# naturalist and outdoors themed toys for children?



## Tyler520

I would like to be more conscious about providing more educational toys and books for my kiddos that instill an interest and respect in the outdoors, rural life, craftsmanship etc. and was hoping some of you could provide some additional ideas?

To give you an idea of the kinds of things I have already gotten, want to get, or am thinking about:

-The 'Forest School' book set
-vintage Lincoln logs
-a children's gardening set
- a miniature desktop greenhouse

are any of you aware of other clever, well designed toys or books that promote these things?


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## hiddensprings

While I'm sure there are toys and books out there (you've mentioned some good ones), but one of the best things we've done with our grand children is having a technology free zone at our homestead. When they arrive for a day or a week, the technology goes on top of the frig for the duration. Hubby takes them to his workshop and the build and carve with hand tools, they drive the side by side with him into the woods to harvest trees/firewood, etc. I take them exploring in the woods where we harvest wild edibles, taught them how to harvest grases to weave into baskets, and they've all been involved with the livestock. In other words, we just keep them with us, doing what we love to do. My grandson has totally embraced the lifestyle. We started with him when he was a baby and now he is 14. He has his own carving tools and woodworking tool that he uses at home. Best toy I ever bought my grandson was a little kid sized shovel, rake, and bucket so he could help in the garden. He never viewed it as work....simple fun stuff to do.


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## RJ2019

I got my kids small sized, but wellmade shovels and they LOVE them. They liked the first shovel so much they fought over it and I had to buy a second one.
Is getting them an egg incubator out of the question? A seed starting kit and mushroom grow kit has been a hit here too....
One of those ride-on power wheels tractors helps cultivate a homesteading spirit... I hitched a reel mower to my older kid's tractor and he mows the grass for me sometimes😂😂 He is 4....
Just make sure you hitch it up with the handle side facing backwards, and not by the handle or it won't work.


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## NEAlabama

books for “outdoor” stuff, the favorites among our grandkids are knot tying and animal scat and tracks, and anything with a hammer and nails!


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## altair

Owl pellet dissections!


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## Forcast

I got my grandson a light weight weedwacker and tiller
He is 7 and does nice work. 
My kids had an outside water kitchen great for mud pies. When grandkids come we do project bird house, plantings, pine cone collecting.


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## Evons hubby

Tyler520 said:


> I would like to be more conscious about providing more educational toys and books for my kiddos that instill an interest and respect in the outdoors, rural life, craftsmanship etc. and was hoping some of you could provide some additional ideas?
> 
> To give you an idea of the kinds of things I have already gotten, want to get, or am thinking about:
> 
> -The 'Forest School' book set
> -vintage Lincoln logs
> -a children's gardening set
> - a miniature desktop greenhouse
> 
> are any of you aware of other clever, well designed toys or books that promote these things?


When I was a kid many of our toys were rocks and sticks. I now live in a log house with a stone foundation.


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## 50ShadesOfDirt

One possibility might be your local 4-H groups and support offices; if you engage with these folks, you'll have the opportunity to:

peruse the vast areas of instruction and "guidebooks" that are part of the 4-H curriculum ... covers things you wouldn't have dreamed of.
parents will request a number of these guidebooks to see what is involved with a particular task, without committing to a task.
To see what kids of all ages have produced out of 4-H association, head to your state fair; all the county 4-H groups roll up the best projects to compete at the state level. It's amazing stuff ...

Another possibility, within the large collection of "foxfire" books, was a specific volume that dealt with upwards of 100 hand-crafted toys ... it's Vol 6, available on Amazon and other sources. The foxfire volumes are printed/reprinted all the time ... might be available in your local library.

Finally, general searches for these kinds of toys, tools, and learning resources should bring up reams of info ... we recommend Startpage, which is a privacy-based search engine (they don't track or sell your info, as you search); the linked article goes into more detail.


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## muleskinner2

One of my first "toys" was a hatchet. I would sit on the kitchen floor and split kindling for the cook stove. When I was five or six, I built a wooden tool box and stole some of my dads tools. They became my new toys. That next summer I helped my granddad build a chicken house. Granddad is gone, but the chicken house is still there.


