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One of my fondest childhood memories was playing with a brand new refrigerator box with our neighbors in the front yard. This large box was a space ship, a school bus, a house, etc. Parents know that kids love boxes, and sometimes these corrugated containers are more interesting than the toys they contain on birthdays and holidays. Kidsonroof has combined children’s love of cardboard boxes with dramatic play to create the MobileHome.
The MobileHome is made from recycled cardboard, is biodegradable, five percent of profits are donated to UNICEF, and is made in China. It has eight secret rooms and is easy to take with you to the park, on vacation, or around the house. My children immediately integrated their other toys, including their children’s yoga mat, into dramatic play with our MobileHome.
Children are fascinated by animals. Perhaps they feel a closer connection to our furry friends than adults, or perhaps their fascination stems from their cravings to learn about the world around them. Playing with toy animals opens up possibilities for dramatic play beyond dolls and blocks, as well as complements these traditional toys. You’ve probably seen the plethora of plastic animals in toy stores, from zebras to giraffes, but the wooden toy animal options are usually simple cutouts that are hardly recognizable as animals. Anamalz are different, in that they truly look like animals, are made from wood and felt, and are poseable.
I first read about Anamalz in a post titled “What Makes Toys Green” on Z Recs. I was intrigued and had to get a set for my family. These are the first wooden toys I have encountered to be made from organic wood! Designed in Australia and made from non-toxic European materials, these maple animals are interactive and encourage creative play. Children can bend, balance, intertwine, move, etc. to their heart’s content without breaking these quality toys. Anamalz comes in 30 different species, including a 7 foot tall giraffe! Of course, my favorite is the elephant.
