Posts filed under 'Playing'
My son has a funny thing going on with witches and wolves. He can’t get enough of the story of Little Red Riding Hood, and also the Three Little Pigs are amongst his favourites. Especially if you make it a little more exciting with well implemented sounds and pauses, he’s completely enchanted. Never mind that he hears the same story for the gazillionest time!
This cuddly wolf from Ebulobo has therefore stolen his heart. It’s a bit of a crazy wolf, because besides Pigs and Little Red Riding Hoods he eats saucepans, mobile phones and chickens. And even though my son should have outgrown this toy a little, he and even his big sister are still majorly entertained by it!
I found it amongst many other treasures in the new online shop Peanut & Pip, which is definitely worth a visit to discover some new, cool products.
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
March 11th, 2010
Whippet Grey began as a story-book, one full of enchanting objects … and that’s just the feeling you get when stepping onto the web pages of this online store. Whippet Grey is a family-run business selling various curiosities for the home, garden, you & the kids. With the departments sounding like chapter-headings; “Secret Garden” or “Curious Objects“, Whippet Grey is a lovely cyber-space to spend a coffee break.
I particularly like the “Children’s Den” split into 3 sub-chapters; Animal Kingdom, Budding Artist and Discovery Trail — there are some beautiful and different gifts for children of all ages. I love this shaggy black sheep rocker (if only there was justification for another rocker!) and have just ordered these ‘play-shapes‘ for my son’s 3rd birthday — we are very into any good rainy-day activities and these not only fit the bill but are beautiful to boot!
Oh and also their sale just started — temptation just got a bit more tempting!
- Mo. x
Mo in London
March 1st, 2010
Just our luck — we’ve driven into a cyclone storm here on the eastern coast of Queensland! It has rained every day for the past five days… which is seriously NO fun when you’re living in a tiny campervan and you have three kids with pent-up energy!
Thankfully we brought loads of colouring books, cards and travel games with us, which we have now played about 100 times! Our favourite is this travel bingo game by Djeco because it’s so easy even the 2-year-old can play!
The concept is easy — everyone takes a puzzle board, empties out the six pieces (6 different animals), and then takes turns spinning the wheel to try to fill their puzzle back up! The first one with a completed puzzle wins! Fun!
-Courtney
Courtney in London
February 5th, 2010
I love traditional toys that allow my children to use their imaginations — toys that inspire their creative play. I also love toys that look great in my home. (Hey, I haven’t earned the title ‘toy snob’ from my friends for nothing!) Enter Dobbin and Drum’s hobby horses. Just gorgeous. They are made from 100% natural fabrics — Australian hardwood dowel, leather trim and are filled with the highest quality 100% lightweight pure Australian merino wool. Now these hobby horses are no ordinary run of the mill horses, they are of heirloom quality and completely and lovingly hand-made. In a world of electronic toys and high tech gadgets, I am proud to say my children love their hobby horses and they regularly feature in their creative play. To be honest, they also make the odd appearance when they are fighting….
Dobbin and Drum are a small Australian company that produce a select range of natural fibre quality crafted toys — toys with ’soul and substance”. For the full range of hobby horses (including the fabulous unicorns and dragons) and for stockist information, refer to their website. Despite being a little tricky to wrap (I always end up resorting to just a ribbon) they make the perfect gift for a young child.
P.S. I can also recommend Dobbin and Drum’s teepee’s and drums — the very best I have seen.
- Sara
Sara in Melbourne
February 4th, 2010
I found this beautiful wooden stacking ring in a cute little interiors shop near my parents’ house in the Midlands (called Bagel & Griff in Market Harborough, for any readers up that way). Not only is it beautiful to look at, but totally natural, safe and soothing for babies to play with (and chew on). It is made by Little Sapling Toys and I just found out they have an Etsy shop.
I love their teething rings — my favourites being the little bird and the hedgehog — a perfect ‘new baby’ present!
