I have to admit that I was never sold on these wooden figures. I have a long background in early childhood education and am a big advocate of open ended, quality toys. I'm also a big believer in the less is more theory of play. I thought these wooden figures were beautiful and reminded me a little of the Erzgebirge figures I have for myself, but they can get very pricey and I wondered if they were really that great and if they would actualy hold up to child play. To be honest, I was even kind of worried about splinters! With some cash sitting in my paypal account, I decided to take the leap, after all slowly collecting them would work best for us, and my first Ostheimer figures arrived at my doorstep yesterday afternoon. Now, I get it. Oh, I really really do. They are heavenly. They smell like a delicious forest, and they feel like silk. How wood feels like silk, I have no idea, but they do. As I'm typing this, I am actually holding a cow in my hand. That's how much I like them. They really do feel differently and I can see why they are much preferred (not just Ostheimer, but quality wooden figures in general). How great these will be for play! So thank you Waldorf forum, for introducing me to these figures, and helping in convincing me to test them out.
What are your favourite wooden figures? I'm loving the farm animals!
Follow Mothering