Anamalz: Must Have Eco Toys

When my son was little, I was a huge fan of Holtztiger--cute wooden non toxic animals from Germany.  I'm still a fan and I've saved them for my son to hopefully pass down to his children.  Back then, Anamalz didn't exist, or he'd have a box of those to pass down as well.  If you have kids, you have to see these adorable little animals.

Anamalz are non toxic wooden toys made from sustainable maple.  These are super cute and I think will appeal to children for a little longer because they are posable and more interesting to older kids.  The soft velvety fabric is great for little ones who might be teething.  Each animal is hand panted with nontoxic water based paint.  They come in four categories--Farm, Wild, Australian and Prehistoric.  The dinosaurs are so cute!  Anamalz has an interactive website for kids with anamalz--they can enter their password and enjoy animations, play games, and get environmental preservation tips.  Find them HERE.

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Toys for Budding Eco Engineers

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.

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Earth Day in the Classroom

 If you're a teacher or a mama, it's especially fun to make a big deal about Earth Day.   Here are three things I think would be wonderful to have year round in the classroom, but are particularly educational for Earth Day.

RESPECT THE EARTH FLASHCARDS:  For the budding environmentalist.  These cute large retro looking flash cards are perfect for Earth Day.  They depict various animals doing earth friendly activities like going the the Farmers' Market, unplugging chargers and recycling.  They are sweet while stressing the importance of taking responsibility.

GREEN TOYS TRUCK AND RACE CAR:  I think this would be great for pre-school and kindergarten.  It's rounded edges and non toxic materials make it safe for little ones.  Green Toys is an innovative company that uses recycled milk containers to make their toys.  As cute as they look, they are durable and can take some serious play. 

THIS TREE COUNTS:  This book is way more than a counting book, though it does offer some of that.  It helps to instill reverence for nature and deep appreciation for one of the earth's most magnificent and vital adornments: trees.  Together a class plants trees and learns that they are necessary for cleaning the air, and providing shelter for humans and other creatures.  The artwork is lovely and this was a book my son wanted me to read over and over.

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Haba Polizei-Alarm! Game and just in time for the Holidays, $25 Maukilo Gift Card ★ GIVEAWAY ★

Haba makes my favorite kids' games.  They're imaginative, original, non-toxic, and visually fabulous.  They're also German, and for a Europhile like me, that adds to their charm and interest.  POLIZEI-ALARM! is a cops and robbers action game for two to four players.  One side are safe cracker robbers and the other side are the police.  The robbers try to crack the safe by throwing the right dice combinations while the police try to find the bad guys' hideout by steering around the board in a magnetically controlled police car.  The police have to use dexterity to find the robbers before they crack the safe under time constraints.

One thing I love about this game is the polizei siren.  Normally this would annoy me, but it's a European siren and it just brings me fond memories of Germany.  I love sharing this little morsel of Europe with my son who likes the novelty of it being a German Kids' game and the action of the police saving the day.

This would make a great holiday gift and the generous folks at Maukilo are offering a $25 gift card for you to get this or something of your choice just in time for the holidays.  Maukilo offers many cool European, nostalgic, and educational toys and games to choose from. To enter the giveaway, you must be a follower of this site (just go up to the top of your web page on the left and click follow if you are in blogger, if you have a problem following, just tell me in the comments and I will include you anyway).  Leave a comment telling me your favorite board game.  For extra entries tweet about this giveaway, blog about this giveaway, go to Maukilo's website and tell me what you'd buy, or for three extra entires, put Eco Mama in your blogroll.  Just be sure to leave comments for each thing you do.  Winner will be chosen via Random.org on 12-5.  Good luck!

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.  AND THE WINNER IS....BITT.  Congratulations!

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KidsCraft Recycled Rocket ✮ GIVEAWAY ✮

Who doesn't love rockets?  KidsCraft Playhouses has made it possible and very convenient for your child to have one of their very own.  This Space Imagination Shuttle  was a smashing hit at my son's birthday party.  It is big enough to fit five pre-school age kids (though it's designed to fit up to three comfortably) and withstood a lot of rough housing and excitement.  The kids lit up when they walked through the door and saw it--the scale is quite big and dramatic.  This sort of takes the concept that kids would rather play with the box than the toy inside to a new level.

They come with recycled star crayons so the kids can decorate the rocket and they are made of 100% recycled materials and are completely recyclable when you are through with it.  We are going to carefully repackage it and keep it in the attic for future use.  But not until my son has had enough time to enjoy it.  You can put blankets and pillows and books and whatnot in there for a fun little haven.

KidsCraft Playhouses also make a cottage playhouse.  I think both would be wonderful in the classroom or for a special occasion.  If you are hosting a birthday party or event, consider one of these to liven up the festivities.  Or if you have a big space or are okay with one of these spending a little time in the living room, check out KidsCraft Playhouses HERE.  Proceeds from this Space Imagination Shuttle as well as all KidsCraft products go toward children's causes throughout the US.

                                        ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ GIVAWAY ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮

Win Your choice of the Space Shuttle or Cottage Playhouse by doing the following.  Each thing you do counts as an entry, just be sure to leave an individual comment for each.  These are super cool and totally worth the effort.  Good Luck!

