Green Options » child development

Too Many Toys

Jennifer Lance — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 04:08:59 +0000

Editor’s note: The following post was written by Professor Elkind, chief scientific advisor for Just Ask Baby. David Elkind is currently Professor Emeritus of Child Development at Tufts University. He was formerly Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry and Education at the University of Rochester. Just Ask Baby is a site devoted to:

providing our community of members with all the information, resources and support they need to help their children develop socially, emotionally and intellectually – and at their own pace – during the critical early years of their life…The information we provide is 100% based on decades of scientific research by some of the leading child development experts. We are also 100% un-sponsored by manufacturers and 100% un-influenced by advertisers.

Too Many Toys

A year ago last fall, I was asked by the Hasbro Toy Company to consider being a spokesperson for their line of early childhood toys. Hasbro recently bought Playskol, a well established, and well regarded, maker of playthings for young children. Before accepting, I had a meeting with the manager of the division, and with some of the designers and creators, at their offices in Pawtucket Rhode Island. I was particularly interested in seeing their current crop of toys. We met in a conference room in which the long mahogany conference table was covered with a wide variety of playthings. Among the array of toys, I was pleased to see cans of Playdoh, because I regard it as a plastic material that leaves plenty of room for children to use their imagination. That is why I bought Playdoh for my sons when they were preschoolers. It troubled me, however, to see that Hasbro now packages cookie like molds and even an “ice cream” maker along with the play dough. These add-ons would seem to constrain, rather than to encourage, imagination and creativity. I noticed similar add-ons for other classic Playskol playthings.

The Lessons of Sand Play

Jennifer Lance — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 23:41:16 +0000

providing our community of members with all the information, resources and support they need to help their children develop socially, emotionally and intellectually – and at their own pace – during the critical early years of their life…The information we provide is 100% based on decades of scientific research by some of the leading child development experts. We are also 100% un-sponsored by manufacturers and 100% un-influenced by advertisers.

The Lessons of Sand Play

While watching my great-nieces, Raven 3, and Stella Blue 5, at the beach on Cape Cod this summer, I was again impressed by the freedom, involvement and concentration of young children’s beach play.

They dug holes in the sand and enjoyed simply flinging the sand with their shovels; they filled pails with sand and built a sand castle, then filled the pails with water and washed it away. Stella Blue wanted me to bury her in the sand, and seemed delighted as I poured buckets of sand on her feet. She kept urging me to cover her toes as well. These two young children happily occupied themselves for hours on the warm beach sand. This kind of play is easy to understand but has a larger lesson as well.

“Healthy Children, Healthy Planet” Series: Week One

Ali Benjamin — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:39:54 +0000

Sometimes I think I’m like most parents: I want my kids to have a childhood, a real childhood. I don’t expect it to be pain-free — who among us got that? — but I believe it can also be filled with wonder and joy and laughter.

There are plenty of other times, however, that I feel like I’m not like any other parent I know. We restrict television to some carefully-chosen videos. My kids have never walked through the door of a McDonald’s, and they still have no idea what a Happy Meal is. They don’t use the computer. I regularly weed out the many Disney princess products that are given as gifts, crossing my fingers that my daughter won’t notice a toy’s sudden absence (she usually doesn’t).

What’s my problem? other parents sometimes ask. What’s the big deal?

Green Family Values: Natural, Wooden Toys by Plan Toys

Jennifer Lance — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 17:51:00 +0000

Children today are bombarded with plastic, limiting toys that do not expand their imagination or aid their development. Not only can plastic toys be harmful to children's health, but the production of plastic toys further increases our dependence upon petroleum and leaves a greater carbon footprint than natural, wooden toys. There are many companies that produce wooden toys; however, not all of these companies provide information about the kind of wood they use or their sustainability practices. In addition, many of these companies manufacture their toys in China, where constant monitoring is required to ensure dangerous substances, such as lead, do not accidentally enter into production, such as the recent recall of Thomas the Tank Engine wooden railway toys exemplifies. Plan Toys is a company you can trust!

Plan Toys motto is "Fundamentally Strong. It's fun to learn", as the company recognizes that children learn and develop cognitively, emotionally, and intelligently through play. Truly educational toys don't require children to press a button, require batteries, or read to your child with a computerized voice. Educational toys are open-ended and allow children to use their imagination in play. Natural, wooden toys, such as those made by Plan Toys, are perfect for children's development.

Rubber Wood: Photo Courtesy of Plan ToysPlan Toys uses chemical-free rubber wood to produce their toys. These trees are at least 25 years old, and thus have stopped producing latex. Rubber wood farmers traditionally fell these trees and burn them to produce charcoal, in order to clear the land for replanting. Plan Toys increases the value of these trees by using them to produce their beautiful line of wooden toys. The rubber wood is kiln-dried to avoid bacteria and pest infestation, thus making it naturally preservative free and safe for children. All paints are non-toxic, the glue used is latex-based, and all corners are rounded for safety; however, some toys do contain plywood. Plan Toys insures that their "plywood complies with E1 standards, thus ensuring emissions of urea formaldehyde at levels below those acceptable to the World Health Organization (WHO)". All packaging materials are recyclable and do not contain PVC.

Plan Toys Tractor and TrailerOur family has several Plan Toys wooden vehicles, and I have purchased many of these toys for my preschool program. Both my daughter and son play with these daily, and I feel good that they are playing with safe toys. The toys are durable, and unlike other wooden toys we own, I have never had to repair our Plan Toys. They are often spontaneously combined with other toys to create complex pretend situations. I highly recommend Plan Toys products and steer family members to this company at birthday time.

For 20 years, Plan Toys has been making quality wooden toys for children, in a socially responsible manner. They are manufactured in Thailand, so parents do not have to worry about the potential negative consequences of purchasing Chinese toys. In addition, Plan Toys provides a healthy, safe working environment for its employees. Parents can purchase Plan Toys with a clear, green conscious.