and the upper part is moving toy guided by the mechanical elements. In store we have a galloping horse, a flying pig, an impressive dragon, and a pteranodon – all in plain wood ready for unique decoration and embellishment.

We also offer Pathfinders’ catapult, ornithopter and helicopter, which are based on the sketches of Leonardo Da Vinci – with a few adjustments here and there to make them work a little faster and more efficiently. What an\ fabulous way to involve kids in learning about one of history’s finest minds, while expanding their own!

Take a look at this beautiful anthology of stories, written by Ineke Verschuren and illustrated by bestselling author Daniela Drescher. The book is a collection of forty stories from around Europe about magical fairies, dwarfs, dragons, gnomes, and little folk. The stories come from Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, England, Scotland, Spain and Scandinavia.

Rally the boys (and adventure loving girls) for some fantastical imaginative play!

Storm a castle or two on the back of your tamed but fearsome hobby-dragon, joust for honor of the court in a smart red and tweed tabard, then call on you sorcery skills to cast a spell or two with your powerful blue bolt wand.

Even the toughest and bravest young knight can find it in their heart to care for a hand sewn dragon hatchling! And be sure to seal all your secret messages with the Djeco knight stickers.

Little Sparrow is very proud to have some treasures

from Dobbin and Drum instore now.

When my kids were little we had a couple of these drums

….we still have them 12 years later!

Phew! We’ve been so busy unpacking all our new goodies we haven’t had time for a blog post in a while. One of the fabulous new ranges we have in the shop is from Haba! 

For over 70 years Haba have been producing high quality toys and games in Bad Rodach, Germany. They use woods from sustainable beech and maple forests and water-based ecological solvent-free lacquers. Haba toys undergo continuous controls and careful inspection and often exceed safety standards! 

Haba offers excellent toys for all ages, so lets start at the beginning! On the left, practical dummy clips put an end to dusty dropped dummies. They clip onto baby’s shirt firmly and loop around the dummy handle. On the right, colorful wooden rattles and clutch toys for ages 6 mths+ offer a colorful distraction for tiny hands.

For the lets-preted toddler crowd we have beautiful wooden fruit and veg sets that come in string bags. Time for some pretend shopping!

Work on their fine motor skills with this clever threading kit: use the wooden “needle” to work the cord through a variety of wooden beads. We have two different sets, so choose your favorite shapes and get busy!

We love this hammer and tack set! How often do children get the chance to use a hammer safely? This set is recommended for 3+ but offers kids the chance to practice some careful hammering as they make a picture on a cork board using the tacks and the wooden shapes provided.

When the cat’s away the mice will dance on the table!  How many lazy mice can the cat catch in his cup? This game is recommended for 4+ and is a quick and entertaining diversion.

Diego Dragon Dart is a fiery game of skill for ages 5 and up! How many other games do you own that involve FIRE balls?

Lots more in store so pop in for a visit and take a closer look.

I the midst of all the Christmas Doll order flurry there have been some great new arrivals to the shop.
A great range of wooden puzzles from Navaria….look at this Fiery Dragon $58.95. The range includes some smaller characters for $25 each, a turtle, dog, whale, butterfly…..lovely little stocking stuffers.
And some beautiful Melbourne made “Love in the House” sets $25 each.

Hand sewn pure wool felt
Dragons
$45 each
Definitely magic!