Breyer model horse toys can do something that real horses cannot do, change colors! Not only does your horse get an extreme make-over but you can have a lot of fun in the process. Here are some tips on the materials you will need and how to do it.

1. Paints – Acrylic paints are highly recommended because they are water-based rather than oil-based, so they dry much faster. You can buy tubes of acrylic paint at most art supply stores. In addition to the colors you want for your horse, you will also need to get black and white, which is used for highlights and smaller accents.

2. Brushes – You will need a lot of brushes in different sizes for painting different areas. To get started, get as many as you can afford to get in the 0-5 range of Sable Brushes. You will need some that can be dedicated to certain colors while others can be used for blending colors.

3. Foam Rubber – You will need foam rubber or something like it for blending colors. Some people use cosmetic sponges while others make due with just using their fingertips.

4. Gesso or Auto Primer – Gesso or auto primer is needed to spray on or rub on prior to

painting. This chalky substance helps the paint to adhere to the horse better. Gesso is necessary if you are painting an unpainted model made of resin. Other types of models can get by without this step. You can find it in your hobby supply store in black, white and grey colors.

5. Matte Sealer – Just like ordering your pictures from a developer you have to choose whether you want a matte finish or a gloss finish. After you have painted your horse and allowed the paint to dry, you will need to spray it with matte sealer. If you prefer a glossy look, you can choose gloss sealer but most people prefer the matte finish.

6. Photo – It helps a lot to have a photo of the horse you want your Breyer horse toys to look like. If you can get photos from different angles it will really help with shading and highlighting.

7. Clear Nail Polish – This helps add a finishing touch to make the model horses eyes shine.

Now that you have gathered all the materials needed, you can begin the actual process. Before you can start painting, some model horse toys need some preparation. Plastic horses are fine the way they are so no pre-treating is required. However, if your horse is made of resin, china or ceramic, you will need to pre-treat it by spraying it with matte finish. This is necessary to get the paint to adhere to the slick surface.

The next step is to start painting. You will need to experiment with mixing colors to achieve the desired color. Start with light colors then add dark colors, then back to light colors for finishing highlights on the muscles. Paint the underside of the horse first, including the inside of the legs. Allow the paint to dry there before proceeding. Adjust the color for the top side of the horse and paint there. Again start with lighter colors before proceeding to darker colors. Allow the paint to dry before applying the next darker color. Use a piece of foam or sponge to blend and feather the color on top into the color on the underside. Finish up with lighter colors for the highlights and the horse’s unique markings. For the eyeballs and nostrils, it is easiest and also realistic to paint them black. After the paint has dried, applying clear nail polish will help make them shine. After all the paint and nail polish is dried, spray with matte finish to protect the paint. That is all there is to giving Breyer horse toys an extreme make-over!

One of the more popular trends in plush toys is making them poseable. A lot of plush toy inventors want their toys to have this feature because they feel that this is an added value to the toy. But is it really? The Elmo plush toy is one of the most popular toys out there and it’s usually not poseable. So why would any toy inventor want to have this feature added to their toy?

How can a simple thing like the ability to be posed add value to the already valuable toy? It’s easy. A lot of kids like to play make believe. Even kids from the older generation play make believe with their toys. So right now, it’s just a matter of making a plush toy that they can use for their fantasies. Girls like using them to have their tea parties with, and boys like using them for their “cowboy and Indian” games. Even the “Tickle Me Elmo” is a product of make believe because they believe that little Elmo really is ticklish.

Nowadays, kids are taking it to the next level with their new generation toys. With the vast number of games out there that can help them, it’s not hard for kids to play make believe. This will be your market. You’re going to entertain kids by giving them a stuffed toy that they can play with using their imagination. Sure, you can do it with the normal plush toy. But it would be easier to do it if you can bend the arms and limbs so you can pose them according to your imagination’s requirement.

So what can you do to make your stuffed toy poseable? You actually have a lot of options. You can put wires inside it and make sure to under-stuff the limbs to give the wires leeway. You also have the option of using plastic armature that is more commonly used in dolls. While it is more complicated, it will actually give your plush toy more freedom to pose and stick to that pose. There’s also the option of making a jointed stuffed toy. You’ll have a toy with arms, legs and head that are joined together by plastic discs.