Mo. x
Mo in London
February 1st, 2010
Most parents discover fairly early on that if they want to meet in a cafe with friends and have any hope of conversation (one that spans more than 10 seconds), then a distraction for the children in the form of a book/toy is imperative. It allows at least some semblance of communication between the adults whilst in the company of young children — where you can form a full sentence… in one go!!
Many cafes in Melbourne answer this need, providing crayons and butcher paper to occupy the kids. And that certainly helps! But Family Life Home & Café in Grattan Street, Prahran goes one step further. Not only is it a divine Balinese inspired space, incorporating a cafe and boutique, but it has a gorgeous imaginative play area for the children.
So… whilst you leisurely sip your cappuccino on a comfy couch, chat to friends, read the newspaper (without being interrupted every. single. sentence) and shop for hand-made toys, eco homewares, exotic recycled furniture and some great kidswear — the children are happily playing nearby in the enchanted forest or putting on a show in the gazebo! Happiness all around!
If you are visiting, be sure to check out the kidswear. Not only do they carry some great Aussie designers like Mill&Mia, Sudo and Jellyfish but they also carry a more obscure Balinese designer called Paul Ropp. His distinctive and vibrant pieces are truly amazing!
Family Life will also throw a fantastic kids birthday party, with every little detail taken care of!
- Sara
Sara in Melbourne
February 1st, 2010
My girls are all about playing “house” these days… so when I found this sling in a local kids store a few weeks ago I nearly passed out and died from the cuteness. I was never a “sling” person really, more of a Baby Bjorn gal myself, but the doll sling was just too cute to resist. When the girls put them on they instantly looked like two little hippie mothers on route to the local food co-op. I was almost expecting them to start swapping Quinoa recipes and stories about the joys of their home births in their apartment bathtubs (I am so going to get killed for this).
No offense to the “sling” wearers of course. I am totally kidding. I think they are cute on adults as well. I also found these adorable ones on Etsy from SnuggyBaby. So adorable!
-Dina
Dina in New York
January 18th, 2010
Every Friday my daughter is allowed to bring a toy from home to her pre-school. In the afternoon, the kids can share their special toys and games with their classmates.
Such a nice initiative, I thought, and so I’ve been suggesting that my daughter bring puzzles, simple board games and other easy-to-share and educational toys. My daughter, however, has been coming home super excited about the make-up her little friends brought from home to share. Alas! Make-up? First, is she sixteen yet? (No, only four.) Second, aren’t these make-up kits for kids filled with nasty chemicals and artificial colouring? (I’m pretty sure they are!)
Recently I came across the Whoops Bunny all-natural make-up sticks. Problem solved! The sticks come in five colours and look cute with the little bunnies on them. The colours are bright but translucent, so the whole thing looks extremely innocent when applied and doesn’t remind me of grown-up make-up at all.
My daughter was extremely pleased with them — they’re even better than the real thing!
Best of all, the make-up sticks are made from 100% natural ingredients like beeswax, coconut oil, grape-seed oil, pineapple extract, raspberry extract, etc., and all the packaging is bio-degradable. I even must admit that I’ve been stealing my daughter’s make-up… They make fantastic chapsticks!
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
January 9th, 2010
This morning, conveniently before we were about to leave the house, the girls decided that they were going to take out ALL of their puzzles and “build a bridge to a princess island” across the entire apartment with the pieces. While I didn’t want to interrupt their burst of ill-timed creativity I was not all that excited about who would be cleaning it all up. Anyway – while scanning down the “princess bridge”, I was reminded of one of my favorite on-line haunts for puzzles and crafts. Lakeshore Learning is my go-to source for amazing games, paper products and crafts. The website is first and foremost a resource for school teachers and most of the items that you will find are used in classrooms. A few things that I literally can not live without are the peel and stick boards and the bags of craft materials. The other items that are great are the early learning toys, like the one pictured. All in all, everything that you will find on the site is is high quality, mindful and engaging.
