Toys

[momtokay]

My girls have too many toys!! We have so much they don't play with anything as much as just pull it all out and throw it around the room. I really, really need to pare down significantly and was looking for help on what would be in your ideal playroom setup for a 18-month old and a 4-year old. What are your Waldorf friendly must haves for this age group? Any suggestions for us?

TIA!!

[lauren]

Momtokay, just checking to make sure you wanted to post this is the Waldorf subforum of Learning at School? If that was not your intention, I'd be glad to move it for you. Were you asking if there were too many toys or if you were missing essential Waldorf toys? (sorry--it's early and I haven't had coffee yet!)

[Deborah]

Originally Posted by momtokay

My girls have too many toys!! We have so much they don't play with anything as much as just pull it all out and throw it around the room. I really, really need to pare down significantly and was looking for help on what would be in your ideal playroom setup for a 18-month old and a 4-year old. What are your Waldorf friendly must haves for this age group? Any suggestions for us?

TIA!!

My grandchildren are pretty close to this age. Some of the things my daughter gives them to play with:

small pots and pans and wooden stirring utensils
silk scarves
cotton play clothes
small cotton receiving blankets
waldorf baby dolls (for the little one), the kind with no legs
wooden cars and trucks
blocks (uneven ones cut from small tree branches are nice)
a few nice board books

the four year old also has a lot of books
three or four cloth dolls that she plays make believe games with
marbles
cards
a wooden train set
a basket filled with dress up clothes (this is her major favorite)

It is hard to keep from accumulating too many toys. Grandparents want to give gifts, so do other relatives and it piles up and up.

You could ask for gift certificates or cash for quality natural fiber clothing for the kids instead of toys that they will lose interest in very quickly. My daughter is always trying to find the resources to get the merino wool underwear the little ones wear through the winter. They live in Vermont in a cold house and it is an absolute necessity.

Nana
Good luck finding the right stuff and getting rid of the excess.

[momtokay]

Yup, I did mean to put it here. I edited my post to hopefully make it more concise. I have a habit of

Thanks so much Nana for the feedback too!!!

[AnnR33]

I agree with the above list but would have as many books as possible around-that seems to be my DD's main "toy."
I have them in the playroom on the book shelf but also in each rm of the house in baskets so they're always available and it sure does show-we have bks everywhere! But it's a good thing to me.
Also puzzles for different ages and a nice wooden dollhouse or treehouse would get lots of use I bet! And they can do so much with this-use it as a barn, garage, puppet show, etc.
Good luck,
Ann

[Rhonwyn]

A kitchen set if you can swing it. Both my kids (boy and girl) loved theirs. Trestles are great for building houses, shops, etc. Wooden trains - you can find these now at Target. I am always amazed when the girls from my son's class come over they always head for the trains. I think it is because they don't have them at home.

If you decide to give a doll to your 4 year old, check out Joy's Waldorf Dolls. She is in Seattle and often has classes where you can make the doll yourself. It is a really special gift to give your child.

[Deborah]

My daughter and son-in-law built a great little kitchen. They used wooden shelves underneath for a storage area, made a simple countertop out of a board with a cut-out circle for a stainless steel bowl "sink" and then attached a couple of shelves above for storing little bowls and stuff. There are lots of baskets, two sizes of wooden bowls, the pots and stirrers mentioned in my first post and anything else that might be found in a "kitchen." It is a very popular play space and cost very little to put together. You can pick up a lot of appropriate stuff at garage sales.