1 Apr 2014

toys


Spring seems to be synonymous with cleaning. But I find that once the road side fields ignite with wild flower blossom and the sea air wafts through open windows, I want to kick off my shoes, get outside and play amongst it all.  Autumn however, with it's drawing inwards nature always inspires me to rethink the way we're living.  I tend to go about about my decluttering more gently at this time of the year too allowing plenty of time to thoroughly cleanse areas of our home.

With one babe at school and the other besotted with a handful of cars and trucks I have turned my attention to our toys.  Although we have mindfully sourced high quality play things I have found what with birthdays and Christmases that the collection has grown beyond the cupboards, and more importantly, beyond the needs and wants of our little people.  How much do they really need?

At times we've been lured by the fanfare of catalogues and advertisements and we've guilted ourselves into believing that our babies are missing out if they don't have a sizable collection of Sylvanian families or a plastic washing machine that makes bubbly noises. But watching them deeply immersed in simple play has highlighted the power of less and re-affirmed the choices we are making. Toys of natural and sustainable materials, handcrafted and beautiful, recycled and reinvented; toys with soul. Ones that will grow with them, water the seeds of creativity and inspire imagination to blossom. And few of them.

These are the toys our babies reach for time and time again:

  • Schleich animals with little wooden fences, trees and Mumma made felt play mats. Housed in a hodge podge of baskets they are easy for little hands to help with packing up.
  • Fossicked shells, stones and seed pods are ever inspiring props. Add a few colourful silks, tiny boats and this timeless gnome house and all manner of worlds can be created. 
  • Dress ups housed in a vintage suitcase that lives under the bed. 
  • Baskets of Duplo and Lego can fill an afternoon with quiet play.
  • A simple kitchen setup with a little sink and oven, a handful of knitted fruit and veg, wooden eggs and thrifted pots, pans and wooden spoons. Simple, beautiful play
  • The sandpit.
  • Second hand match box cars and a small collection of handmade wooden trucks and trains.
  • Wooden puzzles (again mostly sourced on thrifting adventures).
  • Blocks; off cuts of building timber, tree blocks and handcrafted and rainbow ones. And with the addition of a mirror and some loose parts, the sky's the limit.
  • Sets kept in calico bags e.g. doctors, hairdressers with most props sourced from trips to the local op shop.
  • Soft dolls and animals, puppets and gnomes and a small basketful of handmade dolls clothes, old baby wraps and blankets. 
Steph x

20 comments:

  1. What an absolutely beautifully selected and displayed collection of toys for your sweet little ones. Little ones really don't need lots of toys do they, quality of quantity I think:) xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. really great post! i love how you have organized everything in baskets, so easy and accessible. i think that lids on toy-bins are a waste and cause a lot of mess as children search for what they are looking for :)

    it's true that stuff adds up, and i find that the latest fad toy is not what holds my daughter's attention in the long-run. no, it's the small animal figurines, the blocks, a few toy cars, a vintage castle (the same kind my husband and i both grew up with!), and a handful of gift-bows that caught her eye at the thrift shop. she could play for hours with these toys.

    again - really good post. i love how you keep it practical.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is lovely. When my wedding planning craziness is over I intend to do something similar. I try to be mindful with what I bring in to my home, however with gifts and other random life moments we always end up with things that she doesn't play with. What catches Ginger's attention are not yet the blocks, but the stuffed animals and dolls. She makes worlds with them! Fascinating to notice what toys your children choose - I wonder how this will evolve over time?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love how you have everything organized. As I read this, I looked over to see my son's shelf of colorful, electronic toys I wish I had been more thoughtful about those choices. My husband would think I was crazy if I said I wanted to get rid of his toys and replace them with more simple ones. Maybe a small process... :) I love the layout you've done with them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our first little one had all plastic toys with all the bells and whistles! Gradually as our ideals shifted we replaced them with handmade and wooden ones (most often secondhand). Small steps for sure. Wishing you a gentle rest of your week :) xx

      Delete
  5. What a beautiful collection of toys! And so well organised too (well done you). I stopped buying toys for my boy because my mum in law kept most of my hubby's old toys and I much rather he plays with them. Vintage train sets, wooden toys, and teddy bears, so sentimental too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. oh, what a beautiful presentation of toys and how beautiful toys. We have been doing some cleaning over the last week and I am also taking part at 30 days to transform your play. I find it very refreshing :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I adore this post. How timely, as we too are drowning under a sea of newly acquired toys and clothes after Christmas and a birthday. We have 80% wooden toys, but just so many of them and they're not stored well. You've inspired me to display them all on shelves in baskets! Thank you.
    Can you please do a little post on your plastic animals and Muma made felt play mats? I desperately want to cull all our disproportionately sized animals and start a Schleich collection. Did you sew up various colours of felt to represent seas/fields etc? Please clarify!
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love all of the little baskets fill with delights. Hope all is well x K

    ReplyDelete
  9. i have a very similar post in my drafts. toys are such a battle for me! so much more about my attachment than what my girls care about. beautiful list and photos steph. xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Im in the process of changing my childrens toys from the majority being plastic junk to less and better quality. A massive tub of fisher price is ready to be rehomed and I have downscaled their book collection to those that are favoured the most. We are keeping sylvanian families as they are a firm favourite but im unsure how to cull back the masses of my little ponies and strawberry shortcakes that were bought a few years ago before my values changed from collecting sets of stuff for them to now, just trying to stop it all in its tracks eeek its tricky. They love to use every scrap they can find for their villages that they create, any suggestions? I know its a process and a somewhat slow one but do you have any good tips for how best to do it, thanks

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh what a wonderful selection of toys. If I was a child I think I would be in heaven. From playing with the wooden toys to playing with the farm animals and pretending i'm old Mac Donald ! Thank you for sharing these wonderful pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love your little blue wooden mixmaster! Can I ask where you got it from?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't it cute! It's from le toy van and I think I got it online. Hope your day is lovely xx

      Delete
  13. Hiya!! I am wondering if you are interested in doing reviews at all?

    Thanks
    Melissa
    Aster & Oak

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi I stumbled upon this post via pinterest, this is exactly what I want to do with my children's toys, so beautifully set up and accessible, thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're most welcome! It certainly makes clean up time easier too :)

      Delete
  15. I am wondering if you ever thought/worried about the scheich animals? It is holiday time and I am vacillating between cost, aesthetic and practicality (plastic ones you that can use outside) .....thoughts?

    Rebecca

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I completely understand, they are far from cheap. Ours have been very well loved and yes, outside in the sand pit and in the water. But a really small selection goes a long way and you can add one every now and again. It's easy to get carried away though (I think my hubby has become a bit of a collector) and to be honest, half of these shown here have been packed away and the babies have just a handful. Their play is far more focussed and imaginative as a result. Hope this helps a little. xx

      Delete

Your words brighten my day! Thank-you so much for joining me on my adventure. x