Imagine a world where toys please the senses and stimulate the imagination. Now imagine a world where all of those toys are made in fair trade facilities from eco-friendly, sustainable materials.

It is easy if you try… just visit ImagiPlay. They make beautiful, clever wooden toys for infants, toddlers, and children…

I wasn’t bored much growing up. On rainy days and lazy Saturday afternoons, I’d be engaged in some craft project or interesting game. My mother, a teacher, has a gift for finding and organizing fun activities on a moment’s notice. Now that I’m a mom, I appreciate how easy she made it all look.

Some organized moms dedicate entire closets to craft supplies and keep file folders full of craft-ideas clipped from magazines and newspapers on-hand. But if that’s not your style, you can still entertain and educate your children with the fabulous art kits from Eye Can Art.

Calendars and schedules are such an integral part of adult life, but understanding concepts like days of the week, months of the year and the seasons can be difficult for young children. Without a strong understanding of how the calendar works, it can be tough for a preschooler to understand concepts like exactly how long daddy will be away on a business trip or when his class is visiting the zoo.

Your kids will learn calendar skills at preschool or kindergarten, but you can give them a headstart with the “My Week” calendar from 2fishkids.

Classic toys are timeless for good reason. Wooden building blocks never go out of style–durable, creative, open ended toys that allow for hours of exploration.

HABA makes quality toys primarily from cloth and wood. These organic materials, combined with a European aesthetic, lend HABA toys a warmth and charm that encourages tactile play.

The HABA Plug and Pile Royal Tower Wooden Blocks are a fun twist on traditional building blocks…

We’ve reviewed the unique way eBeanstalk highlights toys chosen by experts and tested by moms from across the United States. With eBeanstalk you have a fully guided experience start to finish.
You can browse age-appropriate toys by three month intervals and you can also search based on developmental areas, such as dexterity, imagination, or social or emotional growth or skills, like learning the ABC’s.
eBeanstalk also provides an Instruction Card, with tips for how parent and child can enjoy the toy together and has unique gift series: four developmental and learning toys …

Pre-walkers, toddlers, and preschoolers will enjoy pushing around this WoodPecker Walker from Plan Toys (BabyEarth - $72). 
Every step your tot takes will result in a rewarding clacking sound as the two woodpeckers “peck” at the wooden walker. According to the experts, this walker helps with gross motor development, physical development and postural control. I’m not an expert…but I do know that my son is delighted by the motion of the woodpeckers. And this toy doesn’t even require batteries! 
Parents will be happy to know that the WoodPecker Walker is made by Plan Toys, a green company …

Toy trends may come and go, but wooden building blocks are a perennial favorite for the preschool set. Spark even more creative play with the Cheekeyes.  These artistic wooden animals won the 2009 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award. 
Since the Cheekeyes are handmade from eco-friendly rubberwood, each set is unique. Adults will dig the sophisticated design and minimal use of non-toxic paint. Tots will have hours of fun building and destroying block cities Godzilla-style with the Dinosaur set or constructing barns and fences for the Farm Animal set. 
These heirloom-quality toys are elegant enough for nursery decor and durable enough …

Why fix it if it ain’t broke? My daughter enjoys reading books (or, rather, have them read to her, since she’s two), so why add unnecessary gimmicks and gadgets to a tried and true kid activity?
As a parent and an educator, though, I am giving the LeapFrog Tag Reading System an A+ for pre-readers, beginning readers, and readers who need a confidence boost.
The Tag Reading System is easy for parents to set-up.  First, you install the program on your computer. Then plug in the special TAG Reader pen and visit …

One of our hot holiday toy picks for 2008, TOOBEEZ are a toy the whole family will enjoy.
TOOBEEZ can best be described as giant Tinker Toys. The TOOBEEZ building system consists of different sized tubes and connecting spheres.
Construction is easy. Just insert either end of the tube into one of the sphere’s 10 keyholes and twist the tube’s rotating end to “lock” it in place.
TOOBEEZ encourage creative open-ended play. While TOOBEEZ come with instructions for building dozens of fun structures, the only limit is your imagination. Your kids (ages 4+) will learn spatial relations as …