Archive for Environmentally Friendly Toys
February 22, 2009 · Filed under Developmental Toys, Eco-friendly toys, Educational Toys, Environmentally Friendly Toys, Fair Trade, Green Gift, Plan Toys, Safe Toys, Safer Toys, Toy Fair New York 2009, Toy Safety, Wooden Toys · Tagged best toys of 2009, Eco-friendly toys, Green Toys, Safe Toys, toy fair new york, toy fair new york '09, Toy Fair New York 2009, Toy Fair New York 2009 Top Toys, Toy Safety
Plan Toys never cease to amaze me with their innovative approach to toys. They prove you can have truly great toys produced with a small carbon footprint. They even manage this at a reasonable price without sacrificing style.
Their new products this year bring an increased emphasis on wise use of environmental resources through play, adding a whole new section to Plan City called Eco Town (seen above). We’re pleased to add all of Eco Town to our toy selection, as well as the full Plan City line, a large portion of which is pictured below on display at Toy Fair New York ’09.
Another of our notable Plan City favorites is the Plan Toys Dino Explorer Set seen here in a Toy Fair New York ’09 candid photo.
Plan Toys get top marks across the board. Their toys are safety-conscious, educationally sound, and environmentally responsible.
Their products are made using non-chemically treated, kiln-dried rubberwood, non-formaldehyde glue, and non-toxic water-based dyes containing no heavy metal elements. They produce 100% of their toys in their own factories to insure quality and safety, and toys meet or exceed ASTM (American) and EN71 (European) toy safety standards.
Plan Toys’ many awards include Parenting Magazine’s Best Toy of the Year, Parent & Child Teacher’s Pick, Germany’s Reddot Design Award, The Belgian Toy of the Year, Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards from Practical Pre-School in the United Kingdom, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio awards, and many, many more.
We can’t wait for their new items to arrive in March, and we’ll be adding them to BitsyBirdie.com as soon as they arrive.
February 19, 2009 · Filed under Developmental Toys, Eco-friendly toys, Educational Toys, Environmentally Friendly Toys, Green Gift, Made from Recycled Materials, Made in Canada and Mexico, Sprig Toys, Toy Fair New York 2009 · Tagged Top Toys at Toy Fair New York 2009
We’re very excited to be adding Sprig Toys to our offerings at Bitsy Birdie this year. Not only are their toys some of the smartest, freshest, and best designed toys on the market, they are also some of the most eco-friendly. Their toys are made from SprigwoodTM – a child-safe, bio-composite material made from recycled wood and reclaimed plastic.
Their new Story Blocks set hits a sweet spot for both interactive storytime and independent imaginitive play. Sets will come complete with landscape, building, and character pieces, and are scheduled for release in Fall 2009. We can’t wait for these to come in!
We’re also very excited about the addition of Sprig Eco-Trucks and Sprig Hollow Play Sets. The Eco-Trucks are right-sized for preschoolers little hands and equipped with handles, making them easier and more fun for little ones to use.
The Sprig Hollow Bee and Butterfly’s Farm Set is gorgeous in appeal, form, and function. The characters are adorable, vehicles come apart to form tools, and the sets even come with seed-infused paper flowers that grow into real wildflowers when planted. I would love to eventually see books or animation to compliment this set. We’ll be eagerly awaiting the arrival Bee and Butterfly’s Farm Sets in April.
February 19, 2009 · Filed under Dano, Eco-friendly toys, Environmentally Friendly Toys, Fair Trade, Green Gift, Handmade, Made by Hand, Made in the USA, Safe Toys, Safer Toys, Shower Gift, Toy Fair New York 2009, Toy Safety · Tagged Hot New Toys, New York Toy Fair, Toy Fair New York 2009
With products of all sorts from around the world, Toy Fair New York is second in size only to the Nuremberg Toy Fair in Germany. It’s been a blast to attend, and I’m excited to give you a sneak peek at some of the products we’ll be adding to our offerings at BitsyBirdie.com.
Perhaps the world’s safest rubber ducky, BPA-free, lead-free, and latex-free, this little guy from Dano will be joing our line-up as soon as he rolls off the production line in April.
Zubels’ beautiful line of hand-knit 100% cotton dolls are stuffed with wool and super soft. My favorite is their colorgrown organic cotton teddy bear. The cotton’s rich cream and brown colors are achieved in growing rather than dying. We’re delighted to add them to our offerings.
We’re also delighted to add Yellow Label Kids’ products to our offerings. Their gorgeous hand-knit play items surprise with things you wouldn’t expect to find knitted. New this year is their tea set, complete with cups and saucers, and their cupcakes have become a well-established hit with stylish, safety-conscious moms.