Are there disadvantages to poseable plush toys? Imagine a poseable Elmo plush toy for a minute. Sure, it can add value to the toy. But you’ll be giving up one of its most important traits – wonderful feel. For most plush dolls, you can expect it to be soft, smooth and silky. That’s one of its selling points. You can stroke it and even hug it and you’ll instantly feel good. If you put wires, a plastic armature or plastic joints, it will lose these traits. So ask yourself if it’s worth it.

So think carefully if you plan on making your plush toy poseable. Obviously, pose ability has its advantages, but make sure the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. A good way to check is to study the market for your plush toy. It will give you a better idea if it’s worth it to make it poseable.

Many adults still have fond childhood memories of a beloved bear or other companion. So when it comes time to getting a stuffed toy for a new baby we want to get the right one. Choosing baby toys requires care. This article provides 5 tips for buying the right stuffed toys for babies.

1. Safety first. Choose nontoxic finishes. Fur or hair should be short and firmly attached. Look out for any dangly beads or threads, since these can pose a choking hazard. There should not be any removable parts on stuffed toys for a baby. If a baby toy comes with optional clothing, lay this aside until the child is older. Make sure any tags are removed. However, if there is a well-sewn permanent label on the toy, many babies love to touch and hold this part.

2. Toys should be age appropriate. Babies put everything in their mouths, so all baby toys should be designed specifically for babies. Some stuffed animals have multiple uses, such as attached teethers. For kids one year old or older, stuffed toys are available which combine activities like bowling or storytelling. Stuffed toys also comfort to kids of all ages. Holding a stuffed toy can help older babies and toddlers get through difficult days.

3. Consider whether a toy is mainly decorative or to be used for stimulating early learning. This may not always be obvious. While most baby toys, like rattles, will be outgrown, stuffed toys can have staying power. With their soft fur or hair, shiny eyes, and sometimes tails or whiskers, they offer plenty of tactile stimulation. For instance, a teddy bear’s curly fur and velvet paws can offer tactile stimulation that helps baby’s neurological development. Babies learn through their senses, so varying textures are very interesting. Stuffed toys often fulfill an educational component, but parents should be selective. Other important early skills include grasping, holding, and passing a toy from one hand to another. For younger babies, choose baby toys that are small enough to be held and manipulated. While older children may appreciate giant stuffed toys, they are likely to be ignored by babies.

4. Consider the benefits of getting a toy that makes sounds. Some stuffed toys include a sound component – a squeaker, chime, rattling part, or crinkly area – to engage baby’s attention. Sounds stimulate conversational skills, where babies coo at the toy and the toy “responds” with its own sound. Ensure that the volume is soft. Traditional noises may be better than electronic ones at this age. Optional music can also be appealing. With some imagination and the help of an adult, plush toys can also be interactive, especially the ones that make sounds. Making them talk, move, and play peek-a-boo further enhances their interactive potential. Babies learn that cats meow and dogs woof. Simple games are delightful and can be repeated many times.

5. Select baby toys that will have some staying power, to allow children to form lasting attachments. Many stuffed animals come in a range of colors. Black and white combinations are meant to stimulate very young babies, while bright primary colors are meant for slightly older babies. Bright colors appeal to developing visual systems.

ZuZu Pets, or Zhu Zhu Pets, because that is their real name, are electronic toys that provide lots of fun and entertainment to kids that would like to have a real pet.

The fact is that the ZuZu Pets provide all the fun and (almost) none of the responsibility. These adorable and interactive hamsters are equipped with “artificial intelligence” and their own unique personality. These unique personalities, meant to mirror those of real hamsters, allow children to pick the hamster with their favorite personality or they can choose to collect all.

Children are literally begging for ZuZu Pets because these electronic toys are super adorable and very appealing too. They look like real hamsters just larger in size and have all the ingredients that make real hamsters quite appealing to children. The electronic toy may just be another fad but according to many toy enthusiasts, kids these days love electronic toys because they are readily available and they are interactive too.

Many parents ask why electronic toys are so in demand these days that ZuZu Pets and other toys of the same breed rather popular. Electronic toys cover a long list of toys but when it comes to something like ZuZu Pets, parents think it is all about responsibility.

If you have a real pet for example, you would really have to take great care of it i.e. feed it, give it water and give it enough exercise. Older kids can appreciate this kind of thing but younger ones find taking care of pets as an endeavor.

