Imagination Inspiration: Green Town Toys

There is nothing more special than a child's wild imagination.  They can transform into pirates or princesses and create intricate other worlds within minutes.  Mine can stay in full character and costume for the entire day not caring a bit what anyone else thinks.

We have found the neatest ship and castle to not only spark a child's imagination but foster artistic creativity.  Check out these products made by Green Town Toys, a company headquartered in Indiana that designs and manufactures all their products in the Midwest.

Each of their products are made from 100% recyclable SFI certified corrugated fiberboard that is super strong and can be cleaned with a wet wipe.  In addition, children are encouraged to color or paint on the structures to personalize them.  Another plus is each structure is easily assembled and disassembled for convenient storage.

Not only do we love these for our own kids, but think these structures would be perfect in elementary classrooms.  Green Town Toys must think so too because they are receptive to giving discounts to teachers. We love companies who help our teachers out!!! If you are a teacher and want to read more about that, click here.

To shop all Green Town Toys, click here.

Cream City Ribbon

It's that time of year again when gifts start creeping into the mind.  I always try to get organized before the shopping rush begins by stocking up on wrapping essentials: tape, paper and ribbon.  There's nothing worse than needing to wrap a gift last minute for someone and not having what you need! 

This year I am so excited to try a new ribbon I found, Cream City Ribbon, that is made in the USA by a woman owned company (love that) in Milwaukee, WI (love that too, we grew up there).  Not only is the ribbon American made but it looks fantastic AND it's environmentally friendly (made from renewable, biodegradable cotton fiber, grown and processed with water based dyes and without chlorine bleaches).  You can actually recycle it or compost it after you use it.

It curls, it shreds, it strips and it folds...what more could you ask for! 

Here are some examples of Cream City Ribbon used...can you say super cute?

So, this year I am so excited to report that I will be moving up in the world of aesthetically pleasing wrapping from my usual stick-on bow to Cream City Ribbon!  I've ordered the holiday spool kit.  Can't wait to get wrapping...

You can read more about the Cream City Ribbon's history here and you can shop for it online here.

 

Blocks, blocks and more blocks

As children, we used to build castles and cities, roadways and train tracks all with wooden blocks.  We had a huge blue jean bag that was filled with all sizes and shapes of blocks.  Our imaginations did all the designing and our hands did all of the construction. Most of the time we built these castles right in the middle of the kitchen floor.  What better place then to be than right under our mom's feet?  Sorry mom!

Now days everything is plastic and imported.  But one company has perfected the good old wooden blocks and has stayed true to production in the USA.  The company is Beka  It was started by three brothers in Minnesota.  To read their story, click here.  Here are a few of the sets that they sell.

And they make other great products as well such as...

puppet theaters

and art tables.

To shop Beka products, click here.
Get building!

Coloring with Crayola

Call me strange, but I love the smell of a new box of crayons!  I love when you open the top and view all the beautiful colors with their sharp, untouched tips.  It brings back such great memories of coloring as a child. The crayons these days come in so many different shapes and sizes...hours of fun in a box!

 I went searching for a Made in the USA set of crayons not long ago and was surprised to find that Crayola manufactures crayons in America!

And then I realized that a lot of their products were made in America...

Their watercolors

Their bath drops

I contacted Crayola to inquire about their Made in the USA products and they responded, "At our manufacturing facility near our global corporate headquarters in Pennsylvania, we manufacture the majority of our products, including Crayola crayons and markers ~ 3.5 billion crayons and hundreds of millions of markers."

Wow, that is a lot of crayons and markers!  So when you see a Crayola product check the back to find out where it is manufactured, but many are made right here in America 

Have a colorful weekend!

Wonderous Wikki Stix

We love Wikki Stix!  Not only do our kids flex their creative muscles creating masterpieces with these simple yet magical waxed yarns, but we have also had fun creating figures and pictures with them.  Who'd have thought that a bunch of stix could provide such entertainment? 

 

They are definitely on to something...here are some examples from their website of what is possible with these stix:

Ours tend to look more like this:

Regardless of your abilities, they are a great toy for all ages...and happily they are Made in the USA!

We also love Wikki Stix because according to the company "they do not contain latex, gluten, nor peanut or other nut oils or byproducts which makes them an ideal creative activity toy for children with allergies."  You can read more about Wikki Stix here.

 

   Shop their Website here or click here to find a retailer near you that carries Wikki Stix.

Dots

Our daughters love art...absolutely love it.  My son, however, not such a fan.  We found though that all the kids love dot art, which is a great variation from painting and coloring.  My son loves pounding the dotter on the paper, probably because it's like hammering a nail, and the girls love creating colorful designs.  Me, I love any art they all enjoy (and that keeps them busy)!  We have a lot of dotters in our house, and the best ones I have found come from a company called Do A Dot Art.  Fantastically enough, they are made right here in the USA.  Do A Dot Art makes both dotters as well as activity books for kids.  Here are a few pictures of items they sell.

Do A Dot Art Markers- 6 Pack Rainbow Colors $14.99

Do A Dot Art Markers- 6 Pack Mini Jewel Tones $14.99

Picture Me a Princess Activity Book $4.99

Mighty Trucks! Activity Book $4.99

Your local "learning/teaching store" will often carry these items or you can order them online by clicking here.

Note: While the dotter markers and all of the activity books are made in the USA, their Glam Art products (not found on the website) are not made in the USA.

Happy Dotting!