Tegu Blocks - A Review

The following review is entirely my own, uninfluenced in anyway by the makers of the product described and reviewed. I received no payment in any form to write said review, I just REALLY like this product!

Here we are, at the edge of a New Year, Christmas just behind us. It's been a truly wonderful week at home, to the point where I don't know how I'm going to feel next Monday when I'm back to work. We've spent much of it relaxing, watching movies, playing in the snow, and, of course, testing out brand new toys (and Mama purging a lot of the old ones). It's been long enough at this point to say there are some favorites amongst the kids and me, as well.

While we certainly don't discriminate much when it comes to toys in our house (we have our fair share of plastic and T.V./movie character driven toys in our home, which the kids adore), I personally have a preference for open-ended toys that essentially demand the kids to be creative and imaginative. This year, my parents gave Michael a set of magnetic blocks from a company called Tegu. They have been an absolute hit. Michael will sit happily for several minutes at a time (almost unheard of for this 2-year-old boy) creating all sorts of different configurations, creatures, and experimenting with the magnets and figuring how what parts of the blocks will stick, what will repel, and what will do nothing at all. Sometimes the magnets can make things challenging and frustrating for him, but in a healthy way. Being two, he doesn't want any help, so he has to do some problem solving. 

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I have enjoyed playing with these blocks, too! I'm not the kind of parent who likes to sit and play with her kids (one, because I just don't want to, but also I don't think it's good for parents to influence or be too involved in their children's play), but I've had fun playing, too. Even our too-cool-for-you seven year old has been caught playing with them. Despite the simplicity of the shapes and relatively few number of blocks (M. received a set of 14), we haven't yet run out of ways to use the blocks. I'm tempted to purchase one of the smallest sets (a packet of 8) just to keep in my purse for when we're out at restaurants or have to sit somewhere and wait for a long period of time. 

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I don't really have any complaints to make regarding these blocks. They price is a bit intimidating (about $35 for the set of 14), however, in a world inundated with cheap plastic toys that barely make it from one Christmas or birthday to the next, these are the kind of well-crafted toys that will last for years and I can imagine they will be played with by grandchildren or passed on to a local library for their children's room. They are also made sustainably in Honduras, with charity and service in mind. With a minimal amount of searching (i.e. please correct me if you know I'm wrong) their claims toward sustainably harvesting their materials and working with communities in Honduras check out. With the quality of the product and also the quality of their service to their factory's community in mind, the cost doesn't bother me much at all. That said, if you're interested in a lower price, Amazon does sell them for a pretty significant price cut, though if/when we buy another set (and I'd like to, for M.'s birthday in February), we'll probably go back to the same small toy store my parents got the first set from. 

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If you have children between the ages 2-5, these are an ideal toy. The set of 14 is the perfect amount for my little guy, but as he gets older I imagine he might benefit from having a few more blocks, so if you have a little one who's closer to 4 or 5, I would consider investing in a larger set so they have more blocks to get creative with. If you're looking for something to spend money or a gift card on for your kiddo or are in desperate search for something different for a birthday gift this coming year, I heartily recommend Tegu Blocks. 

Little Doll

Papa M.'s new baby, to be given at Christmas. (Ordered from this Etsy shop - fabulous craftsmanship and customer service.)

 
If I had a dream for the world it would be that every child, girl or boy, should have a doll. There is something exceptionally special about those soft little beings made solely to be loved by a child. There is so much to be learned from caring for someone else, even if that someone is made of cloth or plastic. You find your empathy, caring for a doll, at it's deepest roots, because, no matter how good your imagination is, at your core you still know that even if you don't wrap Dolly up tight or you forget to give him his afternoon snack, Dolly won't freeze and certainly won't go hungry. Yet, it's still done, often with a great sense of urgency and seriousness. What vast wells of love must we doll caregivers have to love so mightily someone who doesn't really need us and will never be able to audibly thank us?

