Posts Tagged ‘imaginative play’

Wouldn’t you like to fly of on an oak leaf? Ride on a squirrels tail? Take tea in a tiny tree house, and deliver beards to gnomes? These are just some of the situations Woody and Pip find themselves in in this sweet seasonal book by the inimitable Elsa Beskow.

Adorned with Elsa Beskow’s classic illustrations on every page, the adventures of Woody, Pip and little Hazel are sure to inspire some fabulous backyard play – just watch out for the angry trolls!

“The Children’s Year” written by Stephanie Cooper, Christine Fynes-Clinton and Marije Rowling is 180 pages jam packed with straightforward, well-illustrated instructions demonstrating how to make children’s clothing, toys and gifts using natural materials.

Organized by seasons and including fitting poems and verses, the craft activities include knitted Easter chicks, spring flower fairies, summer leaf prints, cosy slippers and pumpkin lanterns, Christmas calendars and indoor forts and cubbies. As well as festive crafts more practical projects are included, such as headbands, rucksacks, baby jumpsuits etc. Small toys such as a tooth fairy purse can be made in an hour or two, while bigger projects can be enjoyed over a weekend or longer.

 

“The Children’s Year” has everything you need for the first 8 to 9 years of a child’s play life, and the satisfaction that comes from making things by hand makes this book a must-have – and an ideal gift for a new parent.

I’ve been on a tiny toymaking kick lately! In the recent weeks I’ve made the little bend dolls and felt animals above. Its so satisfying to be able to finish a project in a day, and despite what you’d think – they’re not that hard. If you’re interested in trying your hand at some felt toymaking, needle felting, or Waldorf doll making why not join our Waldorf toymaking workshop? All levels are welcome and you can find the complete rundown of dates etc on our workshops page.

Great gifts for pre-schoolers

Take a look at a few of our favourite gifts for the bigger little kids – ages around 3 and 4!

 

1. balance-board floor maze 2. all-in house puzzle

3. Acorn toys folk tale puzzle

4. Janod skittles 5. Pintoy picture bingo

1. Toddler Market stall/Kiosk 2. Haba vegie bag 3. Pintoy cash register

4. Tea break set 5. Deluxe baking set

1. Janod tool kit 2.Janod Rally Speed race track

3.Everearth bamboo balance bike 4. Pintoy bulldozer

 1.Budkins farm people set 2.Pintoy medieval castle

3. Goki dress-up mice 4. Dobbin and Drum hobby horse 5. Blue Ribbon doll mult-level house

1. Standing easel 2. Djeco playdough set

3. Stockmar watercolor paints 4. Chair and table with paper roll

1. The Robot Book 2. Magnetic puzzle book

3. Lily the little Princess by Daniela Drescher 4. Baby Turtle’s Tale

POP! We love these Belgian-made wooden pop-up games. There are two sets to choose from, soldiers in a castle or a frog pond! Just press down on one of the characters and the spring beneath them POPS them right up and out of their home – we guarantee lots of giggling!!

Do you need to restock your zoo? Got a farm that  could do with some friends? Holztiger wooden figures are made in Germany from sustainable, solid maple wood that is free from pollutants. Holztiger colors their softly rounded figures with paints which are non-toxic and water based.

These animals have to be held to be appreciated fully, their smooth texture and the grain of the wood (still visible though the semi-opaque paint) only enhance the natural charm of these toys. And there’s even dinosaurs!

 

Its almost that time of year again! We are now taking custom doll orders for Christmas! There is nothing more satisfying than giving a doll that has been hand made. They are played with for many years and even as they grow up their little dolls still hold a dear place in their hearts and their bedrooms. To place an order, click here.

Steiner Dolls (in Europe more commonly known as Waldorf Dolls) are made from sheep’s wool and cotton fabric. A unique inner head gives form, but not too much detail to the face allowing the child to “be in” their moment. The origins of this style of doll come from a strong European tradition of doll making and has been developed over time by parents making dolls for their children. These simple toys, made from natural materials, are recognized as being of great importance for the wholesome development of young children. Nurturing is one of the most important human qualities and for the child to be able to nurture their own little doll is a great gift.

