Waldorf toys Archives ~ Page 8 of 11 ~ Happy Whimsical Hearts

Rainbow wind wands

I was itching to craft last week. And I only had a short time in which to craft.

So wind wands it was!

From my stash, I grabbed some ribbon and wooden curtain rings. And it was as simple as cutting the ribbon (nice and long for each colour) and tying them on. As I am obsessed with rainbows, I found myself choosing a pretty rainbow of ribbon for each one.

These are such easy to make toys and lots of fun! My littlest has been enjoying his *grin* And the playgroup kids took them outside into the wind this week too.

For our Steiner school spring fair I need to make some items for the Children’s Tent (a magical tent that children can pay a dollar to enter and choose a lovely little treasure from) and I think I will make some wind wands as my contribution. They are also great last minute gifts or even party favours.

There are so many beautiful colour combinations too, like pretty pinks or the colours of fire!

Now if only I had some more time to craft!

Happy crafting, Kelly

September 21, 2015 by Kelly

Secondhand Waldorf toys

Some of our favourite Waldorf toys are secondhand or repurposed. And thank goodness, because Waldorf toys can be expensive!

Over four years we have slowly created our ‘Waldorf home’, shifting from loud and bright plastic toys to beautiful wooden and natural toys. And I am so thankful for the shift. Not only do they create a more beautiful environment, but the children play differently too.

Their play is deeper, more imaginative, and the noise is of their own making rather than from pressing buttons. Before we made these changes they would simply tip out the toy basket to see what was in there, making a huge mess and quickly losing interest. Our littlest does still think tipping out the smaller baskets is fun at times, but it is not the way they play anymore.

Our toys are presented differently and I think this helps.

They are now all visible in secondhand baskets (op shops are the best place to find these), displayed on our Waldorf playstands (also second hand from Gumtree and what a happy find that was). Or part of our play kitchen area which is always ready for play (including our repurposed heater which is now an oven).

We have more loose parts for them to create and play with. Playsilks, sticks, and lots and lots of blocks.

Loose parts are brilliant because the children decide what they are.

They can be used for building all sorts of things and as the children grow their building grows with them. My son who is now 7 still plays with blocks more than any other toy. He makes spaceships, rockets, elaborate towers and castles. While my daughter makes fairy house after fairy house *grin*

Some of our beautiful Waldorf dolls are also secondhand. Found through Waldorf buy sell swap groups and much less than buying new. Our wooden doll house puzzle was also found through one of these groups.

And the other brilliant place for finding things is at the tip shop! Yes, seriously, the tip shop! Our gorgeous rocking horse was an absolute bargain from the tip shop. He just needed a very good clean.