Green Options

Editor’s note: The following piece is guest post by Dalit Holzman from Natural Pod, one of our favorite eco-friendly toy companies.  Dalit is part of the Natural Pod team (www.naturalpod.com) and raises her two daughters as open-endedly as possible…with the help of some boxes.

We’ve all heard it. In fact we’ve all said it: “the best toy in the house is the cardboard box!” As parents we are constantly reminded that the active imaginations of children really don’t need much stimulation to get going…and going, and going, and going!

Just the other day my very own living room was transformed from, well, a living room into a series of caves and burrows, an enclave for ambushing mini- pirates!

Kids constantly mimic and replay the world around them, and though I am no pirate (lol), my daughters do seem to have many of my mannerisms and modes of communication down to a science (arrr me hearties!) They listen to learn to repeat.

Natural Pod, one of our favorite online natural toy companies, has introduced a wooden kitchen series just in time for the upcoming holiday season. With options such as the Chef’s Kitchen, Chef’s Kitchen and Hutch, and the Chef’s Portable Kitchen, these large wooden toys will inspire and delight any child.  Best of all, these products are made Canada and carry the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) ecolabel, which verifies the wood comes from well-managed forests.

My children love the Chef’s Portable Kitchen.  It was designed by Natural Pod and is made on Vancouver Island, British Columbia with a combination of Europly, Birch, Oak, Fir and Purple Heart and finished in natural beeswax.  Purple heart is one of my favorite woods, so I was delighted to see the details done in this unique wood. The portable kitchen is rather large at 32 inches across, making it easy for several children to work cooperatively and share this unique, wooden toy.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you can’t let rain stop you from going outside.  My family hikes, gardens, and frolics in the continual rain of the winter months.  Outfitting my kids for our wet adventures is a challenge until I discovered Natural Pod’s Puddlegear rain gear.

Natural Pod is a Canadian company specializing in natural items for play and daily living that are mindful, creative and inviting for your family.  Like many parents that recognize nature itself is the best natural toy, Natural Pod wants your children to enjoy the outdoors year round.  Just consider this great description of Puddlegear rain gear:

To kids, rain is a just another toy, offering unlimited opportunities for splashing fun. We think that’s a great attitude. These clothes are perfect for playing in. They are attractive, sturdy and designed for children’s need for freedom of movement. Naturally, all of this clothing meets every possible quality and safety requirement.  Puddlegear raingear is made in Europe by Abeko. A Swedish company that has been known for quality and function down to every last button and seam for 60 years . And kids think its cool too!

Beyond simply shopping for eco toys for my children, I also think it is important to support toy companies that support local designers and promote natural play. Natural Pod is a Canadian company that fits this bill, and they have just expanded their line to include the unique toys of two Canadian designers. Natural Pod’s motto is “Natural items for play and daily living that are mindful, creative and inviting for your family.”

Poot & Boogie Eco-Friendly Dolls

Poot & Boogie eco-friendly dolls are individually handcrafted from cotton and wool. The dolls are stuffed with corn-derived fiberfill, and each one is unique. These dolls are made in Aldergrove, BC, and they remind me of Raggedy Ann and the dolls children played with before plastic dominated the toy world.

My daughter didn’t get her first doll until she was about two-years-old, as I intended to raise her as gender neutral as possible and wanted to avoid the plastic baby/Barbie doll phenomena. My intentions were thrown out the window when I realized she was naturally a “girly” girl, and I discovered Waldorf dolls.  I hunted for a doll that would match my green values and still please her. I wish I would have found the organic Bamboletta Doll available from Natural Pod.

Bamboletta dolls are handmade by a stay at home mama in Cobble hill, BC, Canada. Bamboletta means “little doll” in Italian, which is what the dolls’ creator Christina Platt’s father nicknamed her as a child. She creates her handmade dolls from organic cotton, carded locally sourced lamb’s wool, and natural fabrics. Some dolls take up to 18 hours to complete.

Safely secured inside the tummy of each one of our dolls are three crystals – quartz, fluorite and carnelian – placed there to help produce a calming and grounding effect upon children. They are fashioned with serenely neutral facial expressions that encourage children to engage in open play, reflecting back to the child whatever emotion is timely and appropriate, whether happy, sad, or somewhere between.