This can be quite frustrating for parents especially when their kids beg for a real hamster and then not take care of them later on. With ZuZu Pets, parents do not need to clean up all that mess anymore; they just can let their children play with their electronic toys alas pets.

Electronic toys can be active or inactive making it possible for kids to play with them when they want to. They can even forget about them for a while and then play with them again when they feel like it. This is what makes the ZuZu Pets a real great toy for both young kids and their parents.

Moreover, because these ZuZu Pets Hamsters are just electronic toys, kids will not suffer the shock associated with the pet’s death or illness and parents do need to bury them in the courtyard.

Several great RC toys that people would love to play with and own are usually those that fly. Fortunately, there are many flying remote controlled toys out there today, such as helicopters and airplanes and it is very enjoyable to see them glide and hover through the sky just like real helicopters and airplanes. If you want to buy a flying RC toy, however, there are several things that you have to know first.

As with any toy, there will always be good things and bad things to take into consideration when it comes to flying RC toys. Although it may be true that these toys come with certain benefits, there are also some disadvantages that you need to know about. Therefore, it would be smart to read through this article before buying one.

One great advantage that comes with RC toy airplanes and helicopters would be the fact that they are fun and amusing to practically anyone. Just imagine starting up the gas turbines or propellers of the airplane, placing the airplane on the runway, and letting it roll very fast until it just takes off. Seeing it fly in the sky will definitely make you feel proud. And, the minute it gets high enough, you will even be able to make it do certain aerobatic tricks that will amuse you and your onlookers even more.

These toys happen to be great stress relievers, too. They let you focus on flying as you shed off any personal or work-related stress. The minute these toys leave the ground, you can even pretend you’re a pilot whose plane just took off, thus leaving the real world – and the stress that comes with it.

Still, flying RC toys still have several disadvantages to them, one of which is that they cost more than their ground or water-based counterparts. And, although some cheaper flying models do exist, they won’t perform as well as you would expect them to.

One other thing that would make many hobbyists avoid flying RC toys would be the fact that they can be hard to handle. Although it might look easy to fly these great toys, it really isn’t. It actually takes lots of skill to fly them and several hobbyists even go through some formal training in order to learn how these flying toys should be dealt with properly. In any case, there will always be advantages and disadvantages to a toy, so make sure you weigh every alternative very carefully before you make your ultimate decision.

If you are still looking for a toy as a gift this holiday season, look no further than the Dragonoid Colossus. This interesting toy is actually one of the best-sellers for this season so you will never go wrong for picking one out. If you are not convinced at all, read through this short article and find out some cool features that go with this toy.

Six Toys in One
When you get this toy, you are actually getting more for your money because it actually contains several toys in one clever package. It is a great dragon action figure which is formed by putting together four different battle gears. When everything combines in the transformation hub, out comes a ferocious monster at your disposal. All you need to do is drop the Battalix Dragonoid Bakugan and it transforms in an instant.

Exclusive Extras
As if that is not enough, the Dragonoid Colossus action figure comes with added extras as well. Open the box and you will find five Bakugan Battle Gears excusive to this set alone. You will find four ability cards and one gate card as well. These are already in addition to one Bakugan and a transformation that you are getting. Now that is a lot of fun!

A Rewarding Experience
One of the main selling points is the ability to build such a cool toy from the get-go. You see, all the Battle Gears included in the package can be assembled via the transformation hub. It is quite surprising to know that such small pieces could come together to form such a huge toy. The difficulty involved is just right that even a five year old could do this all without any help from anyone at all.

Anime Storyline
Fans and loyal followers of the animated series will surely appreciate this toy as a gift this season. The series follows the story of Dan Kuso and the Bakugan Battle Brawlers on their mission to prevent the total destruction of the planet Neathia. With a Dragonoid Colossus, you can now go toe-to-toe with the evil Gundalian invaders and their Dharak Colussus.

Do not is out on an opportunity to give such an amazing toy as a gift for this holiday season. Head on to your local toy store before stocks run out and get as soon as possible. You can also find a Dragonoid Colossus at online resellers and auctions for even greater bargains and savings.

Some children must deal with leaning difficulties, or problems with learning new information. They might struggle to master skills like throwing and catching a ball. They might grow confused trying to communicate by talking and listening to other people. Without being able to learn and retain key bits of information, these children struggle even more when they enter school and try to master reading, writing, and other content-area skills and knowledge.

