After conducting much research and reviewing the toys we Real Mamas have at our homes, we have finished our list and checked it twice!
When considering our list, please keep in mind:
—We have chosen items that are both child and environment friendly. In making our choices, we didn’t simply pick items that are made of all natural materials (although we encourage wooden toys over plastic toys), but opted to choose items that children will enjoy and use often and that will encourage your children to be active, participate in the community, be creative, engage their minds, and become more aware of the environment.
—Some of the toys listed may seem pricey but consider that the toys we listed are sure to be used often, and giving one big toy instead of many smaller ones reduces consumption and perhaps importantly, clutter.
—This list is not an endorsement of the products safety or durability, but rather is a list of what we think are the best gifts out there for children and the environment.
— For your convenience, we have included a photo of the product as well as a link to the item on www.amazon.com. Purchasing a toy online is convenient, allows you to avoid the hustle and bustle, and saves on car emissions, but we also encourage you to buy items at a store near you to cut down on the packaging, costs and emissions associated with shipping.
Happy gift giving!!
- Be Thoughtful — Gifts of your time rather than of a thing are often most thoughtful and remembered. Give kids movie, museum, aquarium, or zoo tickets and make sure that you are the one to take them.
- Be Charitable — Donate old toys and clothes to those in need through the Salvation Army, community groups, religious organizations, or second-hand stores. Involve your kids in the charitable giving, and give them the gift of understanding the true joy and meaning of giving.
- Be Imaginative — Kids imaginations have no bounds. Encourage storytelling and acting with a puppet theater and cloth puppets. Older siblings can write and act out a play to entertain the younger ones.
- Be Crafty — They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Many girls do like jewelry and dress up, so improve hand-eye coordination, inspire creativity, and even encourage them to make gifts for others with a set of wooden beads.
- Be Active — Eventually the snow will melt and temperatures will rise. Get kids outside with sporting equipment. Help kids, from tots to teens, practice their soccer shot with an all weather outdoor net.
- Be Inspired — Getting messy is what kids do; art provides them with an outlet for this urge while resulting in priceless keepsakes. Being artistic and getting inspired are not reserved for the kids, so get in there and get messy. Keep in mind that art supplies that are all natural do exist but may not take as much of a beating as those in the mainstream (a box of non-petroleum crayons only lasts about 2 days in our house).
- Be Brilliant — Once kids can read, they enjoy getting lost in a book. Encourage this sanctuary with books that not only entertain but teach them about the natural world.
- Be Curious — Kids are innately curious. Don’t fight it, foster it. Spark their natural interest with things that help them examine the natural world. For tots try a handheld magnifying glass to check out insects hiding under rocks; for teens a telescope so that they can reach for the stars.
- Be Competitive — We all have a competitive streak. Start a family game night after the holidays with a non-traditional twist on an old favorite.
- Be Sheltered — At any age kids love climbing in and out of tents. Whether it is to be used for a serious camping trip in the spring or as a place to play indoors when “the weather outside is frightful,” a tent fits the bill.
