oozey mess
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KIROKAZE
will byers stan first human second
noise dept.
Discoholic 🪩
pixel skylines
Peter Solarz
sheepfilms
todays bird
cherry valley forever
Monterey Bay Aquarium
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Andulka
if i look back, i am lost
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
Jules of Nature
Misplaced Lens Cap
Claire Keane
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@thewoodenwagon
Grapat X Ostheimer
We love hearing what inspires our manufacturers, and enjoyed reading this conversation between Casiana of Grapat and Sibylle of Ostheimer about childhood, toys and free play. The second seasonal collaboration between the two workshops is due soon; you can see the first, Hello Spring, here.
Seasonal Gift Guide
Looking for gifts for the whole family to enjoy? We've put together a list of some of our favorite and best selling toys and decorations for all ages! From natural toys for the youngest child, to real German decorations to share, all these and many more are available at The Wooden Wagon.
BEST GIFTS FOR CHILDREN UP TO 1 YEAR We offer a large selection of rattles, grasping toys and soft things to cuddle for babies. Things to stimulate, safe to put in their mouths and fun for them. It was hard to choose our most favorite (since we love so many) but here are a range of different things that we feel are must-haves!! Color Bead Grasping Toy A super colorful and tactile grasping toy! We are going to bet that parents play with this one just as much as the baby! Cherry Baby Rattle All natural wood and made right here in the USA. Forget-Me-Not Flower Rattle Doll Made out of organic cotton terry cloth, with a gentle rattle, the perfect soft rattle to grasp! Also comes in Carrot, Banana and Chili Pepper (if you are looking for variety). Red Push Along Car Easy to grasp, easy to push. The perfect first car! Comes in natural as well. Light Brown Teddy Bear in Cotton We have a selection of Teddy Bears, but this is our bestseller. Beautifully made with organic cotton and Bio-wool filling. Nic-Lix Grasping Toy A fun squishy toy that seems to entertain endlessly babies and parents alike! Rainbow Stacking Bowls Essential! Nest them, stack them, fill them up: versatile and fun! Rattle Tree Grasping Toy Our best selling rattle!! Birthday Ring and Ornaments When baby turns 1 is the perfect time to start the Birthday Ring tradition. Don't know what that is? check it out on our website!
BEST GIFTS FOR CHILDREN 1 TO 3 YEARS The years of 1-3 bring huge milestones in learning and the way children play with toys. Here at The Wooden Wagon we like toys that can be interpreted in different ways over a long period of time so some of our choices in this category reflect that! Hedgehog Ramp Walker Endlessly amusing and fascinating! Promise!! Watch the cute hedgehog walk down the ramp over and over and over. Also comes in Elephant and Rabbit. Rainbow Friends in Bowls These friends will be companions for many years! Whether when building with blocks, dollhouses, or just as playmates! One of our best selling items! Brown Cow Standing by Ostheimer This is the figure we started our own Ostheimer collection with. In fact, in a roundabout way it started The Wooden Wagon. All of the Ostheimer Figures are special, handcrafted and will be played with for many many years. Butterfly Peg Puzzle Peg Puzzles are first great puzzles. The chunky pieces help with fine motor skills. We have them in many styles!! Large Rainbow Stacking Tunnel If we had to pick an all time favorite - this Rainbow would probably be it! Endlessly versatile! Look for #grimmsrainbow on Instagram to see what great play ideas people have had! Shape Sorter Lovely wood and beeswax finish, all at a great price! Cascade Tower A family favorite! Watch as the centipede threads its way down the tower! Toddler's Push Wagon/Walker The BEST Push Wagon on the market. Really!! Beautifully handcrafted in Germany, it is sturdy, has a braking mechanism to slow down the fastest toddler, and will last through a number of children! My First Top with Starter We are top fanatics here at The Wooden Wagon, and we know your family will be, too. This is a great first top to start you out!
