image by ercwttmn

I love good toys, the kinds of toys that inspire kids’ imaginations and foster a love of learning. Childhood creativity inspires me. There is something so free and natural about it. I love the way children imagine and combine ideas without all of the limits of reality and fear of failure that adults impose on themselves.

I get a lot of ideas from reading through the natural toy catalogs I get every fall and wandering the aisles of the natural toy stores we have here in Minneapolis. Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of money to spend on toys. In spite of financial challenges I think we have managed to pull together a really nice learning environment for our kids. Since many of us are tightening our belts a bit more this Christmas I thought it would be fun for us to talk about fun, inexpensive and environmentally friendly gifts.

Thrifting

I have found so much great stuff at thrift stores and yard sales it is unbelievable. Last year for Bella’s birthday I found a very sweet car and train for about $2 each at the thrift store by my house. Two days later I found a wood doll high chair at a yard sale for $3. Those items get almost daily use in our house.

Books are easy to find used. I’ve found Beatrix Potter books, Richard Scarry books, Max and Ruby books and several other favourite children’s books at thrift stores and used book shops, usually for a dollar or two. For older kids I know I’ve found classics such as Roald Dahl books (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, etc.), The Chronicles of Narnia and Treasure Island, again for a dollar or two.

Building toys like blocks, Legos and tinker toys are another great thing to find used. I frequently find building toys in bags, too small to be a collection by themselves, for a dollar or two. It doesn’t take long and these $1 bags amass into quite a collection. This has particularly saved us money on Legos. I like the open-ended play of a big box of random Legos rather than the structured kits, especially for younger kids. Unfortunately I have discovered that the box-of-random-Legos I grew up with is hard to find these days. The lego store at the Mall of America was selling “mix your own” Legos for $12 for a cup the size of a cocktail shaker. It’s outrageous.

Dress-up clothes are easy to find at thrift stores too, especially around Halloween. My kids mostly inherited their dress-up clothes from me, but I usually check out the costume aisles, accessories and dressy dresses just in case.  Many cool costumes can be assembled from thrift stores.

Surprisingly enough craft supplies are pretty easy to find at thrift stores and garage sales too. Probably about half of my crafting stuff is second hand. I have jars of beads, jars of buttons, embroidery thread, fabric, lace, ribbons, ribbon roses, twine and even a small loom all purchased second hand. Kids love the open-ended nature of craft supplies. I once found a complete calligraphy set for my nephew at a church rummage sale for $2.

You may also have gifts already in your possession. My nephew is the king of ‘80s movies. His favorite movies are the same ones my sister and I loved as kids, Goonies, Indiana Jones and Gremlins, to name a few. While cleaning out the basement I found a collection of McDonalds books with records from the movie Gremlins. Not only will he love the books himself, there’s a sentimental attachment because the books once belonged to his mom and aunt. Plus, the book-with-record aspect makes it fabulously old-school and my nephew appreciates vintage. Gremlins on vinyl is right up his alley.