Today I had the extraordinary privilege of spending a morning at Community Playthings. There, I met a fantastic group of people who are working hard on behalf of children everywhere. This is truly a company that understands what is good for children and has kept faithful to that ideal for decades. Their high quality maple furniture and toys can be found in classrooms around the world.
Their own words say it best: “We take our cues from children: They’re genuine and straightforward. How can we make products to match? We use natural materials like solid maple. We steer clear of complicated and contrived, and aim for intuitive and teacher-friendly. Our goal is to design open-ended products that inspire imaginative play.”
I’ve known about the company for many, many years, having used their furniture and toys in my classroom. However, I am just beginning to understand how truly dedicated they are to promoting happy, healthy and child-centered development. Their website is full of helpful and engaging resources, many of them in the archives of their free e-newsletter, Community Collage. For example, there is the May 2009 article Learning Through Play by David Elkind, PhD, and the May 2007 issue of Community Collage is all about Play vs. Technology. Every issue also contains an abundance of excellent book suggestions and other resources. They offer free tools (booklets and CD-ROMs) for designing spaces and creating environments. Every time I look at the site, I find new treasures to behold!
And to all of the folks at Community Playthings: I extend a heartfelt thank you – as a teacher and as a parent – for all your fine work. I can say with confidence – on behalf of generations of playful, happy, imaginative and innovative people – you are a certainly a treasure!
I remember Community Playthings from when I was a child, and when I had children I specifically searched out their products for my kids, even though they were very pricey. When Uma was 2, a community playthings kitchen came up on craigslist, and even though I had to drive 1 1/2 to get it, it is still going strong with my friend's daughter. I love their catalog too!
As I looked over the Creative Playthings website, I realized that many of the items at my kids' daycare are from that company. I only wish the daycare had the same ideals as the company of the products they chose to use in the center. I don't think they've utilized some of the resources from that website… I especially liked the newsletter entries.
Good toys are around for a long time, from generation to generation. Community Playthings can be found in many Boston Public School preschool and elementary classrooms as they are made to last. Playing is all about growing. It is the foundation for learning social skills, perceptual skills, fine and gross motor skills. It is where we learn to enjoy learning and enjoy life.
I looked through the Community Playthings website and really liked the toys that they had available for kids. From the appearance of the toys and how they are presented, I feel like a real effort is being made to separate themselves from any media influences. I also noticed that they are gender neutral which I believe gives boys and girls the opportunity to interact with one another in a fun and playful way. These look like great toys to have in the classroom or at home.