Scientists aren’t sure exactly what causes learning difficulties. Many theorize that the brains of children with learning disability mix up signals and have difficulty sending and receiving bits of information. Basically, as University of Nevada-Reno professors Gary Fisher and Rhoda Cummings explain in The Survival Guide for Kids with LD, “some kids just have a hard time learning.”

These children are not dumb or lazy at all. They just “learn differently” (LD). Gary Fisher and Rhoda Cummings appropriately substitute the term “disability” in their book, helpful to deal with the problem not with the stigma. Children with LD have normal or even above-average intelligence and may, in fact, excel in other areas. Their brains just acquire, process, and retain information differently. As Stanley S. Lamm, M.D., and Martin L. Fisch, Ph.D. put it in Learning Disabilities Explained, a child with a learning disorder just has “a condition or a series of specific conditions that interfere with the normal learning process.”

Children who learn differently can come from any ethnic or socioeconomic group. Although only about 5% of children have been formally diagnosed with an LD, some doctors and educators believe that as many as 20 percent of children have some sort of interference with the way they learn in some area. The good news is that with proper diagnosis and targeted intervention, children with LD can greatly improve their ability to learn in a weak area.

It is paramount especially for parents to recognize that children with LD learn differently and the means and resources that they should make available to help them learn. Once an LD has been identified, a team of professionals test the child and use their findings to develop an individualized education plan (IEP) for him or her. Now the child and his or her teachers and parents know the area in which the child needs extra help and can focus on developing and improving the child’s learning skills there. Special classes and one-on-one tutoring can help.

So can using educational toys targeted to develop specific skills. Children who are becoming bored with dry schoolwork may find renewed excitement in learning when that learning comes in the shape of a toy. Simplifying the learning process and using unconventional methods to make learning fun can spur children with LDs to reach new levels of achievement.

Gary Fisher and Rhoda Cummings identify seven key areas in which children might learn differently: talking and listening, reading, writing, math, organizing skills, social skills, and motor skills. Here are some suggestions for toys that develop learning skills associated with each of these areas…

Talking and Listening LD

Children with Talking and Listening LD know what they want to say; they just struggle to communicate their thoughts. They may also have difficulty understanding the meaning of the words other people say to them, sometimes mistaking one meaning for another. Some good skills to foster in this area are critical thinking and the ability to make predictions, understand cause and effect, and draw conclusions. These skills can help children organize their thoughts so as to express them more coherently and to understand better what others are saying to them.

Strategy and logic games such as FoxMind Games’ Zoologic or Cliko games can encourage the development of such logical thinking skills. While playing such games, parents can encourage children to think aloud to guide their reasoning. Parents can also gently ask children questions about what they think will happen next in a situation, acknowledging each response and using it as the basis for the next question.

Reading LD

Children with Reading LD may be overwhelmed by being exposed to too much text at a time. They may struggle to read the alphabet or to sound out words. They may skip lines when reading because it looks to them like the words are moving around on the page.

Educational toys such as Melissa and Doug’s Opposites Puzzle Cards or the See & Spell break reading down to its essential components. Travel Read Spin and Word Spin Deluxe Family Edition made by GeoSpace are also excellent ways to turn spelling and reading skills into a fun experience. Focusing on one word/concept at a time and breaking words down into letters keeps children from being confused by walls of text. While using such products, encourage children to talk about what they are reading to check comprehension.

Writing LD

Children with Writing LD struggle with many of the same problems as children with Talking and Listening LD. They have great ideas in their heads, but have trouble expressing themselves in writing with neat handwriting and good grammar and spelling. This is a case where the simplest of toys can have the greatest effect. Take some of the pressure of writing off by having children compose their thoughts on a fun chalkboard or dry-erase board. Now children can erase and/or restart their sentences over and over until everything is exactly right.

Math LD

Children with Math LD struggle with what numbers and numerical symbols mean. They have difficulty memorizing and understanding math facts. On the most basic level, they struggle with the patterns that underlie math concepts. Playing with pattern games, shape puzzles, and blocks can give a child the experience and confidence with patterns needed to succeed in math. For example, a toy such as FoxMind Games’ Logix I give a child practice with shapes and logic patterns. Again, the Travel Math Spin by GeoSpace is a fun teaching tool for basic operations, taking away what is sometimes a dreadful feeling of a child to have to learn math by him or herself. Remember, adult participation in a family setting using educational games is important in the learning process.

