GWOB Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 Hi everyone! I'm really tired of getting my kids presents that blink, sing, make annoying noises, light up, and generally encourage little brain activity (unless you count mommy's plotting to get rid of said toys as brain activity). We would like more traditional, not electronic presents for them this year. Any ideas? My kids are dd8, ds5, and dd1. Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 Check out Heartsong and Magic Cabin catalogs. They have traditional, Waldorf-y, crunchy-granola stuff that is really very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyP Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 I feel the same way and I've been having a lot of fun looking around Back to Basics Toys. You can sort toys on their site by age, price and category, too. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaret in GA Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 Hi everyone! I'm really tired of getting my kids presents that blink, sing, make annoying noises, light up, and generally encourage little brain activity (unless you count mommy's plotting to get rid of said toys as brain activity). We would like more traditional, not electronic presents for them this year. Any ideas? My kids are dd8, ds5, and dd1. Thanks guys! How about art supplies? I'm getting ds 9 an art kit similar to this one: http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1392493&navAction=jump&mybuyscid=2058900289 Great Christmas items: board games, pets (ds got a lizard from Santa when he was 5), dolls, tents- like this one-- http://www.blueberryforest.com/magical_home_decor/haba_blossom_sky_tent.htm and dress up clothing. I love this website (oompa toys) http://www.oompa.com/ Margaret Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELaurie Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 such as Kapla, Legos, Knex, puzzles, games, audio books and anything by Playmobile have been big hits at our house. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 (edited) Back to Basics Toys in another one with many ideas that don't require power other than kid-power. ;) Toys that have been long-term hits at our house of the years: Playmobil. Endless pretend play, and it's something guests almost always head straight for as well. "Play silks" and dress-up clothes. Play silks especially, as they can be costumes (turbans, capes, dresses, belts), but also fort walls, rivers, handcuffs, blankets, ropes and so, so much more. I got our set when ds was a year old, and they have had near constant use since then. Kitchen gear. Both play and real. We had a wooden play kitchen in our old house, but passed it on to a friend when we moved. (It was a cheap knock-off -- not one of the beautiful, expensive heirloom types -- and I wasn't sure it would survive the move.) I regretted so much giving it away! Since we didn't really have room for one here, I made a shelf in the kids' room into a "play kitchen". Free AOL CDs became the burners for the "stove", a bowl became the sink and an upturned over-the-door bathroom hook became the faucet. I put bars on the wall next to the shelf with little hanging baskets and hooks (from Ikea) and the wooden food and measuring cups and mixing spoons all hang there. So you can spend a ton on one of the beautiful, fancy kitchens, or next to nothing improvising your own... Either way, these have provided tons of pretend play for us. And it's always easy to add to the collection (wooden mushrooms! cherries! eggs! new spoons! wooden sushi!) without really adding to the number of kinds of toys or the space it takes up. A decent child's tea set is another "kitchen toy" that has gotten endless use here. The one dd got as a toddler came in a basket with slots for each piece, and that has been very helpful over time. Now that ds is older, he gets real kitchen supplies. One of his requested items this year is a good 6" chef's knife of his own... Board games and card games are good. With your ages, maybe Sleeping Queens would be fun (at least for the olders, lol)...Hullabaloo might be playable by *all* of the kids, and while it's designed for preschoolers, my 9yo will still play happily from time to time, 'cause it's just so silly. :) It does require batteries and make noise, but it's a very active game and great for ugly winter days when you need something active-but-contained within the house. Think of it as a more creative version of Twister for young ones, but with its own built-in announcer. (There's a dvd version too -- I don't know anything about it. We just have and still use the original.) Outdoor toys are great too, of course. Those sit-on bouncy balls are great. A rope swing has been the longest-lived and best-loved toy in our world. A soccer ball and mini goal. If you have a good driveway or deck for riding around on, the Flying Turtle is still around, and there are scooters, bikes, etc... Jump ropes, playground balls, digging and gardening tools... My family are American Girl devotees, and your oldest is about the right age for one of those. My dd reads the books over and over and over, and the historical tie-ins are so interesting and great. Kapla blocks are a fantastic building toy. About as simple as you can possible get, but with truly endless creative possibilities. And, of course, there is a world of different sorts of blocks and building toys out there. If you have to pick one, Kapla gets my vote. Art supplies are always a hit here. Colored pencils, "Draw Write Now" and other simple drawing books. Watercolor paints and paper. Decent markers. (I recommend good artists' clip boards to be used with markers so there's less chance of them getting on the table, etc.) PlayDoh for little ones. Sculpey clay for longer lasting projects for big kids. My kids will fill in their own beautiful blank books with stories and sketches and lists forever... Craft kits too... Learning a craft that can be used and enjoyed over time is a great thing to do. Klutz books often come with little kits to get you started. Your oldest could do crochet or knitting or quilling. (Actually, your middle one might be able to do all those things now too, depending on his temperment...) Hope some of those ideas help! Edited November 28, 2008 by abbeyej Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacy in NJ Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 such as Kapla, Legos, Knex, puzzles, games, audio books and anything by Playmobile have been big hits at our house. Have fun! My dss have always asked for Legos. All of their kits come with an age range printed on the box. Games they've enjoyed are: Uno (good for a stocking stuffer), Sorry!, Cadoo and Yahtzee. Michael's, Kids-R-Us and Target all have neat kits for building/crafting/cooking. HTH, Stacy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 I'm getting my youngest a toy guitar (first act). It doesn't make sense to buy him a "quality instrument", but he's interested in all the stuff his big brother is doing with his guitar. My dd has requested a recorder (I think that 2.50 from Rainbow Resource). For little ones I like toy instruments that make a real sound--not electronic push button instruments. There are lots of rhythm instruments that fit this description. Marble runs, brio type wooden trains, blocks (wooden or lego type) are kind of timeless and can be added too at later gift giving occasions. audio stories. we really like Jim Weiss recordings here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWOB Posted November 28, 2008 Author Share Posted November 28, 2008 Thanks a million guys! I've been looking around, but I've had some difficulty finding websites. Those are great suggestions. I really appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runamuk Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 We love Mindware toys here (www.mindware.com). They have a ton of games and building sets. How about some dress-up clothes? I hit the Halloween sales on Nov 1st and now have a good sized selection of costumes and accessories for the dress-up box. Fun art supplies. My kids really like the watercolor pencils and crayons at the Stubby Pencil Studio. We bought a Wii as a family gift this year, so all other toys willl be non-electrionic. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 ...pull all the batteries from the noisy toys! Seriously. If a toy has something that pops up when you hit the same color button, does it really need to also make a noise? Why no! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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