I love wood toys!  As part of my Plastic-Free February finale, I wanted to feature one of my favorite toy stores:  Heirloom Wooden Toys.  I first found this store several years ago while looking for wooden vehicles for my son.  I've purchased several toys from them over the last few years.  They have an amazing selection of wood toys and great customer service.  In this post, I review three toys by three companies (given to me for free for review) sold by Heirloom Wooden Toys, and offer you the chance to win a wonderful wood toy for your family.

Shape Sorter Wooden Bench by Maple Landmark
Made in US with locally-harvested unfinished maple hardwood, $19.80 This is a beautifully crafted toy!  The maple hardwood (locally harvested, and kiln-dried without chemicals) is left completely unfinished with engraved details. Instead of the shapes falling into a container, they just fall right through the bench to the ground. The toy includes 12 smooth maple hardwood blocks (3 each of 4 shapes).  The blocks are just the right size for my 18-month-old girl's pudgy hands to hold and fit into an opening by herself. The Shape Sorter Bench has some lovely details.  I like that the bench includes the shape names (etched, rather than painted or stained), which was of great interest to my 3 1/2-year-old budding reader.  The dark interior of the openings on the bench makes it easier for my 18-month-old to place the block correctly.  The Shape Sorter Bench also includes a little cloth bag to store the blocks in.  Although I requested this toy with my toddler in mind, my 3 1/2-year-old insists on joining in whenever we take it out to play.

Some of my other favorite toys by Maple Landmark include the Mites and Scoots vehicles, the name trains, ABC Blocks, and the large-scale Classics Wooden Vehicles (Natural or Painted).  To learn more about what makes Maple Landmark a green toy company, read my Q & A post with Heirloom Wooden Toy owner Kitty Morse.

Lacing Shapes  by Holgate
Made in US with locally-harvested kiln-dried hardwoods, $14.95 These colorful beads are made of kiln-dried locally-harvested wood and painted with non-toxic paints.  They have an old-fashioned handmade feel to them.  The shapes are large (2 1/4" diameter) but thin, making it easier for a small child to thread the cord through the opening. Kids would have a wonderful time playing with this set in combination with the Holgate's Jumbo Lacing Beads.  (We had fun playing with these beads in combination with our Melissa & Doug bead set ).  The cord, which looks like nylon to me, is stiff and large in diameter.  My 18-month-old was able to thread some beads onto the thick cord by herself. Holgate has been making toys since the 18th century and still makes classic toys like the ones your grandparents played with.  I love their Handeez vehicles with handles for little hands (we have the police car), Rocky Color Cone, Wooden Mail Truck (shape sorter), Wooden Log Truck and other Wooden Trucks.   To learn more about what makes Holgate a green toy company, read my Q & A post with Heirloom Wooden Toy owner Kitty Morse. I love the classic wood toys.  I hope this bead set will be played with for many generations. Play Toys are made of kiln-dried rubberwood (from rubber trees that no longer produce latex) and water-based non-toxic colors.  The Play Food and Beverage Set also came in all-paper packaging (no plastic!).  You can't really perceive the charm of these toys from the photo:  the weight of the solid wood in your hand, the smooth feel of the sanded wood, the dainty little lids to the honey and strawberry jam containers.

This is the first set of play food I have ever given to my kids.  I threw in a few random kitchen items, and my 3 1/2-year-old was busy for more than an hour taking our orders and bringing us our food.  I was amazed at how quickly his imagination took over: "No, Mommy, this is not ketchup, it is maple syrup for our french toast." I really hate both plastic and cardboard play food, and am determined to bring only wood and fabric play food into my house.  If I could afford it, I would buy their entire line of play food, which, to me, are much nicer than the Melissa & Doug play food.  I also love Plan Toy's musical toys.  To learn more about what makes Plan Toys a green toy company, read my Q & A post with Heirloom Wooden Toy owner Kitty Morse.

Heirloom Wooden Toy GIVEAWAY!!!

Winner chooses ONE of the following:
Plan Toys Food and Beverage Set -OR- Maple Landmark Vehicle Dominoes To enter the giveaway, simply visit Heirloom Wooden Toys, then leave a comment about a product that caught your eye.

Contest ends Friday, March 25, 2011 and is open only to US readers in the lower 48 states.  Winner will be contacted the following day by email.  (If I cannot deduce your email address from your commenting profile, leave it in your comment in non-spam form, like this: betsy at eco-novice dot com.)

Extra entries (leave an extra comment for each extra entry):

Disclosure:  Heirloom Wooden Toys provided me with the 3 toys reviewed above (free of charge) in order to facilitate this review.  I received no other compensation for this post, and all opinions are my own.  I am also an affiliate of Heirloom Wooden Toys and will receive a small percentage of your purchase if you visit Heirloom Wooden Toys via one of the links in my post and buy something.  I became an affiliate for Heirloom Wooden Toys after several years of buying and enjoying their products (long before I had a blog).  Read my full disclosure policy here.
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