Organizing Skills LD

Children with Organizing Skills LD have trouble keeping track of their materials and assignments. Even keeping their rooms or desks in order can be difficult. Puzzles or other toys with pieces that can only go one way can subtly teach such children habits of organization. An organizer such as Melissa and Doug’s Magnetic Responsibility Chart can encourage good habits by helping children keep track of their responsibilities and be rewarded for good habits and behaviors.

Social Skills LD

Children with Social Skills LD have trouble interacting with other people. They misread facial clues and gestures and make expressions and gestures that do not convey what they actually feel. Dramatic role-play games can let children rehearse proper social behaviors in a safe environment from which the stress of real-life consequences has been removed. Dolls and dollhouses, play sets and figurines, and dress-up clothes and props can all be vehicles for imaginative play that practices effective social interaction.

Motor Skills LD

Children with Motor Skills LD struggle with both gross motor skills such as balancing, jumping, or even running and fine motor skills like lacing strings through holes or holding a pencil correctly. Toys like jump ropes, sports equipment, and the Plasma Car can develop gross motor skills. Toys like lacing cards or art sets like Melissa and Doug’s Stamp Sets and Bead Set can develop fine motor skills. Some toys, such as building blocks, develop a whole range of motor skills.

All Parents Can Benefit from Investing in Educational Toys

Educational toys can be a valuable resource for kids with and without LD. Children can grow bored with completing worksheets or dry assignments meant to teach content-area knowledge. In particular, children with LD may struggle just to understand how to complete a worksheet. Playing with an educational toy, on the other hand, can encourage children to spend longer (and more enjoyable!) amounts of time practicing and mastering new knowledge and skills. Instead of memorizing dry math information, a child can play with an educational toy and learn first-hand how to use logic and patterns to solve a problem. In fact, any parent wishing to develop his or her child’s abilities in one of the above areas could benefit from investing in any of the toys discussed.

Buying good, educational toys for your kids and grandkids doesn’t have to break the bank. Look online for deals in cheap Legos and other house building games like it. It doesn’t matter if you are buying for boys or girls, all kids love Legos. If you get the simple sets of toy bricks, the kids can spend hours creating houses and towns and filling them with Lego people.

They do make pink Legos, if you wanted to get something decidedly girly as a gift. Some of the girl-branded Legos feature horses and fashion. But Legos for girls doesn’t have to mean the color pink and horses. You can get your little girl a pirate themed Lego set and watch her have fun playing the pirate queen. Or take one of the standard Castle Lego sets and the “rescued” princess becomes the rescuer!

House building games appeal to both boys and girls. You can help the younger ones with their play. Help them build a house and add a fence and then create a story! You can do all of that with used Legos. You don’t need brand new bricks for play. There are bags of toy bricks for sale online. You can buy small sets of used accessories and buy a new set of, say, Hagrid’s Hut, as the main present. That lets the child have a new present to open and enjoy, and the supplemental batch of toy brick is ready at hand.

The story lines that Legos, in particular, presents are great. Your child can spend hours living the adventures of Luke Skywalker or the rescue squad, or SpongeBob. This means that you, as the adult, can join in the play, but you don’t have to. The Legos come preloaded, if you will, for hours of play. Later, when he or she is tired of reenacting the stories from the movies or shows, you can help them create new stories and adventures for their toys.

Depending on your child’s inclination, maybe the stories are secondary to the excitement of creating new things. Legos, or any of the toy brick lines, can be made into thousands and thousands of items. From ray guns to bridges to skyscrapers, there is no limit.

The interchangeable bricks are what make the Lego brand and other similar companies so popular. Take your old pirate Legos and add them to the new Hogwarts set you just bought and you have a whole new story for Harry Potter to star in! There is something so satisfying about the snap as one toy brick locks with another and knowing that bricks from 20 years ago will work with the set you just bought. Of course your Legos will not work very well with Mega Bloks or PlayMobile, but if you stay within the same toy brick line, you will be fine.

Introduce your child to a new world – a world limited only by how many Legos you have! Help them harness the creative powers within them to make stories and structures that will yield months and months of play.

