http://www.care2.com/greenliving/again-why-do-we-buy-wooden-toys.html
Again, Why Do We Buy Wooden Toys?
The other day I had a fellow parent come to visit with their child for a play date (someone please come up with a more palatable term other than a “play date”!). The parent looked around at the bevy of toys we have stacked and strewn for our child and remarked, “Wow, you sure have a lot of wooden toys.” My response was sheepishly in the affirmative, as I was waiting for the next question, which was logically “Why?” Well the follow-up question was not uttered, but it did cause me to reflect for a moment and wonder–why do we have so many wooden toys, and why have we consciously shunned all that tri-colored off-gassing, plastic garbage that everyone else has in excess?
Well, maybe I have answered my own question, but obviously not effectively enough for everyone else. When my wife and I first began to purchase toys for our child, while still in utero, the thought of exchanging our lives for a riot of plastic, beeping, battery-ingesting toys was just too distasteful. We opted for a few folksy wooden items (a wooden pull-along snail, a wooden teething ring, and the old stand-by, wooden blocks) and slowly, and somewhat compulsively, built up a wooden toy kingdom with exponential enthusiasm. Now, we are surrounded by enough whimsical wooden playthings to start a sizable bonfire, or maybe build a second house. Can’t do either of those things with plastic toys!
But modern plastic toys, with ferociously high-tech features, are created to primarily amuse and distract children, and are often about as overstimulating as a Starbucks gift card. They are rarely about real learning and promoting genuine creativity. Plastic toys are not nearly as durable as wooden toys, and tend to loose parts, break often and needlessly become long-term landfill residents, rather than being passed down to following generations. Not to mention the fact that many conventional plastic toys have been frequently recalled for safety violations (lead paint anyone?) and subject to much scrutiny over issues of off-gassing, potential toxicity, and multiple hazards that are too numerous to go into on this page.
Sure, not all wooden toys are inspirational gifts from the gods and it does take the elimination of a tree to create them, but in my experience, the level of quality, creativity, and inspiration contained in the bulk of wooden toys available (European and otherwise) makes plastic look like, well, cheap plastic (note: many forward thinking toy companies are now sourcing wood with more sustainable methods, relying on trees that quickly regenerate). Wooden toys have been known to inspire inventive and truly imaginative play in children. This may be due to the versatility inherent in most wooden toys and the lack of dictated play required by so many beeping and whirring plastic toys. Some studies have shown educational wooden toys build critical lateral thinking and problem solving skills and help build fine motor skills. I could go on and on, but I will spare the lot of you.
This is not an attempt to administer a sanctimonious rant on the virtues of wooden toys and evils of the synthetic. More than anything, it is a gentle reminder that, while wooden toys are often more expensive than their plastic counterparts, they prove to be a wise investment.
I invite you to agree, disagree, or just share your experience on this issue of plastic vs. wood, and how you have been served or underserved by choosing one or the other.
Eric Steinman is a freelance writer based in Rhinebeck, N.Y. He regularly writes about food, music, art, architecture and culture and is a regular contributor to Bon Appétit among other publications.
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25 comments
add your comment »Most of my favourite toys as a child were wood -- Tinkertoys, Lincoln Logs, building blocks, number and letter blocks, and a wooden cobbler's bench with wooden pegs I could pound through it with a little wooden mallet. I loved that little wooden mallet.
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One imaginative toy that can't be had outside of plastic with a reasonable price tag (or durability): dolls....there's some fabric ones out there, but they aren't very realistic and personally, as a kid I liked dolls that looked like real people. It would be neat if they did make realistic dolls out of wood. Wood BJD, anyone?
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I think the wooden toys are a great idea! It allows children to have imagination. Children have lost the wonderful creativity and learning that comes with imagination. The toys that are in the stores do just about everything for the children. They don't get to think and figure things out for themselves. I felt sad when our daughter picked up a toy in the store and said "What does it do?" That was a wake-up call for me. Jeni G.
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I don't have kids yet, but when I do, I will most likely purchase some wooden toys of good quality (if I can find any). My question is, what is the best way to clean wooden toys? I make most of my own cleaners, so is there a solution I could whip up for dunking toys in?
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I love wood toys! They will last a lifetime. Only problem is the paint (Ex. Thomas the Tank Engine) I have the Best solution-----Manufacture toys and other goods in the USA then all the out of work people can have jobs. There are plenty that can't even collect unemployment anymore.
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A more palatable term for "Play Date."
Play Gathering
Play Meet
Little Share Holders Meeting
Little Board Meeting
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I don't have children, but I can certainly see the benefit of wooden toys. If toys are anything like cutting boards, wood is better than plastic. I'm sure that wooden toys retain bacteria far less than their plastic counterparts.
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Thank you to everyone for all of your comments. A few people have inquired about where to buy wooden toys for their children. While I don't want to give a designated Care2 endorsement of any particular place, I will say in my opinion that the following website/companies seem to provide quality wooden toys:
Nova Natural - http://www.novanatural.com
Oompa - http://www.oompa.com/
Fauna - http://www.faunatoys.com/
Wooden Wagon - http://thewoodenwagon.com/
And there are many, many others that I am sure I am forgetting.
Best,
Eric
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I too like the wooden toys better, but am just as weary about them as the plastic. How do I know that the paint on them is any less toxic than the paint on any other plastic toy. Wooden toys are popping up everywhere, and many are made in China. We've had wooden toys from "reputable" companies (Melissa & Doug) and the paint's rub off of them onto the floor and any other hard surface (tv screen!) and can't get it off.
So, love wooden toys, but just as nervous about them as plastic ones.
Also, another challenge - my son spends more time playing at daycare than at home and I have no control over those toys... sorry, no Waldorf schools anywhere near :-(
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we buy wood toys as often as possible, (sustainable wood that is). However, considering my son's generation will inevitable be forced to work with technology (ie. computers) to make a living, I think it is just fine to have a few plastic electronic ones. Leap Frog makes some wonderful learning toys that he and I enjoy playing with together. Regarding the toxicity of plastic, now that he is older he does not chew on everything so I'm not so concerned about it. We do keep a close watch on toxins in our home regarding organic food, cleaners, furniture, etc. Sometimes you just have to compromise.
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