Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Selecta Wooden Toys

Another great brand of wooden toys is the German Selecta.

Selecta Spielzeug AG (full name of the manufacturer) was established in 1968. The name of the brand, “Selecta”, translates as “the chosen” from Latin. Selecta’s head office is located in Edling, in Bavaria. The brand’s focus is on education, safety and fun.

Selecta toys use natural wood of maple and pine trees in the Bavarian Forest. Water soluble varnishes and beeswax finish are applied to the toy surfaces, to give them a smooth touch. These toys are frequently on the award winning lists and are universally known for their quality.

Their categories include Grasping Toys, Cars & Pull-along Toys, Push-along Toys, Dolls &Dolls Houses, and various Educational games.

Here are just some examples:











No wonder these toys are award winning.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Plan Toys Wood Toys

A brand of wood toys I’ve recently discovered, is Plan Toys. The first product of this company to arrive in my house was this “Punch and Drop” toy.



My son is absolutely delighted with the hammer, and apart from hammering the balls into the box, he’s been testing his hammering abilities on my walls, drawers and knees.

Upon studying the catalogue of Plan Toys, I’ve realized that they have a very impressive selection of wood toys for kids, starting from the age of first tentative gripping and staring, all the way into preschool and beyond.

Plan Toys market themselves as a Green Company focused on educational wooden toys. They use green materials, such as water based color, recyclable packaging, soy ink, non-Formaldehyde glue, and preservative-free rubberwood. So you can feel good about getting their products for your kids.

Plan Toys are a brand manufactured by Plan Creations Co. Ltd. This manufacturer is based in Bangkok, Thailand, and has been in business since 1981. Its main market is North America

The toys themselves have a very neat and accurate appearance. The focus is both fun and education. Lacing, counting, shape recognition, manual dexterity, and real world imitation are among the skills that can be developed via these toys.

In short, these wood toys are every parent’s dream.

Here are some examples that I found particularly appealing:

Tie-Up Shoe:



This is for the older toddler. A beautiful wooden shoe, to make sure it lasts through all those trial-and-errors.


Fun Stacker:

I think all kids go through a stacking frenzy. At least mine do. This is a great alternative to the usual pyramid.



And it can also be stacked thus:



And thus:



And I’m sure your kid will think of gazillion other ways.

So go ahead, give it a try.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Wood Toys -- The Best Toys for Our Kids

Wood toys are simple and fun. They’ve been stimulating imaginations of children for thousands of years. And even in this brave new age they still bring in the joy, the fun, and the wonderful world of fantasy, that no amount of technological gadgetry can displace…

In this blog I intend to write about all aspects of wood toys. From who makes them, to how and when. Maybe I’ll even delve into making wood toys…

So stay tuned, and enjoy the ride with me.