A child shares an everlasting bond with his stuffed toys, especially the ones that he received at a very early age. The toy becomes an extension of the child’s emotions. He shares everything with his stuffed buddy, whether it’s a happy moment or a sad one. A stuffed toy is witness to everything that a child experiences. Children feel a deep sense of companionship and an extremely strong emotional bond with their stuffed toys. The level of confidence that a child feels in the company of his stuffed toy is enormous. Stuffed animals help children feel safe, secure and when they are alone provide them with a sense of ‘being wanted’.

Stuffed animals have been around in history for a very long time, dating back to the19th century. The advent of the home-made dolls made out of cloth and stuffed with raw can be traced back to 1830. The modern term ‘taxidermy’ comes from the ancient craft of stuffing the skins of hunted animals for use as ‘stuffed animals’. With the new innovations and advances in science and technology, this process has been replaced with synthetic materials to produce stuffed animal toys. The very first enterprise that engaged in the production of stuffed animal toys was the ‘Steiff’ company, located in Giengen an der Brenz, Germany in the year 1880.

According to modern psychology, holding and petting stuffed animals toys can have a calm and soothing effect on children. There is a huge variety of stuffed animal toys available in the market these days. Therefore, it is important to choose the right kind of stuffed animal for a child or an adult. A prior check of the individual’s favorite animals or preferred material would assist you in making the right decision. Nowadays, stuffed animals are available for almost every occasion. Below, is the list of stuffed toys for some occasions and holidays:

1.Christmas & Winter Season: Holly Hillside Snowman, Big Shiver the Christmas Mouse, Holly Hillside Santa.

2.Hanukkah: Happy Hanukkah the Teddy Bear, Dreidel the Happy Hanukkah Musical Dog.

3.Easter: Flappy Jumbo the Easter Duck, Babette the Pink Easter Bunny, Bobtail the Easter Bunny.

However, there are a lot of children who do not have the pleasure of owing or playing with these stuffed animal toys. These kids are either orphans or their families aren’t able to afford such luxuries for them. It would be a nice gesture if you could donate some stuffed animals to your town/city’s local orphanage. You can also distribute them to kids whom you know won’t be able to afford them. Not only it will bring smile and joy in their lives, it would give you a great sense of gratification too.

Stuffed animal toys come in various sizes ranging from 12 to 18 inches to a massive jumbo size of 90 inches. The size of the stuffed animal toy should always be selected depending upon the person, their likes and dislikes and the space that can be easily allocated to the toy. A thoughtful and well suited gift will always bring a smile to the recipient and it will stay there for a long time to come.

A toy is something your child invests precious time in and in this way it acts as a teacher. The right toy can teach your child to care, to be watchful and conscious, to be careful, to appreciate, to love. In your child’s hands are the keys to learning to be grateful, to appreciate beauty, to have a sense of peace and reverence for life in all its forms… By the same token, the wrong toys can teach your child anger, frustration, disregard, insult and mockery. How many times have you seen this at the community playground? Children mimicking the grotesque objects they have been playing with? Making grimaces and bullying the other children. They are putting out what they have taken in, from their toys.

What can a plastic contraption possibly teach your child? What lesson is hidden within the action figure? When children have a room full of such toys they are often so overwhelmed, that they choose not to play at all. Grandparents come and say they are spoiled. Oftentimes, when they do choose to play, they play in a very aggressive and destructive manner. They show no sense of love or caring for these toys. They show no gratitude for these toys. These toys which growl at you and make grimaces at you seem to be designed to instill or teach anger, frustration, and hatred. Ask yourself “what does my child get from such a toy?” If you closely observe your child you will discover that their play lasts about 5 minutes at most and they end up being frustrated and overwhelmed. They physically look ill after playing this way, with these toys.

The reason for this is that children take everything from their play and it becomes a part of who they are and who they are about to become. Children internalize everything from their surroundings. When they are exposed to synthetic and ugly toys, children are at risk of losing their sense of awe, their sense of reverence and beauty. They begin to internalize the messages that these toys put forth: Hit, Stomp, Slam, and Pound, Throw away. Replace. These feelings then grow within our children. Their relationships become “synthetic” and their play grows ugly.

