Save Money on Waldorf items , Make your own .

Most people don't have a wood working shop where they can turn out items, A lot of items I have seen for sale on etsy can be purchased through Casey's wood products in Maine. They are a wonderful company.

Steiner talked about having simple toys , that were made from natural items mostly found in nature. All toys were handmade either as a gift for the child or with the child. This helps inspire children and bring out their creativity.

Sadly our world has turned into a place were people are always looking for profit. Look around online especially at the numerous places to buy Natural Waldorf items and most cost a lot even places like Etsy.

Save money , Have fun with your kiddos and make your own toys and inspire your child's mind  ;)

Wooden people

Wooden Acorns 

Make your own wooden mushrooms

Wooden eggs

Teething rings/Doll sling rings ( just add a coat of beeswax )

Wooden doll house items

Peace and Love for you..

With Valentine's day coming up I thought I would share some of my favorite Valentine Etsy finds.I like to plan ahead especially if i am going to order things for the holidays . Some of these items are custom made so make sure to get your order in so it will arrive just in time.

It takes more than lace and ribbons
And lovely verses too
To make a Valentine
Thats nice enough for you
It takes a world of special thoughts
Tucked into every line
And thats exactly what you'll find
Inside this valentine.

 

This pretty little wand is from Simply Playing by Adolina on Etsy . Simple Playing specializes in creating beautiful Waldorf inspired toys. This would be a perfect little gift for Valentine's day. 

 

Oh how I love thee...Isn't this just the sweetest little cuddly ever. This is Lenora Love folks,  she is a limited Edition Valentine's Day Love bear created by Sleepy King on Etsy.

 

and of course this pretty little watercolor heart card created by Heartful Art on Etsy.

Getting rid of those "MAINSTREAM" toys!

Well, thinking back, to when I had my first child we really didn't know which toys were the best to have. Plastic, mainstream characters like Blues Clues,etc where all the rage. After discovering the true importance of toys did I finally realize we needed a change. By the time my second child had come we were on our journey to getting ourselves "free" from plastics!

So here I am now finally plastic free with a few exceptions like Legos and Playmobil figures which are used for school mostly. So a few months ago I helped a friend go cold turkey and we helped her Magically  change her children's playroom. This is by far the best way to do this if you are going to do it cold turkey.

With great planning, invite a visitor to come to the house. This visitor will know what to do ahead of time (with some planning and discussion in advance.) The mother and children leave the house and the visitor stays, pretending to be taking a nap, or staying over to work in the garden...

While they are gone, have the visitor LITERALLY empty out their whole room of the toys! Of course, if they did have a "favorite" that they would be absolutely traumatized without, have the children take it with them...)

Have the visitor remodel and transform the room. Ideas could be: to hang silks, set up a play stands (or a make-shift play stand) corner, little seasonal table, a few of the new and improved wooden toys, blocks, costumes,play kitchen,wall cards, baskets of stones, pinecones, etc...in the room. In other words, LITERALLY re-decorate, completely.

When you return with the children, have the visitor greet you; "Oh my goodness... you missed it! I was just napping when I heard a noise and went to see what it was. As I walked towards your room, I saw the most wonderful sight I have ever seen!! The magical toy fairy came and created magic in your room!!! Hurry, come and see!"

If they don't look excited at this point... and this NEVER happened to me, my guess would be to continue to play up the "magic" and "wonder" of it all drawing attention to the special little hiding places, baskets, shiny stones or whatever. This method worked for me, every time... and being the magical toy fairy who left with 3-4 large garbage bags in the back of the car full of that plastic junk... I felt great. For those of you wondering what I did with it, it all went to the Salvation Army.

The secret is, if "you" are not responsible.... and a fairy (or elf, or gnome) did it... then it MUST be best! Children never question when magic is afoot!

For more inspiration take a peek at some great waldorf rooms here on Flickr

In the land of Toys

What our children are playing with...and what we are teaching them by the choices we make each and every time we make a purchase and bring something new home... We have a responsibility as parents to introduce them to a better way than the way we we have been programmed to "shop & buy!"

So what to get ? Where to Begin??


The question isn't usually what toys to acquire, but what toys to get rid of. Most mainstream programs for children have way too many toys. Bins and Bins of brightly colored plastic toys. Besides being messy and disorganized, it sets the kids up for a life-time of materialism. I'd get rid of anything sharp, broken, or ugly. I'd also get rid of things that don't foster creative play.

Books:For a home with younger children (4 and younger) I wouldn't get a lot of books because their eyes aren't mature enough to scan them. If you love books, you could have a few of your more beautiful ones around for them to look at the pictures, or maybe a few board books, but toddlers don't take good care of books, so I'd get rid of them in general, or put them away until later. Once they hit 4 years old books are wonderful way to build upon their imaginations and inspire their creativity.


Plastics and other synthetics: These don't promote the healthiest development in children. It's hard, but purge the plastics. (There are, of course, exceptions - for instance I like plastic slides (outdoors) better than metal ones for safety reasons. I also prefer plastic shovels for outside because they are durable.) I think limited plastics or getting rid of them all together is the way to go!

Take your clues from the places where children thrive.

The Beach: Children don't need toys at the beach. Just water, sand and maybe a shovel and pail - maybe a ball as well. To bring these elements to children, be sure your space has access to water (a large bowl or tub full of water outside is fun) and earth (a sand box or better yet, a hill of sand - or just the dirt in the yard). Water and dirt are difficult in pre-school/day care settings because usually there are too few adults to help clean-up and change clothes, but in parent/child classes you can get away with it. Sand is nice because it's relatively clean. Have plenty of shovels and pails and stainless steel bowls and such to play with in the water and sand. Kids this age can't be asked to share constantly, so have lots of the same thing. (Lots of the same shovel, for instance.) Access to the outdoors and this sort of play are essential. Even in cold weather, large amounts of time can be spent outside if the children are dressed well. Yes, and I'd get some balls.



The Woods: No toys needed here either. Kids love to build forts and play imaginative scenarios in the woods. To bring these elements to the children, I like to see homes and places with all sorts of odd pieces of wood outside to play on. Maybe some logs or stumps. Maybe some planks (well sanded ones are best). Maybe some tree limbs. Things you can help them move around to create castles, or barns, or houses or stores or an endless amount of things.

The Home: Just regular things around the house are used by children for play. Do you remember making huts out of all the couch cushions as a child? Or draping sheets over the table to make a house? To bring these elements to children, I love to see furniture that can be used by the children when they play. Chairs turned on their sides. Tables that aren't too heavy to move around. Large silk and cotton cloths have endless uses for creative indoor play.

Round it out with items from nature, such as pine cones, stones, feathers, seed pods. Children find endless ways to play with these.
 

Think Tools rather than Toys: Some of my favorite "tools" for children are: child sized mops (the kids love these - I like the ones with wooden handles and cotton yarns, rolling pins (lots of the same one so children aren't asked to wait or share), child-sized baking dishes (real ones) such as pie tins, bread pans, little whisks (I happen to like these, but they aren't necessary), a washing board.

Just Toys: I happen to like well-made, wooden dump trucks (but I don't let them go outside). Also things you've made, or someone else had made for the children - dolls, doll clothes, ropes (from finger knitting), knitted animals, felt balls, etc.

I Really Enjoy Montessori and Such to get items or we just shop at thrift stores or make our own ;)