BEST GIFTS FOR CHILDREN 3 TO 6 YEARS This was almost the hardest category to narrow down. Such a great selection of a vast variety of toys. But these are definitely some of our top favorites: Wild Animals with Young Picture Cube Puzzle Much, much harder than they look! We have many different scenes and the block puzzles come in 4, 6, 9, 12, 16 and 20 blocks Dear Heart Waldorf Doll We are the only store in the US to sell these dolls. They are exquisitely crafted with huge attention to detail and made with such care and love. Potholder Loom with Cotton Loops We have a big section for all kinds of Arts & Crafts projects, from drawing to felting and weaving. This is our best seller!! Makes great presents! Fagus Forklift The Fagus line of trucks is fantastic. Start with the Unimog early on and add vehicles every year to keep the play new and exciting! The forklift is a best seller! Horse Stable and Ostheimer Farm Animals Our selection of dollhouses and stables are all handmade in Europe. All fit the standard dollhouse dolls and furniture as well as Ostheimer Figures! Kugelix Marble Run Tower Another obsession here are marble runs, and we have quite a selection. We have found that the Kugelix's bright colors and steady construction attracts children at this age range. Four Elements Building Set Do you have building sets from an earlier age? Add these for expanded construction and play fun! A Parent’s Choice Award winning set. Hemp Jump Rope A classic best seller. Orchard Cooperative Game A classic and bestselling cooperative game, that never fails to bring fun times.
BEST GIFTS THAT ARE NOT JUST FOR KIDS Just between us, all of our toys are "not just for kids"--but these make great presents for some of the adults on your list. Asterisk Magnetic Block Desk Sculpture Magnetic blocks that can be shaped into forms and mini sculptures. Fun while you’re on the phone! Yoyo Cookie A limited edition and just beautiful! Nine Men's Morris Board Game A very sophisticated version of a timeless game. Beautiful quality. Cuboro Marble Run Standard Set Get those gray cells working and think three dimensionally! A marble run for a lifetime! Sunprint Kit Such a cool thing to do for young and old. (There’s a Super Size one, too!) Wooden Bird Call We sell a variety of bird calls. A Must for all bird enthusiasts Trumpo Spinning Top One of our most favorite tops! Very sophisticated and beautiful. And it works perfectly on the Small Plate for Tops (Ebonized) Wooden Recorder Set, Baroque Fingering For all music lovers. Form a band with the Tone Block with Wood Mallet! Nighttime Shadow Puppet Theater Shadow puppet theater! Makes for fun nightime storytelling.
BEST GIFTS FOR THE HOST AND HOSTESS Have someone who needs a special present but can't think of what to give? Here are some ideas even for the person who has everything. Nautical Alphabet Blocks Perfect for the sailor or boating enthusiast. (Landlubbers love them, too!) Erzgebirge Christmas Pyramid These Christmas candle carousels are from a long German tradition and are still made by workshops that existed in the late 19th century. We have a large selection, and they are sure to delight! Santa with Deer-Drawn Sleigh Table Ornament We sell a beautiful selection of handcrafted German Christmas decorations. This Santa is new to our collection, and we think he's stunning! Nativity Tealight Candle Lantern Already one of our most popular decorations! The gentle glow brings a feeling of peace to the house at nightfall. (Available with a Fairy Tale theme, too!) Handcrafted Spinning Tops With names like "Triple Dip" and "Candy Kisses", who can resist these beautiful spinners? Elf Ornament with Heart A gift with heart! This charming little elf can be displayed year round. German Nutcracker and Rauechermann Real Made-in-Germany nutcrackers and smoking men, when you care to give the best! Wobble Stone Balancing Game Our games aren't just for children! This is a great variant on an old favorite: just don't knock over your eggnog! Wendt und Kuehn Angel Our customers return year after year, to add to their collection of Wendt und Kuehn angels. With their polka dot wings, they are instantly recognizable: start up an angel orchestra this year!
STOCKING STUFFER IDEAS A small sample of the many, many smaller items we have that make great Stocking Stuffers. Rattle Cube Perfect for baby's first stocking. Flade Angel with a Nutcracker Start a collection and have one in a stocking every year! Prism Magnetic Block Set Addicting magnetic blocks in a handy small felt pouch. Great for travel fun! Otheimer Woodland Animals All of the Ostheimer animals make great Stocking Stuffers. Choose your child’s favorite, or a theme for the entire family. Miniature Snowman and Tree in a Spanbox Fun little miniatures that make cute decorations. Packed in a traditional Erzgebirge “spanbox” of carved wood. Yoyo Grey A lovely yoyo in grey tones, introduced in 2015. There are matching tops to accompany it, if you want to be generous! Rallye Spinning Top One of our easiest spinners. (And it’s a snap to spin upside down!) Dual Sharpener for Pencils High quality, must-have pencil sharpener for the bigger pencils and the regular ones. Great for young artists! Old Maid Playing Cards The classic card game, with charming illustrations of the Animal Village.
