Tuesday, November 4, 2008

WFMW - Toys with no batteries


This is my very first Works For Me Wednesday. Go to Rocks in my Dryer for more posts about Toys Worth Buying.

I feel very strongly about toys with no batteries. I believe that kids are not developing their imaginations, they are stuck in the world of electronics.

I have noticed a trend with my kids, they play more with the toys that do not require batteries. Of course the flashy, noisy toys always grab their attention at first, but the novelty quickly wears off. So last Christmas I took the extra effort to only buy gifts that did not require batteries. And I have continued that pattern. Throughout the year I don't buy them toys, instead I buy books and crafty things like crayons, stickers, notebooks/coloring books etc. But I think that birthdays are for getting fun, cool stuff. So this year I bought them these toys. The novelty is not wearing off of the cars, tools, & kitchen toys!

Ben is 150% boy and nothing is better than cars, trucks & trains. So for his 2nd birthday gift I bought him more Matchbox cars and a spiral racetrack. When I took the racetrack out of the package I found out that it has batteries and makes a comment whenever the cars are released. So I messed up a bit, but it is not that annoying, and they love how they cars race around and then go across the room.



All of them have shown interest in tools. I was not able to fix anything with "real" tools if any of them were around. It would turn into a war when I would not let them have a hammer or screwdriver! So I also bought a toy toolkit. Even though it was technically a gift for Ben's birthday I knew that they would all play with it. And Sam was the one who really loved it. Especially the "goobles"



Carlee has been very interested in kitchen stuff - bowls, spoons, measuring cups, etc. So for her 2nd birthday gift I decided to get her some play kitchen items - I found a pot & pans set, a baking set and a basket of plastic food. It was a hit! She "cooks" all the time and even pretends to wash her dishes. She carries around her basket of food and feeds everyone.



They all play with all of the toys and so this year I decided that for Christmas we would get them one big item. I debated between a swingset or a play kitchen. They have all been playing with kitchen stuff and the play items I got for Carlee's birthday were a big hit with the boys too. I had a play kitchen when I was little and played with it for many years, so I got the idea of getting them a play kitchen to put in the playroom. I found a Kidkraft one on Amazon like the one below and saved it in my cart with the intention of purchasing it closer to Christmas. Well a couple weeks later the price dropped quite a bit so blew the budget for that month (oops) and bought it. I know they will love it and I can hardly wait for Christmas! Another Christmas with no batteries!

2 comments:

Niki Jolene said...

I feel the same way! I try to buy my son lots of classic toys because they require imagination. Seems like every year it gets harder to find toys without all the bells and whistles though.

:)

Lori said...

What a cute kitchen! They'll love it. I was so sad when my kids outgrew playing with the kitchen. Well, I suppose I got rid of it a little early with the youngest one, but he wasn't playing with it anymore.

Hot Wheels have been favorites of my youngest two, especially. In fact, as I type this, that's what they are playing....making noises as ambulances and police cars and race cars on their own...without batteries :).