Would Santa like to leave toys that not only green but so fun the educational value escapes the child? You bet! Check out these fabulous blocks from Citiblocs. They come in different colors (I like the warm colors for this time of year) and are open ended fun leading to hours of quiet--that's right, quiet--fun. My six year old loves to play with these and I'm amazed at how calming and creative they are. The blocks are made from certified renewable pine and they are completely free of any toxins, so if they end up in any mouths, kids or canine, they should be okay.
The more technical oriented and older children will love science based kits from Thames and Kosmos. I'm especially intrigued by their Alternative Energy and Environmental Science projects. Check out this Renewable Energy Science Kit focused on wind energy. This is so cool, think of how toys like this could potentially have an impact on the future. I also like this Remote Control Machines kit which is so much more interesting than a plain RC car. Shaping young minds to create eco friendly transportation and renewable energy is very exciting and I think these would also be fabulous in the classroom.
For stockings, Think-A-Lot makes a holiday edition of their clever Think-ets, an open ended story telling game featuring little trinkets. There are numerous ways to play this game and their size makes them wonderful for travel. Not for little ones due to choking hazard, older kids get a kick out of using their imagination in tandem with being able to touch the little objects such as a Christmas tree, a snowman and a polar bear among others. My six year old loves to scatter them on the table and make up stories using the pieces for the story line. Think-ets encourage creativity, logic and reason along with good old fashioned fun.
