Friday, August 5, 2011

Child made toys

In the corner of our playroom is a box. This box is packed to the brim with toys. Toys made by Rebe in the past week. She spends very little time playing with actual toys. We have some gorgeous toys, many handmade and wooden and very beautiful to look at and to play with. But Rebe doesn't want to play with them, she would rather make her own.

*A unicorn*


This is what Rebe does from the moment she wakes until I put her into bed at night after her quiet time. She makes and makes and makes.

*A fairy peeping out of a box house. Rebe told me she caught this fairy in the garden and it wanted to live in this house filled with calendula petals.*


She very rarely plays with the toys once she has made them. They are often gifts, or she might have a quick play with them for a few moments before thinking of the next idea and dashing off to gather what she needs to make that.



*a cat*


"Children often spend so much time making their playthings that some observers might be tempted to ask, when will they actually start to play? It can be surprising to see that, after quite a short time of actual use - or even before completion- everything is dismantled, transformed, or rebuilt elsewhere. What the observer hasn't realised is that playing means simply being involved in the process, not necessary using a finished product." - Jaffke, F. Toymaking with Children

*a tiny puppy*

*a dragon sword (this is inspired by one of our current favourite books Molly Whuppie)*

*An adder sock puppet*

Rebe is often inspired by books, she pours over craft books and magazines for hours, getting inspiration for toys and other things to make. I love that she is so creative and I love that she makes presents for her friends and for people she hardly knows (and I always love the bemused look on people's faces when they receive one of her creations). I love that her best ever gift was a sellotape dispenser. I love that I have very little to recycle each week. I love that I have to sweep up snippets about 3848 times a day...not! (well I just let Joa eat them actually ;-))

*a church*


She also often 'needs' a specific prop for a game and will, without hesitating, go and make it. She loves making toys and I know this is probably a lot to do with her seeing her daddy and I making toys for them and things for ourselves. Hand work is just something we do in our family. It brings me untold pleasure and I love making things for my little people. I have seemed to slowed down an awful lot recently, probably because I am taking much more time for myself to walk and read and also more couple time with Andy.*Peter Pan, a much begged for 6th birthday present for Rebe*


But I am getting the odd hour in and am happily making toys just as my daughter does :-)

11 comments:

  1. Her toys are incredible. My personal favorite is the unicorn. What a creative soul you have been blessed with.

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  2. Oh heavens Laura, Rebe would fit right in with my bunch! I can see 'em all making while we get to drink tea and knit and chat. <3
    Hugs

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  3. I love all her toys and the gorgeous peter pan

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  4. How creative! So much fun to see as a Mom. I'm always so proud of my little creator. He spends hours drawing and telling me his stories about them. Fun, fun!

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  5. What a wonderful, creative, little spirit :-)

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  6. Hi all, I will pass the praise on to Rebe :-)
    Fiona, I love the unicorn too, it makes me giggle and this was one of the things that she played with for quite a while :-)
    Melanie, I think they would have a ball together, I know we would x x
    Karen, thank you :-) She has been asking for a Peter Pan doll since last year and I'm so excited to have it ready for her
    hugs x x

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  7. I am so inspired and uplifted by little one's imagination. Jake is almost 17 months and I am just beginning to be able to see some of his "ideas". Love it.

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  8. Is that a unicorn or a Pegasus? I think I spot wings!

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  9. Dear Laura...It's been awhile since I stopped by. My oldest would also be a great companion for Rebe. He is nearly 6 and has always seemed to create his own things. I wouldn't call them toys, though, for they are often an important part of his "get-up". Countless knight's helmets, knight's shields, knight's weaponry (ahem), plus a watch and an I-pod thingy which he saw someone wearing downtown and then his cousin had one, and now he has one! Aaargh! Well, his is a block of wood with some yarn attached to hook onto his ear. Anyhow, I love Rebe's creativity. I think it speaks volumes of the homelife you have, the character she is, and the creativity leaping out of her. Hooray for Rebe!!!
    xo Jules

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  10. Reminds me of our "setups". All the fun was in the setting up; not in the playing.

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