Can you guys believe it’s nearly November already?! You know what that means… time to start thinking Christmas shopping. Although the process can be overwhelming, it can also be a lot of fun hunting down the most exciting, enticing and developmentally appropriate toys for your littles.
I know I always feel a great sense of anticipation and accomplishment when I’ve finally settled on my top picks and placed my order.
Today we’re hoping to help with that and Alli is here sharing one of MPMK’s all-time favorite sponsors and maker of handmade educational toys, and they’ve got a special gift for you:
This is the biggest discount the shop will offer all year and is good now through Dec. 9th, 2014. Here’s Alli with the goods on these awesome toys…
I love handmade toys. I mean, LOVE. When my firstborn was a baby, I had this fear that he would come to loathe wooden toys…because that’s all I would buy him!
Fortunately for us, that’s not been the case. Quite the opposite, actually. Not only do both of my sons love classic-style toys, but they are the only toys that seem to withstand their – well – vigor, shall we say?
So when we had the opportunity to review a toy from , I leaped at the chance.
We were so excited to get our Shoot for the Rainbow Play Set in the mail. And from that point on, it was pretty much impossible to keep my boys away from it. My bad for opening the box right before dinner, right? (rookie mistake)
My boys immediately became obsessed with the colors. And pretty quickly afterward, I became obsessed with the craftsmanship. The toys aren’t just bright and bold and sturdy, they’re also beautiful. Mesmerizing almost.
The Rainbow set came with six sturdy rainbow stacking pieces, and six color coordinated rolling balls – all hand-cut, sanded, and painted with an eco-friendly, plant-based paint.
I cleared an area on the ground and put the play set between them. My youngest dove right in (of course) while my oldest sweetly asked, “How do we play with it Mommy?”
And I loved how I got to answer him…
“However you want to, sweetheart. Use your imagination.”
I think that’s my favorite part about – how their toys encourage kids to discover, imagine, and play in an open-ended way.
Mama May i founder, Jessica Perkins, uses her understanding of Montessori and Waldorf methodologies and makes toys with the understanding that children make sense of their world through sensing their world. And every toy is created with a “learning through play” philosophy in mind.
We had so much fun playing with the Rainbow set. And the ways to play were truly endless…
First we stacked and un-stacked the rainbow, like a puzzle. And because the pieces are each uniquely shaped, it was great hand-eye coordination practice for my oldest.
Next we matched colors.
Then we we played our own version “shoot for the rainbow”–which allowed us to talk about size, force, and even momentum.
We rolled the balls back and forth (great hand-eye coordination practice for my little one).
And finally we invented our own game of “rainbow land.” I’m telling you, there was no shortage of creativity…
I think it’s safe to say it was a hit. The only down side was that they both wanted to keep it in their room (add a lesson on sharing to the list).
I honestly cannot say enough about Mama May i. I was so impressed with everything about this company – from their story, to and their wonderful products. If you are looking for good quality, beautifully-made educational toys, you’ve got to check them out. Your kids will love them and so will you! And don’t forget about the discount, good through December 9th, 2014:
Psst – For a look at even more Mama May i goodies, check out our previous reviews of more of their lovely wooden toys as well as a bright and colorful set of playsilks here.
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Alli