Feeling the love for my Pussywlllows!! #valentinesday #hearts #erzgebirge
A Great Idea for Giving!
Our Fairy Door offers a charming new take on the traditional Advent calendar! As a build up to the holidays, surprise your child each morning with a small gift (like fruit or sweets, art supplies, a top or an Ostheimer figure). What will tomorrow bring? You can even add a Birthday Ring number to mark each day! The Grimm's Fairy Doors are available in Pink ( https://thewoodenwagon.com/woodentoy/DHSH07410.html ) and Blue ( https://thewoodenwagon.com/woodentoy/DHSH07411.html ).
St Nicholas and Ruprecht
In German tradition, the benevolent St Nicholas is usually accompanied on his journeys by Knecht Ruprecht (Farmhand Ruprecht), who helps and watches out for the saint. It is Ruprecht who gives naughty children lumps of coal, instead of the sweets and gifts passed out by the saint. St Nicholas Day is traditionally celebrated on December 6th, when children wake early to see if the polished shoes they left out the night before have been filled with candy and small presents by the saint on his rounds. There's still time to order these beloved Nicholas figures by Ostheimer, to create your own scene at home! https://thewoodenwagon.com/woodentoy/FOS38010.html
Looking forward to Thanksgiving
POM-POM Mania
Here in New England, we are all convinced that Spring will never come. The calendar tells us it has arrived today, but looking out of the window everything is snow and mud and gray and cold!
So yesterday on our free Wednesday Craft Day, we thought we would add a little green to our lives by making trees out of pom-poms. We love pom-poms–making them, playing with them, glueing them together to make bigger poms-poms, on hats, on mittens...you get the idea. We had seen such a tree during our visit to the NY Toy Fair in February, on the stand of the folks who invented Loopdedoo (you know, the cool bracelet machine–if you don't know it, check it out!) Anyway, they were crazy about pom-poms too, and we just thought it would be fun to make our own.
The first thing we did was dig through our yarn and fiber stash for all things green.
Pretty good selection! It really doesn't matter what you use or what weight it is. We liked using a variety of different yarns in various colors, that made differently textured pom-poms (note: the big, full, round pom-poms take a suprising amount of yarn).
We then wound them around our niddy-noddy to form a long skein (winding it around a big piece of cardboard or some chairs would work just as well), which we then tied at intervals tightly.
Then we cut into the center of each section (between the ties) and look–a pom-pom!!
You can make them larger, smaller and trim them to every shape and form.
Then we cut out some cardboard to resemble a tree top, chose a small branch as a stem, and started glueing the pom-poms onto the cardboard with hot glue.
Finally we made a base with some cardboard and a small piece of thicker branch with a hole drilled through, adding some Leicester Longwool dyed curly locks to the base to cover the cardboard.
Done!! We did another, smaller version and added tiny little red pom-poms–an apple tree!!
And look how great they look on the piano:
It was an incredibly fun afternoon spent crafting, and today we are getting out our Ostheimer figures and playing with the new trees in front of the fire since...guess what?...yup, it's snowing outside!
New & Exciting
Judging from this blog, you would be justified in thinking that we had an incredibly lazy summer–but you would be wrong!
A great deal of it was spent looking for and choosing lots of exciting new things for the shop for you for the upcoming holiday season. A lot of them have started arriving in our warehouse and we have been busy playing with them...eh...product testing them for you.
One new company in our line up, that we are particularly excited about, is Uncle Goose, a family owned company that have been making alphabet blocks for over 30 years in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In their company's mission statement they announce:
"We labor over our products with the work ethic and artistry of midwestern elves from the 1800’s. Other than Santa, very few people you know personally still hand manufacture wood toys. We seem to be pressing against an invisible boundary that lies between what is possible and what is practical."