-Dina
Dina in New York
December 30th, 2009
Here is one of the best holiday presents I have stumbled across. At least, I reckon I would love it if I was almost four and loved magnets and dolls! The Petite Marie magnet doll is the brain child of the great little Danish toy label Sebra.
I personally love the vintage ’50s design, and my daughter will hopefully spend hours deciding what to put on her little doll and taking the clothes on and off. And it all comes in a handy wooden box which stores all the little bits and pieces.
The Petite Marie Magnet Doll is available through Nordinary.
- Emilie
Emilie in Paris
December 20th, 2009
Sometimes we experience moments with our kids that bring tears to our eyes. Like recently, when my 2-year-old boy bravely stepped forward to sing his St. Maarten song for the strangers in the doorway, raising his homemade lantern in his hand, trying to sing the well memorized song but barely making himself heard thanks to losing his voice to a bad cold… So brave. So sweet. SO totally adorable.
Or this morning, when I downloaded Peekaboo Farm for him on my Iphone and the sweetest look of happy surprise on his face made me nearly eat him up! (I immediately downloaded peekaboo Wild too, another instant success.)
Peekaboo Farm and Peekaboo Wild are super cute educational Iphone applications aimed at one and two-year-olds, available in both English and Spanish. All the graphics are designed by Divya Srinivasan, regular contributor to the New Yorker, and are seriously very well done.
A total recommendation, both from my snotty son and me!
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
December 4th, 2009
Are you looking for a sweet present for your kids… Something cute, something original, something magical, dreamy and creative? Check out Ce que je voeu!
The concept may be simple: dress-up nightwear. But given these pajamas are created by a French company, we’re speaking of highly original, cute, and well-designed pajamas of excellent quality!!
The details are lovely, the fabrics are 100% natural and all the designs come with a little accessory that allows your little adventurers to play — and dream — to the max!
There’s a pirate, a princess, a superhero and a fairy; I like them all. And hurray… I finally have an excuse to leave my children in their pajamas for most of the day!!
xxx Esther
P.S. Use discount code babyccino15 for an exclusive 15% discount!
Esther in Amsterdam
November 24th, 2009
I went to a friend’s house recently and she had a large collection of the Kid O educational toys for her daughter, and I was so blown away by the beauty of the toys and also by the concepts behind them. Kid O is dedicated to ‘enriching the play and learning experiences of preschool children at home’. They take a very Montessori approach in helping to create confident, life-long learners.
The Kid O collection includes beautiful wooden puzzles, stacking toys, sorting games and blocks. They’re the type of toys that look great on a coffee table, but are truly designed for the benefit of children.
Since we’re celebrating our second birthday this week, I thought I would mention these toys… they’re perfect for a 2-year-old!
-Courtney
Courtney in London
November 7th, 2009
These fun shapes ‘Créanimaux Farme’ by Djeco are not your usual building blocks. They come with feet, tails and heads and can be combined to make the six cute farm animals pictured… But they can also be creatively combined into the coolest, craziest creatures you can come up with!
My kids (and I) have already had endless fun with it. And, like every toy made by Djeco, this set looks super stylish, so we just leave our crazy creatures on display on the dining table, eagerly awaiting yet another clever deformation.
This toy would definitely makes a great gift for a 2-year-old; it’s available through cute kid’s shop Nubie.
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
November 4th, 2009
It must be Halloween season because dress-up items are everywhere in the kid’s section at Ikea! They’ve brought out again the funny masks that Courtney wrote about a while ago (although I could not find the ladybird or the chick), and in the same Maskerade collection they have added these fun hats which can definitely be a good starting point for a simple costume. They have velcro at the back, so they should fit kids of any age and head size.
I bought a few of them for our costume basket and the children love them; my son is so funny with the viking helmet plus beard. They are not in the catalogue or on their website… but they are there, trust me!
