Toys Not Made in China

With the recent and seemingly ever-growing problem of recalls on so many products made in China, parents are rightfully concerned and looking for other options when it comes to buying safe toys for our children. I hope to bring to light some ideas that will help parents find safe and affordable toys; especially with the holiday shopping season looming in the not-too-far-off distance.

The first idea I came up with is the simplest idea. Making toys. In making toys for your children, it is good to first redefine or simplify what exactly a 'toy' is. All children love to be with their parents, doing whatever Mom or Dad is doing right along with them. This innate love of togetherness brings about a whole genre of play activities for kids. Baking cookies in fun, exciting shapes with Mom, picking up sticks in the yard with Dad-seeing who can pick up the most or toss the sticks in the wheelbarrow, 2 points! Any and all craft activities are guaranteed to be great fun; such as decorating a pot then planting flower seeds inside or making a keepsake box , using basic tools-all with close adult supervision, of course.

Along the making toys theme is also the idea of everyday items being fantastic toys that bring hours of fun, imaginative play. Cleaning supplies such as brooms and dustpans, a bucket of water with some sponges, rags and/or brushes all make great toys. Kitchen items like pots and pans, plastic dishes, cooking/eating utensils are always a big hit as toys with a wide age-range of kids. Cardboard boxes of many sizes are a phenomenal toy, an imaginative tool for kids of all ages. The list of items to be toys is endless, limited only by you and your children's imaginations.

Other toys to make are paper toys that can be as basic or as complex as desired. There are great books or even free websites, such as http://www.thetoymaker.com/ that offer many fantastic paper toy ideas you and your child, or other children you spend time with, can make together. Be sure to not forget the classic paper airplane and paper doll toys, made either from plain paper or from magazine cut outs.