Well, that seemed just up our alley and so we checked them out and were so excited to find updated, innovative designs to delight both children and the kid in all of us grown ups as well. And their collection has expanded to include alphabet blocks in many different languages as well as striking (and fun!) stacking sets.
As a trial we ordered a few of our absolute favorite (it was super hard to choose) and here is a preview:
You can check out our complete selection on our New Arrivals page, and we hope you'll let us know your thoughts. We would love to expand the line as much as possible but we need your help with that. Because, really, how cool would it be to own Cherokee language blocks??
Strawberries
You know summer is truly here when it's Strawberry time.
Strawberries are so wonderful and versatile, but our favorite thing here is Strawberry Jam. Strawberries are great for jams because they already contain a certain amount of pectin naturally, and so even when using only half the sugar other fruits need, in order to set, it will still jell quite nicely.
Add just a hint of lemon for an extra kick and the citric acid makes the jam wonderfully bright red.
But watch out...it goes quickly. We are one jar down already!!!!
A Year in Blueberries
Chapter 3…. & Chapter 4
Spring is a funny thing. First you think it will never come, then it comes and goes away again, and then it rains ALL the time and then all of a sudden you have a heat wave!
And in a blink of an eye you have this
turning into this
Which leads me to the conclusion that, although Spring started very late this year, it somehow always manages to get back on track and we are going to have blueberries by the first week in July. Just like every year!
10 Favorite Toys: Fagus
When we think of the toys that inspired us to start The Wooden Wagon, the wooden trucks by Fagus are among the first to spring to mind. It was the gift of a Car Transporter to our eldest son that introduced us to these trucks: the truck is now on its third owner, and shows no signs of wearing out!
Over the years, we have seen slight changes to the Fagus line. Models have been introduced or retired, designs have been modified to make the toys even more fun for their users. This year is no different: many of the utility trucks have had their cabs reshaped—there is more of an angle to the front, and a larger opening means even easier access to the peg figures; the peg figures have similarly been modified, becoming larger and given painted heads that contrast with the natural tones of the peg bodies. The change in the basic truck Unimog is shown below.
But the newest trucks remain compatible with the older models. They are designed on the same scale and (peg figures aside) integrate seemlessly with the other trucks. And the quality of these trucks remains of the highest standard: they are made under strict supervision, with a concern both for the environment and for children's wellbeing. As the company itself writes:
"Everything... becomes tangible when you hold a fagus product in your hand - for instance our closeness to nature: fagus products are manufactured with particular attention to conserving resources, solely using German beech wood from forestry enterprises that guarantee sustainable management of their forests. fagus toys are also ultra-durable and naturally meet national and international safety standards.
It's against this background that the products' uniqueness comes into its own: toys that stimulate the imagination, at the same time encouraging creativity and motor skills and are also multi-dimensional, positively drawing children away from computer and video games. Experience it for yourself... browse through these products to whet your appetite and then experience the products 'in person'."
The social consciousness of the Fagus line extends beyond a bond with the children they serve: the trucks are all made in a charity-supported workshop for people with disabilities, providing them with training and employment, as shown in the video below.
We are proud to continue our long association with our friends at Fagus, and look forward to bringing their trucks to your homes for many years to come!
Fairy Tales
The boys came back from visiting their grandparents with this box of lebkuchen, each side of which shows a scene in the story of Hansel and Gretel.
It's a rainy Saturday today–more fall than spring–and the boys are upstairs reading (or listening to) books. A perfect day to drag out the fairy tale collection, or to make up your own story with the kids. A few Ostheimer figures can prompt many imaginative adventures: use a familiar tale as the base, and see where the story takes you!
A Year in Blueberries
Chapter 2: Pruning
Every year we prune the blueberries just a bit. Cut out the dead wood, the annoying buckthorn, give the new sprouts at the base some more space and light and trim the height a bit so they don't grow too tall.
Our patch has 6 varieties of blueberries, and even in bud form you can tell the difference. Big buds equal big fruit later on and the little buds turn into intensly flavored little blueberries. The buds appear at all different times too. The larger ones are the first to come out when the sun gets warm, and the little ones were just appearing when we went out at the beginning of May. Those will be the ones to give us blueberries as late as September if there is enough rain over the summer.
