These are the Waldorf loose part ‘toys’ my children play with everyday…
Sticks & rocks
Playsilks and rectangle blocks
Wooden beads with shoe laces for threading
Little wooden cars
Tree branch blocks
Window blocks
(yes, lots of blocks!)
They use them to build towers, buildings, roads, fairy houses (lots of fairy houses!), for small world play and whatever they imagine. These toys are always out and available for play in our lounge room. I don’t tend to rotate them other than sometimes changing which basket they are in *grin*
The brilliant thing about these toys is that the children don’t grow out of them like other toys. They can be used very simply and then in more complex and imaginative ways as the children grow.
What do your children play with everyday?
Happy playing, Kelly
7 Comments
Beautiful and imaginative toys and nice to actually touch. None of these are ‘landfill’ toys either. Such a peaceful space. My children’s space is an eclectic mix of waldorf and conventional toys such as Lego and cars and trucks. Do you have those too?
Thanks Zena – yes, I think having beautiful toys is important. We do have a mix – my son has lego in his bedroom. I think lego is an awesome open ended material too (and I hear a more eco friendly version is coming out soon?).
We’re still fairly new to this so I set up an experiment. I left the conventional toy box in place and set up a new space like this one with rocks, shells, branch blocks, pine cones and sheoak seed pods, wooden animals and 2 wooden vehicles.
Of course it’s no surprise to you of course that the conventional toy box gets very little use, with the exception of a yellow little people school bus that they load full of knitted people (thanks grandma), wooden animals and sheoak seed pods, or sometimes a teddy bear, and push around the house. Lol.
Oh isn’t that wonderful! And so interesting to see, even when they have the choose, the open ended is what captures their imagination! Love it 🙂
These materials are beautiful Kelly. I also really like nice natural ‘toys’ at my place. It’s so much nicer to be surrounded by this in place of loud plastic ones.
I’d be interested to hear where you acquired them from in Australia. Thanks. I’ve been buying some peg dolls for storytelling from Etsy but shipping from the US is quite expensive, plus the lowsy exchange rate.
Thanks Katie, and yes, it is much nicer to be surrounded by these kinds of toys isn’t it! I still often buy peg dolls for Clickity Clack on Etsy if I am buying lots. Otherwise I have found Indigo Inspirations to have a good range, or I’ve bought mixed sizes from here http://www.learning4kids.net/product/wooden-people/
For the wooden blocks this shop on fb is quite good ‘Natural hand made Beads and Blocks’
Kelly
Thanks very much!