-Michela
Michela in Milan
October 27th, 2009
Speaking about Simple Living — what better family entertainment can you think of than old-fashioned parlour and board games?? I think my kids are probably too little for strategy classics such as Chess, Checkers, Backgammon, or Monopoly— but I can’t wait until they are big enough because I just LOVE to sit around a big table and play games!
I recently challenged my husband to a few games of Scrabble (he lost), and it brought back such great memories of playing Scrabble with my mum on a winter evening. My grandmother and I have played endless rounds of RummyCub, so cosy…
As a student I played loads of Yahtzee with my housemates (still love the mix of strategy and luck; did you know dice were found in Egyptian tombs?). And Twister! Such fun!!!
The great benefit of playing parlour games (over f.i. watching television or playing computer games), apart from being fun and cheap, is that you’re interacting. Children learn to follow rules, wait for their turns, and to correct and challenge each other. It trains their strategic thinking and problem solving abilities, and can improve their skills. They also have to deal with the emotional consequences of their games: handling loss, helping a friend to handle a loss, and being a gracious winner…
Round of Scrabble, anyone??
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
October 8th, 2009
I remember my mum used to make playdough for me when I was a kid — I LOVED it! When I was old enough I started making the dough myself, and made Christmas and Easter decorations out of it! I remember that I preferred to make plain playdough, without colouring, and paint and lacquer the pieces when it was thoroughly dry.
For our Simple Living theme week I decided to try to make playdough with my kids and it was an instant success! I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before — it’s made in less than 5 minutes from cheap ingredients that are always in the cupboard, it’s completely natural and earth-friendly, and what child doesn’t like to have their hands in the dough?
Here’s how to make the dough (my way):
-2 cups of plain flour
-3/4 cup of salt
-3/4 cup of water
-1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
Knead well, add more water if too dry and more flour if too wet. To glue one piece of dough to another it’s best to use a little bit of water. Dry for a couple of days at room temperature to paint and lacquer or keep in a plastic bag for future use… (Just add a bit of water when it gets too dry). Have fun!!
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
October 7th, 2009
When it comes to simple ideas, these cool Billy Rockers take the cake. They’re not just fun ride-along toys, but also a craft project/design challenge. With a little paint, crayons, stickers, etc. you can customize the rockers into anything you wish: a rocking horse, dragon, dolphin, unicorn, etc.
The Billy Rocker is made from recycled cardboard, is sturdy enough to hold a hefty 50Kg and comes flat-packed in a box ready for easy assembly. Simple but WAY cool!
In keeping with our ’simple living’ theme this week, we’re giving away one of these rockers! Just leave a comment below with your best tip/idea for simple living, and the best comment will win!
Good luck!
P.S. A big congrats to Mai from North Carolina, USA who won the last give-away: the beautiful necklace with choice of birthstones from Prismera Design.
Courtney in London
October 5th, 2009
Last year we signed my oldest son up for football (the European kind, not the American), and when he got to practice all he wanted to do was pretend he was a shark caught in the net; he never kicked a single ball. His teachers at school give quarterly reports, and it’s always the same: he’s really into role-play and acting. So… apparently we don’t have a future footballer in our hands, but he does have a great imagination. I’m sure he would love these mask and tail costumes by Oeuf! Great for a rainy day, or even for Halloween!
These costumes are available from cute on-line boutique, Pink Olive, which sells loads of unique gifts and knick-knacks by artists from around the world. I also love the owl bookends, the Eiffel Tower pillow, and their fun assortment of children’s clothing.
-Courtney
Courtney in London
October 2nd, 2009
I swear my daughter might turn out to become a post master, she likes stamping so much! She has spent many a happy rainy afternoon sitting around the kitchen table, stamping her little heart out.
I couldn’t resist getting her a Djeco Super Hero stamp set. They are such great designs and after an extensive stamping session she gets to colour the characters in, so I am talking hours of fun.
By the way, I have never been let down by any of the Djeco toys, the designs are so clever and the toys really stimulate creativity….
The stamps are available on Amazon France.
- Emilie
Emilie in Paris
August 12th, 2009
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