So the timing has to be just right - early enough that the larger buds don't bloom yet but late enough for the smaller ones to develop. And this year that time came quite late. Last year we were pruning by the third week in March, and this time is was almost 5 weeks later. But just when you think Spring will never come, it does, and there were all those lovely fruit buds showing us what to prune and what not.
"WHAT DO WE MEAN BY PLAY?"
Play is to create, to discover, to proceed in half-playful, half-serious mood to experiment with one's culture.
Play is to recreate one's environment; to rearrange it in accordance with one's own dictates.
Play is to master one's own physical self; to develop physical coordination and control; to cope with any kind of sport or physical activity.
Play is for exploring and adventuring in nature and science; for grappling with ideas.
Play is for mastering materials and tools; to work in a disciplined manner, allowing materials to suggest wholly new ideas.
Play is a way of verbalizing about one's world; of establishing physical images and patterns that relate.
Play is for construction and for achieving new forms; for artistic and aesthetic expression; fo reworking one's creative faculties. Play is for children what brain-storming is for adults.
All creative adults play. The scientis plays, the artist plays, but they play on a higher level towards more exacting goals. They play with ideas in science, in art, in music. Out of this play they get the strength, ability, and courage to tackle the impossible; to discover new worlds.
Play, an essential of childhood, is wholly a creative activity requiring the careful selection of materials and tools; good toys are its tools.
Parents have an obligation to enrich and enlarge each child's horizon with a wide variety of creative playthings suitable to his particular attention span, interests, dexterity, and general capabilities.
--from the Creative Playthings catalogue, 1964
10 Favorite Toys: Cuboro Marble Run
There is no doubt that the Cuboro Marble Runs are among our Top 10 Favorite Toys. They are marvels of engineering, with the tracks precision-cut above, around and through each beech cube. There is something sculptural about Cuboro as well, the curving channels contrasting with the right angles of the blocks, the unique grain of each piece of wood set off against its neighbor as the marble run grows. And more than anything, there is the play value of the sets: Though the Cuboro Standard set has a relatively advanced starting age of 5 years (due to the spatial thinking that building requires), it continues to fascinate builders well into adulthood. There are even Cuboro building clubs and competitions worldwide!
Matthias Etter developed the forerunner of the Cuboro blocks in 1976, when he was working with special-needs schoolchildren in Switzerland: the first pieces were made of clay. Over the ensuing years, Etter redesigned the pieces in fir and later beech wood and extended the game with additional elements, introducing it to the family market in 1985 (the original design featured 12 different elements; there are now 82 elements and counting in the various sets). In 1986 the assistance of the "ingenious" joiner Hans Nyfeler allowed Etter to truly realize the possibilities of manufacturing the tracks, and the first official "Cuboro" designated set appeared that year: in 2011 Cuboro celebrated its 25th anniversary. Along the way, many new combinations have been introduced, and the Cugolino sets were developed to allow younger children to experience the joys of marble play.
To this day, Cuboro is still manufactured from FSC-certified Swiss beech wood in the family joinery Nyfeler, following stringent ecological and qualitative standards. And the result is truly "The marble track for a lifetime."
Cuboro represents the values of The Wooden Wagon completely - the highest quality, beautiful design, and fun forever!
A Year in Blueberries
Chapter 1: Winter
We have a lot of blueberries. A LOT! 85 bushes to be exact, in 6 varieties that give us blueberries from the beginning of July to late September (if we are lucky with the weather). We thought that it would be fun to chronicle a year with our blueberries and thus share them with you in a small way.
This is what they looked like just a few short weeks ago
The snow has melted for the most part, and the bushes are starting to come alive.
On the bushes that bear our earliest blueberries, you can already see the fruitbuds forming.
It will be time to go and prune out the dead growth in a week or so!
Meet the new Ostheimer Dwarf
He's named Bodo, and he's a delightful addition to the Ostheimer Fairy Tale collection!
Add a few other Ostheimer figures and scenery, and act out the story of Astrid Lindgren's classic "The Tomten and the Fox"!