They are coming in at a furious pace now. I discovered five in my mailbox in as many days. I probably should have thrown them all out immediately, but I'm a doting grandmother and I've always been an easy mark for "dream book" catalogs. I was three years old when I first noticed The Sears and Roebuck Christmas catalog that arrived at our country home in Monclova, Ohio around Thanksgiving, I'd go through the toy section of that book day after day, straight through Advent.
Still a sucker for a colorful toy catalog I disguise my inner three year old (who is still revelling in magical catalog pages) by doing the "grown-up" work of sifting them carefully in order to inform other over sized three year olds which ones are the most useful, and to figure out which toys I would consider "testing" for play and teaching value.
My baseline considerations for catalog inclusion:
A. products allow the child to bring his own wit and creativity to the activity,
B. products intrigue the child without adults having to nag and
C. products don't attempt to teach the child more than one new concept at a time.
These are also three of my top considerations for toys that I choose to test.
I managed to reduce the pile to four magazines. Three have items I want to order for testing. The third is a Montessori supplier. (I want all their stuff!) There is a lot of duplication in the best of these magazines because they all carry some of the most respected producers of children's toys; but each of the following catalogs includes several interesting products unique to it alone. I've identified some things below that look like likely candidates for testing and that are examples of the kinds of choices available in that particular catalog. My hierarchy follows.
1. Montessori Services A catalog of hard to find materials that support children's Montessori work. The following example, created for a child's pouring work, is a blue, Depression style glass pouring set created for small hands. The Pitcher is 2" base x 3 1/4" high and holds 3 oz.; glasses are 1"base x 2" high.2. Blueberry Forest One long time favorite catalog is only online. It provides some of the most beautiful toys available, many of them designed specifically for Waldorf families but which are available and appealing to anyone who loves aesthetically stunning concept and workmanship.
3. MindWare One of the most exciting general catalogs I've encountered for children between 6 and 12. The emphasis in this one is on science and math. I Just have to remember that the baseline considerations still apply here. This catalog is enormously tempting.
Development of deductive reasoning skills is not a frequent consideration when parents and grandparents select gifts and materials for children. It's too bad. Deductive reasoning is a critically important skill and and the source of lots of fun. Happily, Mindware has a wonderful collection of activities that integrate well though MindWare doesn't really overtly mention the fact. I'm going to test this collection of items
4. Hearthsong Hearthsong does a superb job of making sure they have well designed items that appeal to both quiet and rambunctious kids. It was here that I found Flingshot Monkeys, a terrifically creative turn on slingshots. I'm not sure how much educational value Flingshot Monkeys will provide, but screaming monkey races??? Who could resist?
