Friday 4 November 2011

The Slow Toy movement

 As a gran I am a firm believer that children need toys that stimulate their imagination, involve team play, and are long lasting and good value for money. I am not an advocate of bung em in front of the tv, or shove them on the computer, although we do have a wii and use it regularly together.

So when I received an e-mail today through Blog-match, asking me if I was interested in letting you know about


 ASOBI – “Let’s get the slow toys movement going"


I thought why not, it is what I believe a toy should be, so I hear you ask - What is all this about?

What happened to the rocking horse, the educational abacus, the classic wooden toy, the much loved train set or the ever so tradition Jack in a box? Why do the toys of today require multi coloured plastic structures, countless functions and noises going off left right and centre?  
Today sees the official launch of the Slow Toy Movement, by Asobi Toys, an inspired concept that aims to promote well made toys that are sourced ethically and leave plenty to kid’s imagination. Banished are the fast paced, 84 functions plastic monstrosities that are the talk of predictions for this Christmas.

This campaign in much the same way aims to support and promote toys sourced ethically and toys that let the child develop at their own pace. Children should never be in a race to talk or walk first, this is not a competition. Development should be left to follow it’s own pace. There should be a time to play and a time to study, work and develop.
Thierry Bourret, Managing Director of Asobi toys and the inspiration behind this concept comments: “Our launch today is very much in response to where a plastic toy that poos made the top of a list for Christmas toys.

He continues: “we are on the hunt to produce a list of the best slow toys of this season and want some help!”
Asobi are asking our readers if they can spare the time to name 12 toys, launched on the UK market this year that fit in the slow toys definition of:
• Not made of plastic
• Ethically sourced
• Fun to play with
• No need for batteries
 • Sold in independent toy shops
• Durable
• Without thousands of different functions (rely on the child’s imagaination for this!)


So I put my thinking cap on, did a large amount of googling, wandering round online toy shops for new products to see if I could  come up with a theme I could go with to tie up 12 new toys with and the theme I came up with is

Toys that tie in with a song theme.




All little boys and some little girls dream of being a lorry driver. With this sturdy wooden toy they can take to the roads, exercise their imaginations and also improve their recognition. The lorry comes with a shape fitting toy which is the lorry’s load.

Lyrics to Trains and Boats and Planes by Burt Bacharach






Our pull along family of ducks is a lovely traditional wooden toy and the perfect gift for a toddler who is just learning to walk, it's much more fun to walk with a family of ducks after all!
A bright coloured mummy duck and her three little ducklings all twirl when pulled; a lovely gift and great fun for the entire family.

Link to Disco Duck by Rick Dees








 Budding carpenters will love this sturdy junior toolbox, complete with a range of smart tools that fit neatly inside. The tools are perfectly sized for little hands to enjoy hammering, drilling and other D.I.Y activities in a safe and fun way whilst developing dexterity and imagination


Lyrics to Bob the Builder









This amazing flying bird has been delighting kids of all ages for over forty years. The patented mechanical toy flies by flapping its tear-proof wings up to 25 meters, powered by a high quality rubber band and mechanism. Simply pull the lever under the right wing, hold the bird upside down and turn the handle 50 times. Lift the tail and adjust the angle to achieve the desired flight direction, this enables the bird to climb and turn. Finally press the switch under the right wing, once the wings begin to flap, gently launch the bird but do not throw.


 Fly like a bird Mariah Carey link




A handmade elephant shaped bamboo jigsaw made up of brightly coloured pieces, lower case alphabet one side and capital letters the other. Jigsaw can stand for display or lay flat for play. Encourages colour and letter recognition and hand-eye coordination.


Lyrics to Nellie the Elephant









Small Push Along Red Car

Handmade bamboo red car. Perfectly shaped to introduce your child to the joys of push along toys, why not collect all 4. Encourages hand-eye coordination and imaginative play.
I was riding in my car Madness





Jack in the box 
Description: Embossed tin box with plush puppet Velcro hands to play 'Peek-a-boo' Plays "Pop Goes the Weasel" Packaged in 'Try Me' box 13cm tall (closed)

Clodagh Rodgers Im just a jack in the box












Duck and Cow squeaky set Squeekaboo’s
Monkey, Lion, Elephant, Giraffe, Cow
and Duck Squeakaboo’s!
Beautifully crafted members of the
brand new “Baby by Fiesta Crafts”
range. Made from plush fabrics and
corduroy, with bright primary colors,
these soft toys are the perfect size for
tots. They squeak, jingle and crinkle
and are ideal for playing peek-a-boo
games, bringing smiles and giggles
to little ones’ faces. The Squeakaboo!
range make special little gifts for new
borns upwards, and come with a gift
tag,

which I linked to Old MacDonald had a farm



A cute Ladybird Push Along. When pushed, the colourful wooden beads make a great clacking noise...guaranteed to put a smile on any child's face!  Children will have hours of fun running around.  Great for helping get little ones on their feet.


lyrics for Ladybird Ladybird











Playnest & Gym - Jungle
£44.99
A soft multi-sensory environment with a fun jungle scene around the Playnest and the Gym as the sky. The triangular Playnest offers additional sideways support for baby during play. There are textures and sounds to explore in the 4 Gym toys and the 8 activities around the Playnest. Both hand/eye coordination and manipulative skills are encouraged and Playnest & Gym will play an important role in baby's physical and play development. The Playnest/Gym covers and soft toys are machine washable. 


 Lyrics to Jungle



Ball Track Perpeto


Endless rolling fun! The balls not only zip down the tracks but can also move upwards, thanks to the cog elevator. Skilled ball track experts just turn the corresponding cog and the balls start the next round, down they roll over two slopes and a track of rods. After a short pause on the flexible collecting mirror they continue to zip along the rattling track, bells ringing, right down into the valley. Material: ball track and 3 balls (one with peep hole) made of birch plywood and beech wood, little bells. Dimensions: w 49 x h 40 x d 20 cm.


 This reminded me of a pinball machine so I linked it with Pinball Wizard





Lastly Im afraid Im showing my age,  and funnily enough brings us right back to where we started from A rose garden from Calafant

CALAFANT is solely focused on a child's need for creative play. The company has an extremely sturdy, yet light and flexivle cardboard material specially produced to ensure high quality for children to freely decorate and play safely. The company knows that kids like to transport or even throw and push the toys: the special cardboard allows them to do that without the toys being easily damaged. Many small details reveal the great thought that went into the development of each model. With illustrated instructions included the toys can be easily built without glue, thanks to a clever fold-and-slot system.
CALAFANT pays close attention to ensure that there are no sharp edges or pointy towers. Since play and storage space is often an issue, each toy can be folded away for storage and, once the child has outgrown or outplayed it, it can be recycled instead of being thrown away and sent to a landfill.

This ties in with I beg your pardon by Lynn Anderson


So I hope you like my choice

1 comment:

  1. What lovely toys! I think I shall have to add some to my shopping list for my daughter!

    ReplyDelete

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