Mostly, eco-friendly toys are made from organic materials as opposed to synthetic or man-made materials such as plastic. So they will be made of wood, or cotton, or wool, not mixed with any synthetic material in the manufacture. They also variously will be made from wood from sustainable forest developments are painted with no-toxic paints and varnishes. Many of the manufacturers will be associated with Fair-trade products and practices.
Eco Friendly toys, unlike more complex electronic and technical manufactured material will focus on helping children to explore their world with stimulating and manipulative toys, and toys that encourage activity such as push and pull toys and develop creative and imaginative play – such as puppets and traditional soft toys and dolls. There are brilliant eco friendly cardboard play items made from recycled cardboard and are fully bio degradable, and make up into great play houses such as rockets and igloos and castles. Any toys made from such materials are really just designed to be used indoors but can be superb for imaginative play in the garden is summer.
There are more and more wood play items available where in the past we may have bought plastics – play sinks and play cupboards and ovens – as well as wood doll’s houses and wood castles – these are not only more robust and will last to pass down to siblings and be in the Antiques Roadshow’s of the future – but they will also recycle when their life is over – unlike the similar toys made from synthetics and plastics.