hello make & do eat & drink look & see give & get read & subscribe

A Gift Guide: for the Boys

It is all about the boys at our house on Christmas morning and trying not to go overboard while striking a balance between the things my boys want and the things they need is my goal each year. Mixing in a few design-centric items made from natural materials is something I need to do in an effort to counteract the onslaught of highly branded plastic that is seemingly inevitable.

Wooden toys are a bit of an obsession for me, you can see that on display here, here and here. Before my boys were born, I had fantasies of my children playing exclusively with toys that were constructed from natural materials…a girl can dream. The good news that there are a lot of wooden toys that my boys love and have stood the test of time. Here is our short list of favorites:

1.  Miller Goodman Playshapes (You can see us in action with them here.)
2. This puzzle and pretty much any of the Montessori inspired toys from Kid O are my go to gifts for kids.
3. Cuboro Marble Run from the Wooden Wagon
4. Areaware Bear from OK
5. Block and Tackle (maybe a good way to get toys from downstairs to up)
6. Cable Car from Inquisitive Kid

But the fact of the matter is there is going to be plastic and with boys there are going to be superheros and villains. From top to bottom the wish list this year is filled with items that are made in molds with injected plastic and I have come to terms with that. The fact is that Legos and lightsabers inspire some of my boys most creative moments and it is Christmas afterall…..
7. Anything Paymobil, but especially pirates.
8. Swoop Bags are sure to dramatically change your life if Legos are your reality.
9. Initial Capes from Chasing Fireflies.
10. Darth Vader Lego flashlights I picked these up at Black Ink on my Boston trip.
Then there are the things that I really want for them. The things that seem to be under the tree each year because it wouldn’t feel like Christmas without them. There are always games we can play as a family and new art supplies to keep them creative. Not pictured, but always present are Frango Mints because we live in Chicago and Santa made sure I got some each year.
11. Hanna Anderson PJs, its just not Christmas without them
12. Pick Up Sticks
13. Moleskine storyboard journal
14. Big Art Set from Dick Blick
What are you planning to put under the tree for your little ones? Are there things you put there year after year?
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Be Sociable, Share!

Tags: , ,

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 30th, 2011 at 2:19 pm and is filed under Give & Get, Holidays. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

«
»

One Response to “A Gift Guide: for the Boys”

  1. Tom83 says:
    December 6, 2011 at 10:08 am

    3 and 6 necessarily ;]

    http://www.blo-toys.com/toys/

Leave a Reply