1.  Visit KIDSCRAFT and tell me one interesting thing about this company.

2.  Tweet or blog about this giveaway (one entry for each).

3.  Follow KidsCraft on FACEBOOK. 

4.  Follow KidsCraft on TWITTER. 

5.  Follow this blog by going into your blogger dashboard and adding me to your public reading list.

Update:  This giveaway is now closed, Averie You are the winner!

True Random Number Generatorwinner:7Powered by RANDOM.ORG

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Green Gift Guide: Manhattan Toy Automoblox Mini's 3-Pack

Automoblox are a fusion of antiquity and modernity. These modern versions of wooden cars are made of German Beechwood and non-toxic components. They look great and have another exciting feature. They come apart and mix and match with the other cars. Moms know what this means--time. And maybe even a little quiet while that brain is engaged.

They're so well made they can be handed down through generations and I love the bright colors and smooth texture. The three pack of minis is a good size to fit in a stocking or under the tree and would make a smashing hit with the kids on your list. Find them locally in stores or online HERE.

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Green Gift Guide: Haba Pirate Games ARRGH MATEY!

You can never go wrong with Pirates. Haba comes through again with two wonderful and creative game options for kids, this time in the form of pirates, Pirate's Blast and The Black Pirate Game. Players use "billows" to move their ships around collecting gold and avoiding being pillaged by pirates, engaging motor skills and strategy.

We have the larger Black Pirate game and my son loves it. Like other Haba games, it's beautiful to look at, there's no plastic, and you never have to worry about toxic chemicals. There's also the fun novelty of it being a German game.

Maukilo is an old-school online toy store that offers these games as well as a wide selection of more safe, traditional, and hard to find toys perfect for the Holidays. Check them out HERE for unique gift ideas.

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Green Gift Guide: Sprig Toys Discover Rig

Now I see what all the fuss was about. I'd been hearing about Sprig Toys for a while, but I didn't realize how ingenious they were. Sprig Toys is the brainchild of three young toy designers who were once in the mainstream toy business. After seeing the environmental damage the production of their toys was causing, they started their own toy company.

Mindful of the trend toward passive electronic toys, they wanted to come up with something that wouldn't be harmful for the environment or the folks making the toys, and would get kids moving. I love the eco friendly concept and thought that has gone into this brand.

The toys are paint free and made of Sprigwood, a recycled non-toxic wood composite that smells like cedar. They are battery free and powered by the child--so smart! And they look cool.

This Discover Rig is quite big and Santa worthy. It's impressive and immediately inspires the feeling of adventure. Moving the rig forward triggers an inner generator which lights up the headlamp on Cap Faraday, the little adventure guide riding inside who also narrates an adventure story for as long as the rig is being pushed (with or without the included push-bar).

Sprig reaches a new, modern level of green. Check them out for some great green gift ideas.

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Green Gift Guide: Educo Master Carpenter Workbench

Kids love to take stuff apart and put it back together again. Educo's Master CarpenterWorkbench would make an awesome green gift for your budding engineer. It's completely non-toxic and old-school adorable. Both high quality and good looking, there's no plastic, it's all wood, and even comes with extras like a tool belt.

I think this would make for something dramatic that Santa Claus might leave by the tree. It comes in a box unassembled and is easy to put together. There are a lot of plastic tool sets out there, but this is worlds apart. My four year old son thinks it's the bees knees. Wood feels good in your hands and there's no scary chemicals to worry about that can harm your children. Good for us, good for the earth and guaranteed to keep them busy while you get dinner ready. You can find it HERE.

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Plan Toys Terrace Dollhouse

Did you have a dollhouse as a kid? I remember mine. It was all I wanted for my third year Christmas and it was one of those Fisher Price houses with the little peg people. I loved it. They didn't have Plan Toys back then, but I would have gone crazy for the Terrace Dollhouse.

First off, Plan Toys is an environmentally responsible company that practices the reduce-reuse-recycle principle. Their toys are completely non-toxic and made to last. Well made of eco friendly rubber wood, this house can be passed down through your family for generations. Heirloom toys are a way to feel connected and also keep the waste down. The few times I got toys passed on to me they became my favorites.

It comes unassembled but is easy to put together. The terrace is a nice place to put a little garden or patio while the attic might make a fun playroom. Kids love to rearrange furniture (sold separately) which helps them build their decision making faculties. What I love about a toy like this is it propels the child into the world of imagination. There's no corporate undertone--the house, matching people and furniture are simple enough for children to elaborate on their own.

Traditionally, we might think of a dollhouse as a toy for girls. However, boys love them too. My son incorporates his jeep and fire truck into the dollhouse scenario and it works really well. Also, this house is very gender neutral in both color and style. If your son has a dollhouse, when he has play dates with girls, they will be thrilled to see it and it makes a nice activity for two children to play with together. My son has little wooden animals that have become members of the household as well.

I can't say enough good things about Plan Toys. Check out their variety of houses, furniture, and people at Maukilo where you can find more classic toys and eco friendly brands like HaBa and Green Toys.

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