Montessori/Waldorf families, have a couple of questions.

[Fashionably Green Baby]

I am trying to get my kids away from the plastic toys because much like all children, their favorite things to play with are trashtreasures they find around the house, boxes, and building items (legos, lincoln logs, wooden blocks). I have been looking through stuff on Etsy for months and months and I just wanted to know, what are your kids favorite toys? Pictures and links to where to buy them would be lovely, and handmade in the USA would be a super plus. I need to get this sorted out for xmas

The 2 things on my list so far are play silks and a rocker board (the board is a joint gift for all 3 because it is pricey!)

[harmoni247]

We're a Waldorf-ish family. I can give you a list of the toys they play with every day (in order of amount of play):

Art supplies
Board games and playing cards
Play silks and random fabric I've given them (plus clothespins...those are a must!)
Waldorf dolls (made by me and a lot easier than I expected! materials from here)
Dress up (mostly from ecomom.com (here) during their amazing BF sales)
Playscape (also made by me and simple, in this bin I include plan toys animals, plain blocks, and a couple of wooden cars from etsy)
Generic IKEA wooden train sets

ETA:
This year their big gift is a nature bag, so they each get a messenger bag filled with:
Homemade nature journal
colored pencils in a "crayon" roll
Nature reference guide (trees, bugs, etc.)
mason jar modified into a bug jar
magnifying glass
flashlight
kid digital camera
mini photo storage tin (made out of an altoid box)

[danielle]

Other than wooden blocks, palumba.com has a good example of the kinds of toys Waldorf families keep around. We have corn brooms big and small, wonderful wet on wet watercolor supplies and their gorgeous knitted wool food that was worth every penny. We also love hand puppets here.

This year, I bought my four year old a metal slinky, a glass straw, canvas ballet shoes and tickets to see The Nutcracker with her grandma. She pretty much has enough stuff. My son (were we in the same due date group?) is getting a Plan Toys ball box and a Guidecraft screw block, along with a glass straw.

[mpink22]

Montessorri family here.

Small Hands has a lot of Montessorri stuff. With toys both DSs like. Nova Natural has nice things too. There are a few things in both that I am ordering this year, but would like to be able to order pretty much everything.

[Nickel+3]

Subbing

[CaliRoll]

Glass straw? Isn't that kinda dangerous?

[rverrone11]

I make my girls wooden toys. Their favorites are blocks and a wooden rainbow. They also love playsilks and scrap pieces of fabric. One of my 5 year old DD's favorite things to do is draw. She got a set of 6 Lyra Super Ferby colored pencils almost 2 years ago, and they are still going strong!....they are a thousand times better than typical crayola colored pencils.

[MamaNotes]

Subbing. I have 2 boys and I promised myself I won't by anymore plastic toys. They brake and cost too much for crap!

[pumkinsmommy]

Originally Posted by mpink22 Montessorri family here. Small Hands has a lot of Montessorri stuff. With toys both DSs like. Nova Natural has nice things too. There are a few things in both that I am ordering this year, but would like to be able to order pretty much everything.

I love this catalog and the companion school one as well. Small Hands has a wonderful pair of binoculars. They are real, just small.

[danielle]

Originally Posted by CaliRoll Glass straw? Isn't that kinda dangerous?

Nah. We use glass at the table at every meal, and everyday china too. We use stainless for our upstairs living/sleeping area, just in case. But at the table if they are not well behaved, we eject them like drunken football fans. Plus, those straws are sturdy!