Stay tuned, more sneak peeks to come . . .
December 7, 2008 · Filed under Discount, Eco-friendly toys, Educational Toys, Environmentally Friendly Toys, European Toys, Games, Green Christmas, Green Gift, Made in Europe, Made in Germany, Made in the USA, Organic, Organic Apparel, Organic Bath, Organic Children's Apparel, Organic Kids' Clothes, Organic Toys, Safe Toys, Safe Trains, Safer Toys, Stocking Stuffers, the online shopping experience, Toy Safety, Wooden Toys · Tagged coupon, coupons, discount codes, discounts, eco-friedly toys on sale, holiday sale, kids clothing sale, organic toys on sale, sale, special discounts, toy sale
Email “add me” to info@bitsybirdie.com to receive your unique discount code and sign up for email updates. Unique, non-transferrable discount code good for 20% off all non-sale items through 12/29/08.
Visit www.BitsyBirdie.com for the best in innovative, high-quality European and US made toys.
November 21, 2008 · Filed under Eco-friendly toys, Educational Toys, Environmentally Friendly Toys, Fair Trade, Green Christmas, Green Gift, Green Holidays, Plan Toys, Safe Toys, Safe Trains, Safer Toys, Wooden Toys · Tagged 4x4, four-wheel drive car, mountains, palm trees, Plan City road and rail set, Plan Toys road and rail set, tropical mountain play set, tropical mountain train set
The fun Plan Toys Adventure Set sets the scene for a tropical mountain adventure, palm trees and 4×4 included. It’s one of Plan Toys’ most popular new sets this year, and we’ve put it on special sale just in time for the holidays. Don’t miss out – Sale Ends 11/30/08.
Visit us at www.BitsyBirdie.com to see this and other sets from Plan Toys.
November 17, 2008 · Filed under Baby Gift, Eco-friendly toys, Environmentally Friendly Toys, European Toys, Fair Trade, Green Christmas, Green Gift, Green Holidays, Kathe Kruse, Kathe Kruse Dolls, Made in Europe, Made in Germany, Organic Toys, Safer Toys, Shower Gift · Tagged Baby Gift, baby gifts, eco friendly baby shower, eco toys, eco-friendly baby toys, EN71, European Toys, green mom, green shower gift, Green Toys, Made in Europe, Made in Germany, organic cotton, organic dolls, Organic Toys
The adorable organic towel doll from Kathe Kruse is one of my favorites. Soft and cuddly, it is an ideal companion for baby. It adopts familiar smells, calms, and simply is always there.
Available as a bunny or lamb, it comes in pink, blue, or natural, and is finely crafted in Germany to meet high European quality standards.
In addition to their reputation for producing the highest quality dolls, the Kathe Kruse company is a dedicated steward of the environment, coming forward with a new line of organic products and working to reduce environmental impact of its operations and products through the promotion of pollution reduction and recycling where appropriate.
Visit us at www.BitsyBirdie.com to see this and other Kathe Kruse products.
November 11, 2008 · Filed under Eco-friendly toys, Educational Toys, Environmentally Friendly Toys, Green Christmas, Green Holidays, Plan Toys, Press, Safe Toys, Safer Toys, Wooden Toys · Tagged boys dollhouse, boys dolls, eco toys, eco-friendly, Eco-friendly toys, Green Toys, learning about pulleys, miniature treehouse, miniature working pulley, Plan Toys, Safe Toys, Safer Toys
On “The Natural Wishlist” Kiwi Magazine’s picks for this season’s best eco-friendly toys.
Try as we might to create a world of complete gender neutrality, there are still boys who cringe at the idea of playing with a “dollhouse.” For those little boys and for girls too, there’s the Plan Toys Tree House, a three-story tree house hang-out with a tent at the top and a real working pulley.
Plan Toys gets top marks across the board. Its toys are safety-conscious, educationally sound, and environmentally responsible.
Toy Safety
Plan Toys products are made using non-chemically treated, kiln-dried rubberwood, non-formaldehyde glue, and non-toxic water-based dyes containing no heavy metal elements. It produces 100% of its toys in its own factories to insure quality and safety, and toys meet or exceed ASTM (American) and EN71 (European) toy safety standards.
Designed with Education in Mind
Plan Toys’ many awards include Parenting Magazine’s Best Toy of the Year, Parent & Child Teacher’s Pick, Germany’s Reddot Design Award, The Belgian Toy of the Year, Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards from Practical Pre-School in the United Kingdom, and many, many more.
