Category: toys

The Magic Sceptre: The Legend of Blue Santa Claus

Post author By Tilly Thyme
Post date November 25, 2011
2 Comments on The Magic Sceptre: The Legend of Blue Santa Claus

“Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.” ~ Henry Van Dyke

Thanksgiving and its merriment are behind us, but do let the gratitude for life’s simple blessings fill your heart in the days to come. As we enter the holiday rush today, I am reminded of favorite Christmas books that grace our shelves but once a year. We treasure them, drinking in their magic for so short a time, but their temporary visit makes them all the more special. And so, for the final six days of November, I will select holiday-themed books in celebration of Picture Book Month. What books bring you back to your childhood feasts? Which do your children cherish most?

A number of years ago, my husband presented me with a book and a stuffed blue Santa Claus at Christmas. Having never seen a smurf-colored Claus, I was perplexed, but the tale that unfolded in the pages of the book enchanted both me and my children.

The Magic Sceptre: The Legend of Blue Santa Claus

by Joan Klatil Creamer

Lightning Bugz open ended play toys Waldorf

A bit of natural wonder for Valentine’s Day …

Post author By Tilly Thyme
Post date January 27, 2011

A very quick post to share a wonderful (yes, as in full of wonder), natural, open-ended, handmade gift that any child would love to receive for Valentine’s Day, Easter, a birthday … is there a day that wouldn’t be brightened by Wonder Wandz by Lighnting Bugz? On Valentine’s Day, I plan on setting up a little trail of chocolate kisses (in different colors for each child) from their bedroom doors to our living room where they will find two magical boxes. Open the boxes with me, and see where your imagination takes you …

The woman behind the wonder describes how her latest creation, perfect for girls and boys, “can be used for everything from dancing, to running and twirling, to casting magical spells, to helping fairies, to piloting space ships, to fitting in gnome homes, to digging wondrous caves! The possibilities go on forever!! I love how children just seem to know what the wand should be used for at the exact moment.”

open ended play toys

Felt Storyboard/Storybox

Looking for a quick, painless and easy craft that will entertain your children long after the crafting is done? Look no further …

As holiday gifts arrive at my doorstep, my house becomes increasingly overtaken by cardboard boxes of every imaginable size. What to do with so many bins as we await recycling day? Make a traditional, old school storyboard or storybox, of course.

open ended play toys

Open Ended Toys: Play Kitchens

Post author By Tilly Thyme
Post date June 20, 2010
12 Comments on Open Ended Toys: Play Kitchens

“The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things.” Plato

This weekend as I watched my children derive intense pleasure from endless hours of digging sand and splashing water on the beach, I started thinking about all of the toys around our home that sit gathering dust. Everyone with children can probably name the top ten toys that see the most action in his or her home, and I’m no exception. I’ve come to realize over the past year that the best toys are those that allow my children to invent new games at will, that don’t constrict their imaginations with one specific way to play, that are by nature “open ended.”