These children then grow into teenagers who bulldoze through and over their fellow teens. They have grown up to think that just about anything can be replaced. Everything is meant to be handled roughly and without special care. They grow up with fast food and throw away drive-through toys, which mean nothing to them. They blaze through the world without worrying about what gets stepped on or knocked over, believing it can all easily be replaced or that it is the responsibility of everything in their way to be strong enough to last. They break their plastic battery operated gizmos and into the garbage it goes. Sadly, in our mass produced society, it often quickly gets replaced with one exactly like it. What does that teach our child?

Many parents do not realize that the mind of a developing child takes in everything. These toys have very negative impact on our children and their behavior changes from inherently good and loving to bad and spiteful. The young child learns the most when at play. Play is the work of the child and it is through play that the child learns to be an adult. Why then are we not more careful and more aware when we choose our children’s playthings?

The majority of modern toys do not speak to the soul of the child. In this way they can actually damage the child. They not only rob the child of his/her imagination and sense of wonder, but they create a shell over the child’s heart. The toys of today are “dead”. Obviously, they are not beautiful. They have no energy coming from them. They are just… ugly. Don’t our children, who only recently arrived and are still so intertwined with the spiritual world, deserve better?

In looking at the writings of Rudolf Steiner, founder of the Waldorf Schools, we discover that the first seven years of life the child should see and experience the world as a place of goodness. The child in this age group learns primarily through imitation. Teachers trained in the Waldorf Education method are taught to be completely conscious of each and every movement, because they know they child takes it all in – good or bad. Waldorf Kindergartens are places of simple beauty for this reason. Children from ages 7 through the onset of puberty should experience the world as a place of beauty, because through beauty they will gain a reverence for life, which they will carry through to their adult lives. The Waldorf method of education is based completely on these beliefs.

Children need to have a few simple toys, ones that must be delicately cared for and lovingly attended to. They require toys, which they can wash by their own hand, hang in the air to dry and gently fold. They blossom when playing with toys, which need to be carefully polished, and which can be mended. They thrive when they have toys, which they know they will pass along to their younger siblings. It is through this that they learn to have gratitude, reverence, and a sense of beauty for their environment and surroundings. The majority of modern toys simply do not speak to the soul of the child.

Which toys do speak to the child? Silks, Woods, Nuts, Shells, Seeds, Stones, Crystals, Leaves, Ribbons and little baskets in which to carry their treasures. These are the types of toys, which speak to the child’s soul. These Natural Wonders instill awe and discovery, magic and wonder in your child. These toys have been created as “one-of-a-kind” treasures. These toys are special and can become just about anything your child imagines them to be.

Consider pure silk scarves for play. They are delicate and ethereal and they seem to naturally awaken that sense of awareness of beauty and reverence. They awaken the child’s imagination and inspire their creativity. Children appreciate their simplicity, and yet take such wonder in the magic that a simple little cloth can be transformed into so many wonderful things.

Wood is another example. It comes from a living, growing organism and has so much potential. Has this wood been carved or “decorated” by the creatures of the forest? What sort of tree did this wood come from? Imagine that two pieces of wood will never be exactly the same and your child can feel this and sense it when holding this toy. What a lesson of gratefulness for this piece of wood – which is here play with. What a wonderful discovery when playing outside your child finds this wonderful toy all by him or herself… as it was meant to be! Your child will carry this wood as a parcel, build with it as a block, cradle and hold it as a baby. This piece of wood can be turned into just about anything in the imagination of your child. Perhaps grandfather can carve this little wood into an animal friend, or a gnome to return to the garden.

Such treasures are not easily replaced. If you are not careful and you break a wooden toy (especially a hand made or found one) it is truly a tragedy because it is a one of a kind. If the child is lucky it can be repaired and will be cared for even more delicately because it has been weakened. Of course, this will make the toy be loved and cherished all the more for the wounds it bears and the effort that went into saving it.

The children of today have adopted many of their attitudes in life because of the toys they have been surrounded with in their childhood. The mass produced disposable toys of today are wasteful, ugly and harm not only our children but also our environment. They are impersonal and created for one purpose and one purpose only –to make money for their creators. The next obvious reason is for them to break and be replaced easily, teaching your child to want more…

Remember, the toy your child is holding is your child’s teacher today.

It’s up to you to decide which lesson your child will learn today by the toys you provide.