If everyone played with a doll there might be more of that empathy growing around us, rampant like dandelions in the height of spring, left to be plucked up and enjoyed by every passing person, gathered in bunches, worn in hair, handed in clumps to anyone we think might need it. If all little children had their own cloth companion to clutch, to whisper secrets to, to bring on adventures, we might invite the idea of companionship into our children's heads. It is a good thing to have a friend who listens to you and holds your words with silence and honor and trusts you to do the same.

If I could, I would be sure all children, girl or boy, felt no shame in wanting a doll. There is no right gender for a doll, nor is there no right age. There is not one doll that is better than another, whether it is the mama-made-with-love rag doll or the beautifully detailed store-bought doll. All dolls are just what they ought to be for whom they belong, just as we, those who love those dolls, are just as we ought to be for them.

A Birthday In Pictures

A bit more about the silks...

Silky Goodness

The girl's birthday is Monday. She'll be five. I can't quite believe it. For one, it hardly seems as though enough time has past since she was born, and for two, I hardly feel old enough to be a mother of a five year old who will be registered for Kindergarten in less than a month.

But her birthday is coming whether I want her to grow any older or not, which means presents. This year, though five is one of those big birthdays, my husband and I decided to go light. We know she's going to get lots of stuff from her grandparents and aunts and uncles. She may not be the only grandkid any more, but it's clear the arrival of her baby brother won't stop her doting family members from spoiling her. She also just got a ton of stuff in February and March from well meaning friends and family who wanted to have a gift for her as well as the baby when they came to visit. All very nice, but we've officially accumulated more toys than a Toys 'R' Us warehouse. I really don't feel like adding to the hoard. 

Baby Brother modeling Big Sister's birthday gift

With that in mind, I decided play silks would a great gift. Now, these probably aren't exactly like the play silks you can buy on Etsy or through Waldorf-based toy stores, either online or in person. Those are a bit lighter, more scarf-like, and are way more expensive than the $24 I spent at Joann's Fabric. While searching for some to buy online I saw prices as high as $75 for six, rather small silks. I love my daughter, but there was no way I was spending $75. I also saw tutorials on how to hand dye your own silks with Kool Aide. Awesome idea, much less expensive, but I have a newborn - it would have never happened. 

So, as mentioned, off to Joann's I went and I bought six 2 foot pieces of satin in a variety of colors. Then I found a seriously adorable little wooden chest and a glittery foam crown, deciding this year, the girl was going to get a princess treasure chest filled with beautiful silks and a crown to match. 

I'm really excited. 

Okay, what's so cool about play silks? Well, if you're a four-almost-five-year-old girl, you like silky, shiny, pretty colored fabric (this goes for 25-year-old girls, too). They are filled with endless possibilities, from fancy dresses, super hero capes, baby blankets, or backdrops for Barbie's next fabulous gala. And since my daughter is constantly getting into my fabric stashes, I thought it would be great for her to have her own stock to play with. 

I first heard about play silks when researching the Waldorf philosophy of education back in college. While I'm not completely sold on all things Waldorf, there are definitely aspects I love, particularly the strong emphasis on imaginative play and storytelling. In my opinion, more than any other toy that's considered a "Waldorf toy", play silks are the best, most open ended, most easily recreated, and can translate with any kid, even if you have nothing to do with this particular style of education. 

Pieces of fabric are right up there with balls and sticks as kids' first toys, and they are certainly kids' first imaginative play toys. How many of us built forts or created costumes from old sheets and blankets? The silks take it one step further by adding a really nice aesthetic and texture that helps keep kids coming back for more and more. 

So this is my first Waldorf toy and the first gift I've made for the girl (though I really did absolutely nothing...I don't know how "homemade" it actually is). Next project I'd love to take on that's Waldorf based and hand/homemade?: 

These hand kites can be found here on Etsy. 

I think these hand kites look so cool and so much fun. I can totally see the girl having a blast picking out ribbon colors, helping me tie them to a dowel or other handheld wooden object, and then sprinting around our yard this summer like a little sprite.

Stay tuned to see how everything goes over on Monday. I'm hoping the girl is just as excited as I am!