A cup, a penny, a heart-shaped cake and a peppermint candy stick. | When my three children were small, we spent months reading through every single one Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series. One winter, it looked as though there would be no Christmas for Mary and Laura Ingalls. A storm was brewing, and to the children, there just did not seem to be anyway that Santa would be able to make it that year. To their great surprise and delight, the Ingalls’ good friend Mr. Edwards arrived and brought treasures. |
These were simple gifts, to be sure, but they were welcome with such thankfulness and delight. As I look back over the many years of raising children, the gifts that had the most continue play throughout the year were the simple classic gifts. My children had their share of plastic toys, but there is a growing concern that many of the plastic toys that small children play with are toxic. The European Union has banned the use of PVC (thermoplastic resins) in children’s toys due to health concerns. Although the United States banned the use of Phthalates (a chemical that makes plastics more flexible), toys here are still made with PVC plastics. Electronic toys fill the holiday catalogs, but Dr. Victoria L. Dunckley M.D., author of Reset Your Child’s Brain, believes that children are “wired and tired,” and that children need a “fast” |
There are alternatives to plastic and electronics. For generations, children have enjoyed toys that