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## Danaus29

The Little Golden Book series field guides are wonderful for introducing kids to the nature around them.



Amazon.com : golden nature guide books



They were my first insect identification books.


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## snowlady

My mom always had field guide type books around. Then we did like a treasure hunt to find things in the book...bluebirds, Jack in the pulpits, oak leaves etc.


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## Danaus29

My son found a book about wilderness survival. I can't remember the title but it had all sorts of useful information like blazing a trail, knot tying, fire starting, etc. The older Boy Scout guide books also had useful information like that. 

Maybe you could let them grow their own "Victory Garden" or wildlife garden complete with a sitting area for watching the world go by.


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## doc-

Ahhh--toughen the little brats up....Get 'em Dan Ackroyd's Bag-O'-Glass. Consumer Probe: Irwin Mainway - SNL - Bing video


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## 67drake

Glass is OK. Fire is much more exciting IMO.








My First Fire


Leave new or expecting parents laughing by hiding an age-appropriate gift inside our My First Fire gift box.




pranko.com


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## Gayle in KY

One thing I remember as a child was getting to choose a pack of seeds and plant them. I put my carrots in the sandbox, but you could give them a pot of dirt, instead. A little watering can would be a nice addition.


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## Gayle in KY

Give them a magnifying glass. That way they can examine things AND play with fire.


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## Pony

I don't know how old your children are, but pocket knives are great. So handy for so many things, and learning how to properly handle a knife is critical.


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## muleskinner2

Pony said:


> I don't know how old your children are, but pocket knives are great. So handy for so many things, and learning how to properly handle a knife is critical.


I remember my first grade teacher taking my pocket knife away, and then giving it to the bus driver. I got it back when I got off the bus. She thought that whittling on the playground was too dangerous.


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## Pony

muleskinner2 said:


> I remember my first grade teacher taking my pocket knife away, and then giving it to the bus driver. I got it back when I got off the bus. She thought that whittling on the playground was too dangerous.


What is it with first grade teachers?

DH's first grade teacher took his left-handed scissors from him. DS's teacher insisted I force him to use his right hand.

So, did you stab her for being such a stinker?


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## muleskinner2

Pony said:


> So, did you stab her for being such a stinker?


No, I just learned to be more sneaky. A trait that has stood me well, all of my life.


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## 67drake

muleskinner2 said:


> I remember my first grade teacher taking my pocket knife away, and then giving it to the bus driver. I got it back when I got off the bus. She thought that whittling on the playground was too dangerous.


Nowadays, the school would be on lockdown. Counselors would be called in in case anyone felt unsafe or was traumatized by the sight of the knife.


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## Lisa in WA

My kids had ponies. They rode them through forests, rivers, the desert, etc.


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## doc-

Lisa in WA said:


> My kids had ponies. They rode them through forests, rivers, the desert, etc.


I've always been an optimist...I remember one Christmas morning, I came downstairs and found my Christmas stocking full of horse manure...Wow!!! I was so happy! I figured they bought me a pony!!

Back to the OP-- What about an ant farm or a weather station? How old are these kids?


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## doc-

Stimulate their imaginations-- They could listen to old time radio on rainy days or at bed time. If you're old enough to remember, _Mark Trail_ was a comic strip & radio show about a forest ranger/naturalist and his adventures, usually centered around some problem of environmental stewardship. Dumb.com - Old Time Radio - Adventure - Mark Trail


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## wdcutrsdaughter

The best way to connect your kids with nature is to be connected yourself!
So many good ideas here.... 
The Peterson Guides are what I use with children.
Knot tying books are also fun for 6+


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## 67drake

Lucky kids, my parents gave me lumps of coal and rocks.


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## muleskinner2

When I was ten, my dad got me a chainsaw. I have been interested in the outdoors, and forests ever since.


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## Danaus29

My favorite outdoor toys were the stack of concrete blocks that sat in front of the barn for years and the sand/gravel pile that was used for mixing cement. And I had 20 acres of woodland to roam as long as I was back in time to set the table for supper.


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