Environmentally Responsible
Plan Toys is a green company from start to finish. From the wood used, to the manufacturing processes, to the water based and soy inks used on printed materials, it operates with our environment in mind. Integrated use of alternative energy and conservation through reforestation are included in its green approach to business.
To see our full selection of Plan Toys, please visit us at www.BitsyBirdie.com.
November 10, 2008 · Filed under Eco-craft, Eco-friendly toys, Educational Toys, Environmentally Friendly Toys, Free Fun Stuff for Kids, Green Christmas, Green Holidays, Handmade, Made by Hand, Made from Recycled Materials · Tagged craft project, Eco-craft, eco-friendly kids fun, ecocraft, Free Fun Stuff for Kids, free kids' activities, green kids acitivities, make your own toy, make your own toys
It turns out colored cardboard food boxes make pretty cool yo-yo’s. Not quite as elegant as the ones above, but so very fun.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- One brightly colored box at the end of its shelf life in your freezer or pantry (We used an Eggo box, but an Amy’s Organics or Annies’s Bunny Grahams box or similar should work just as well.)
- One corndog stick or similar
- One piece of embroidery floss about 3 feet long
- Hot glue gun and glue (for use by an adult or with adult supervision only)
Here’s how:
1.) Cut the stick to approximately one inch in length.
2.) Cut eight circles from the box – 4 two inches in diameter, 4 one and one half inches in diameter.
3.) Place two of the smaller circles between two of the larger circles and center them. Glue together. Then punch a hole large enough for the stick through the center of the circles. Repeat with the remaining circles.
4) Tie a loop large enough for one finger in one end of the embroidery floss. Then tie the other end around the stick, just loosely enough that it can spin.
5) Place one set of circles over each end of the stick, pushing stick just through so that the circles do not hinder the movement of the string.
6.) Glue ends of stick to circles.
7.) Allow glue to set.
8.) Play.
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November 8, 2008 · Filed under Artisan, Biodegradable, Cool Mom Picks, Eco-friendly toys, Ecoleeko, Environmentally Friendly Toys, Green Christmas, Green Holidays, Handmade, Made by Hand, Made in the USA, Organic Apparel, Organic Toys, Safe Toys, Safer Toys · Tagged Artisan, christmas gifts, eco toys, Eco-friendly toys, great green finds, Green Christmas, Green Toys, Handmade, holiday gifts, Made by Hand, Made in the USA, Organic Toys
This adorable new line just arrived in store today. The Ecoleekos are here! Until now, I’ve never carried a line without seeing it in person first, but when I saw these in Cool Mom Picks, I knew they would be a great fit. They didn’t disappoint. They are simply adorable, the cutest little faces and handcrafted little bodes. It’s quite possible there isn’t a cuter green toy on the market.
Visit us at www.bitsybirdie.com to see our line of Ecoleeko Organic and Eco-Friendly Plush Toys.
November 8, 2008 · Filed under Eco-friendly toys, Educational Toys, Environmentally Friendly Toys, Green Christmas, Green Holidays, Holgate Toys, Made in the USA, Plan Toys, Safe Toys, Safe Trains, Safer Toys, Wooden Toys · Tagged 40's, 70's, christmas gifts, eco-friendly, family, finding gifts, fine toys, gift ideas, Green Toys, Holgate Toys Baby Blocks, Holgate Toys Rocky Color Cone, holiday gifts, kids, Plan Toys Airport, retro, Safe Toys, Safer Toys, toy recalls, vintage, Wooden Toys
Since the spate of toy recalls last year there has been a reexamination of the types of toys we give our children. Plastic, painted, battery operated toys are being edged out by new favorites.
Wooden toys durably designed and thoughtfully crafted are making a comeback. Quality is king, and attentive store owners are offering more information about companies, manufacturing processes, and the toys themselves.
Making an especially strong comeback are wooden toys, a hot ticket item this holiday season. Our Plan Toys are very popular, sturdily constructed of eco-friendly wood and materials, always with an eye toward education. The retro styling offers a bit of 70′s flare, and I can’t deny that seeing them starts me reminiscing about my own childhood. My daughters have the Plan Toys Airport, and it has been a consistent favorite since the day we opened the box four months ago.
Another new favorite is our Holgate Toys line. They’ve been producing great wooden toys in the USA since 1929 and have seen a resurgence in popularity following the recalls. The styling of their Baby Blocks and Rocky Color Cone is timeless, and their Handeez wooden cars are ingeniously designed for toddler play. (One of their early designers was Jarvis Rockwell, brother of Norman Rockwell.) These toys are built to last.
Visit us at www.BitsyBirdie.com to see our selection of Plan Toys and Holgate Toys.
