A wise woman once wrote about carefully questioning the toys you bring into your home by asking, "Is it beautiful? Do the tools and toys around you evoke a feeling of beauty? By choosing carefully what toys you bring into your home, you can encourage a love and appreciation for good design and craftmanship. Choosing to surround ourselves with beautiful design can be a great source of inspiration.... Is it simple? Think about selecting toys that can be used in a multitude of ways and that evoke imagination and creative expression. "
North uses thrifted dessert spoons and forks, glasses, plates and bowls for his meals.
Almost all of our toys are thrifted and handmade- wooden blocks and animals, and old matchbox cars and trucks.
North's little kitchen contains thrifted stainless steel cups and bowls, wooden spoons and wood food.
We have a nature table with handmade gnomes, felted pod babies and this weeks freshly picked flora.
He has a basket filled with colourful paper scraps and an array of beeswax crayons to choose from. Even his playdough is a beautiful off-white- why bother with colouring when the colour of the flour is so pleasing?
In North's world pancakes are made from seashells and are baked in the oven; princesses ride diggers; pasta is served at tea parties; knights work in car garages and rhinos play hide and seek with pigs. Simple toys foster creativity, joy, adventure and endless possibilities.
xo 
11 comments:
I love the wise woman quote you sited ... such good questions to ask yourself about the items you choose to bring into your home. Beautiful play things in this post :)))
such a beautiful quote and wise words...you little nature mat is very sweet. Happy pancake making with pretty shells!
Beautifully said.
xB
Your wooden toys, kitchen and cradle look amazing. I wish I had so much determination from day one. I am trying to steer away from plastic now, but it is so much harder after a few years of accumulating junk and after your kids have gotten attached to their toys.
its a good way to live isn't it! My second just loves hanging out in the small kitchen - lives to be there and he is only one. It makes me think about how the journey to living like this meant my first saw both sides of the coin but my second only sees one. I wonder what the differences in them will be?
Every time I see that kitchen I gasp out loud. So beautiful! Thanks for posting this, Meagan...even after 6 kids I need to be reminded from time to time.
Each time I read your post I think to myself we would have been great friends if we lived closed. Your post sounds very like something I would have written myself!
There's still plastic junk here, unfortunately! My mom keeps buying those *&%?%$ little ponies even after how many times I told her not to!
But at the end of the day, what my daughter loves the more to play with are the wooden blocks, felt play food I made her and breastfeed her doll. And that makes me happy!
I love this! Great ideas here too. We're trying to avoid plastic too - hard when people give it to you. :( Love North's kitchen! So cute. And I love that rhinos play hide n seek with pigs. :)
i just love your color-FULL home made world!
X
I wish I 'd been so wise with my first! I found it difficult to part with the plastic because I hated the thought of people thinking I didn't appreciate their gifts...but slowly our toys have become earthy and beautiful and the plastic items have (mostly) found new homes or their way to our sandpit! I found reading some Montessori documents put me on a path of appreciation for quality and the way I've set my home up communicates to my family that we like to use natural and everyday materials. My biggest struggle is bidding fairwell to years of pre-children Tupperware collecting...but it's time to move onto stainless steel I think!
love this post, well done Mama for living your choices, deep respect x
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