Nature's Toys
Encourage Imaginative Play with Natural, Homemade Toys
Gardens and backyards provide plenty of natural material to create imaginative toys for boys and girls.
Before there were baseball bats, there were sticks. Indigenous children played with what was available in nature and their play was very creative. Parents, today, can guide children to use their imaginations by turning nature’s gifts into toys.
Create a Natural Doll
Make a tiny doll from flowers. A classic is a hollyhock doll created by turning the hollyhock upside down and attaching a bud for a head and tiny twigs for arms. Or, create a cornhusk doll with six green husks. Gather them with the tips together and tie twine tightly at the opposite end. Peel the husks back over the twine to create a head. Pull out a couple of tips and roll them back for arms. Use corn tassels for hair.
Take a Trip to Fairyland
A child’s imagination can take flight with a fairy home. Construct a tiny fairy home in a wooded area with twigs, and decorate with moss and flowers. Check the fairy home everyday to see if it has been visited. Creative stories can grow from this activity. Walnut shells rose petals and pieces of bark can become fairy boats that gently float down the stream. Construct a tiny raft with short, straight twigs tied together with twine.
Flower Jewelry
Wondering what to do with all those dandelions? Dandelions make wonderful necklaces. Trim the hollow ends and continue to place the smaller end into the larger until it becomes long enough for a necklace. To keep a few flowers for décor, pierce the stem without cutting off the flower. Dandelion stems also make natural straws. Be certain the dandelions come from organic gardens, however.
When the gardens are blooming, make a lovely spring crown by braiding willow vines together and weaving in lily of the valley and other spring gems.
Gourds Make Great Toys
Grow some gourds to create natural birdhouses or use the gourds as dwellings for little dolls. Just cut a small hole for the bird or doll to enter, let the interior dry, and shake out the seeds. Gourds also make great rattles, although it may take a few months for the gourd to totally dry. Experiment with different types of gourds to see what kind of sound they make. Some gourds may have a big enough stem to use as a handle; if not, glue on a stick.
More Natural Toys
Collect pinecones, walnuts, and acorns and keep them in a clay pot or other container. They can serve as currency or pretend food, for imaginative play.
Children can do many things with sticks. They can be bats in a game of stickball (the forerunner of baseball) or they can be field hockey sticks. Piled up sticks can be turned into a homemade fort.
Homemade toys that children help create are cherished. They offer a wholesome quality that a Bratz doll or a plastic, factory-made toy is lacking. Making simple, natural toys is a wonderful way to spend a warm afternoon creating good memories.
