Plan Toys Giveaway

Plan Toys describe their company as “We create toys that inspire children’s imagination as well as promote their physical and intellectual development.” I find this company irrisistable and have long before having my daughter. One of the first toys I purchased when pregnant with Zhana was a bag of building blocks by Plan Toys. This was long before I understood the importance of natural toys, developed a love for wooden toys, or became a self declared “toy snob” (lol). I remember seeing a beautiful display of wooden building blocks looking so lonely among a shelf of toys with lights and sound. I was immediately drawn to the blocks and even moreso when I saw the cotton drawstring bag they came in. These blocks sat on my shelf for months just waiting for when she was old enough for her to play with them and once introduced it has been a favorite. So, from the beginning I’ve had a bit of a love affair with Plan Toys.

They are a green company devoted to recycling, reduction, and reusing. All of their toys are made from rubberwood. Normally, these trees are burned after they no longer produce latex and Plantoys is the first company to use this material for toys! No fertilzer is added to the soil for three years before the trees are cut and they use a chemical free kilm drying process. Their glue is nontoxic, they use a waterbased dye, and soy/water based ink. These folks are very committed to the environment.

Plan toys is involved in several community projects including a toy museum, Sarnsaeng-Arun foundation, restoring the Phu Luang Forest, school activities, Toys for the Communities project, To Kids With Love Project, Toy Donation to Shizuoka City, and Charity Project to Honor Princess Mother of Thailand. I think of all the companies I’ve done reviews for, this is the one that gives back the most.

They have won several awards including the very respected Reddot Design Award, the German Design Prize, and Best Toy of the Year in Parenting magazine.

Now to the toys! The company classifies their toys into the following categories: PlanPreschool, PlanActivity, PlanDollHouse,PlanCity. PlanPreschool is for ages 0-4+. PlanActivity toys are encourage social interaction, use hand/eye coordination, and improve skills in a variety of other areas such as balance and planning. PlanDollhouse are adorable little dolls, furniture, and dollhouses. PlanCity lets children build a city with the different parts. They have a really neat concept called PlanBuildImagination which are toys than can work with any blocks.

I have some outstanding toys that I have to review for you today. ..

The first is the assorted fruit and vegetable set.The set includes an apple, pear, lemon, orange, banana, cucumber, mushroom, and carrot. This is a most fantastic product. It is just beautiful to start with and makes a perfect addition to a play kitchen. The fruit and veggies stick together by velcro that your little one “cuts” through. Your child will love slicing through the wooden fruit and vegetables and hearing the velcro sound that mimics the sound made when mom cuts up an apple. Talk about working on fine motor skills! This is one of my daughter’s favorite items and mine as well. I believe this is a must have item for an little one. This beautiful toy is going to last for years to come. What a bargain too at $20.00.

Next up, we have a very cute lacing sheep. The different parts of the sheep separate and then the children put the sheep back together depending on the color. This helps the little ones learn their colors and sequencing. I think it is really cute sitting out too! Even after your little one grows up, I could see it having a cute place in the home on a shelf. This neat toy retails for $20.

Next up, we have the Plan Toys Percussion Set. It consists of a guiro, maracas, tambourine and castanet. Children will learn a variety of sounds from different instruments. I love that each item in the set produces its own unique sound. The set not only sounds good but Iis nice to look at as well. I gotta tell you that I usually can't stand the child music sets because they are so loud and obnoxious on the ears but this one is softer and more natural sounding. It's all wood, so it has a more authentic sound.
It sells for $35.00.

Next up, is the stacking tree. This stacking set is designed based on the concept of nature. Each wooden piece can be stacked to form different kinds of trees. Children can learn the color variation and size. It's another beautiful toy and has many more uses than just for stacking. It can be part of a nature table, a city, a gnome village, and much more. I just adore it! This sells for $22.00.

Finally, we have dress up animals, which is a very unique product. Your child can dress the 2 figure with the 2 sided fabrics using the rope or button function to form 4 different safari animals- leopard, deer, tiger and zebra. The head can move up-down and the neck can rotate. Your child works on fine motor skills while playing with this beautiful toy! It is another very well made product. This sells for $22.00.

I hope you all will consider buying more natural toys for your children this Christmas. I know it is tempting to buy the latest toy when walking through your neighborhood department store and to be drawn into all the lights and sound. The toys I've reviewed today amplify your child's imagination and creativity and their appeal last considerably longer than the plastic toy that is soon to be played with a couple of days and then stashed at the bottom of the toy bin. Children will keep playing with wooden toys for years to come, likely because they are so open ended with many more possibilities. As I mentioned earlier, the plastic toys are ENTERTAINING but most really PLAYING. Furthermore, wooden toys are usually beautiful with delightful designs and shapes. I also believe wooden toys create more respect in your child in that they are more likely to take care of the product. Ive said it before, but even itty bitty toddlers seem to appreciate and somehow know that a wooden toy has more art and quality therefore seem to treat them better. I let my daughter throw her plastic toys into a bin but her beautiful wooden toys are set out and displayed always in their proper place. When not in use, they are so pretty that they are a part of her room decoration. Really, they are cheaper than battery operated toys and will last not just your childs life but for generations to come. Remember the lead paint scare we all experienced last year? Ususally these companies are safe and good for the environment. This is one small way to make your individual contribution to the environment. Also, I once went to a hear a nationally recognized psychologist who hypothesized ADHD may somehow be linked to children having so many toys that make sounds and light up. Children now believe they must constantly be entertained, rather than using their own imaginaiton as their entertainment.

Want to win the lacing sheep and stacking tree reviewed above? I have a few options for you.

1. The first step is to visit http://www.plantoys.com/. 2. Look around the store and come back here and tell me your favorite product and why you like it. This will get you one entry. 3. If you want a second entry, visit the previous post to this one on Wild Dill and tell me your favorite product that store offers under that post. 4. Want a third entry? Either follow me or subscribe to my feed. Send a post letting me know you subscribe. If you are already a subscriber let me know. 5. For a fourth entry, send me a message about your favorite Christmas Eve tradition. Happy Holidays!

December 14,2008-through December 22,2008; Ends 11:59 Central Standard Time