Don’t forget with we can create any little person you need, just like this Japanese girl and African boy. We can even work from a photo of your little one to create their own unique friend. Take a look at some previous custom order dolls.

Please place your doll orders for Christmas by November 1st.

Ordering is now closed

You may know Astrid Lindgren best from her classic Pippi Longstocking series of books, but today I would like to share with you another wonderful story by her; In the Land of Twilight.

Goran has an injured leg and is bedridden, but every evening at dusk, Mr Lilyvale arrives at Goran’s window and takes him to the Land of Twilight. It doesn’t matter that he has a bad leg in the Land of Twilight, Goran and Mr Lilyvale walk and fly around Stockholm while the rest of the world are sleeping. They eat candy that grows on trees in the park, play with bear cubs, drive a tram and a bus – they even visit the King and Queen of Twighlight. Each night, Mr Lilyvale takes Goran home just before his mother comes wakes up.

In the garden cafe where Mama and Papa and I used to come for coffee sometimes on Sundays, two sweet little bear cubs came along. They sat at a table and shouted loudly for some lemonade. A huge bottle of lemonade came flying through the air and landed in front of them. They took turns to drink from the bottle, then one cub took the bottle and poured lemonade on the other one’s head! Even though he was soaking wet, he just laughed and said, “It doesn’t matter. Nothing really matters in the Land of Twilight!”

This delightful story about the power of the imagination is set in a magical version of Stockholm, and painted in beautiful twilight tones by Marit Tornqvist. Marit Tornqvist has illustrated several of Astrid Lindgren’s picture books, including A Calf for Christmas and Goran’s Great Escape.

Astrid Lindgren’s books have sold around 145 million copies worldwide, and she has won many awards, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the International Book Award from UNESCO. Other books we have in store by her are Goran’s Great Escape, The Tomten, and The Tomten and the Fox.

‘the giant turnip’ puzzle

We are excited to share a new range of enchanting puzzles and playsets just unboxed from Acorn Toys. Beautifully made and designed in Europe from the finest birch timber, they are hand-painted using only ecologically friendly non-toxic paints. Pictured above is one of a range of puzzles inspired by European folk tales. The puzzles are designed to be assembled upright to create a three dimensional interactive scene from the story with separate characters for role play. You can narrate the story while using the puzzle pieces to enact the scenes, bringing the fairy tale to life!

This visual method of storytelling not only provides a fun and interactive learning environment, but it has several unique advantages over other methods of teaching: your child will learn and remember the events contained in the story more easily when they can be associated with visual actions; and your child will be able to use the puzzle pieces to repeat and reenact the story or to create their own variations and new stories –  thereby improving the development of their verbal skills, hand-eye coordination, cognitive and fine motor skills as well as their creativity and imagination

- Acorn Toys

 

As well as the vibrant folk tale puzzles, we also have a range of construction sets including two sizes of cabins and a wishing well. Natural, untreated silver birch wood pieces interlock to create a log cabin style puzzle. These sets are ideal for imaginitive play!

And for the littlest of people, these simple, natural birch cars are perfect!

Pop in to see the full range of these beautiful wooden toys, and see for yourself what excellent quality they are.

When i was a child, playing in the garden was a magical experience: there were figs to “pickle” in jars of water, sowersobs to be ground up into magic potions in my makeshift mortar and pestle, and willows to weave wreath crowns from. I would have loved this enchanting and educational book, The Wonder of Trees: Nature Activities for Children by Andrea Frommherz with illustrations by Edith Biedermann.

In this book, thirteen trees are featured and their habitat and characteristics are explained and beautifully illustrated in a clear botanical style.

As well as covering the basics, the book provides seasonal activities for each tree including games, songs, and recipes. The tree’s spirit is brought to life through historical rituals and myths, but also the skills we can learn from them, e.g.: oak trees teach us resilience, perserverence, and assertiveness. Children are encouraged to use all their senses in getting to know the trees.

Andrea Frommherz is a teacher and environmental consultant, who has trained with tree specialists and herb gardeners. She gives courses on environmental subjects for children and adults, as well as teacher training.