Guard the Nursery

Charlotte Mason said,

"Guard the nursery: let nothing in that has not the true literary flavor; let the children grow upon a few books read over and over..."

and,

"Everything in the nursery should be 'neat'- that is, pleasing and suitable...nothing vulgar in the way of print, picture book, or toy should be admitted- nothing to vitiate a child's taste or introduce a strain of commonness into his nature."

and,

"Mothers owe 'a thinking love' to their children...how shall this heart, this head, these hands be employed?...that which they supply shall be wholesome and nourishing, whether in the way of picture books, lessons, playmates, bread and milk, or mother's love."

Are you guarding your "nursery"? What are you letting in? What are you admitting? Are you thoughtfully choosing the books and toys with which your toddlers and preschoolers are growing by? You, as a parent, have the power to choose what is allowed to come into your nursery.

A poem by Walt Whitman says,

There was a child went forth every day;
And the first object he look'd upon, that object he became;
And that object became part of him for the day, or a certain part of
the day, or for many years, or stretching cycles of years.

The truth is, we often do become what we behold. Charlotte Mason also said,

"It is no small part of education to have seen much beauty, to recognize it when we see it, and to keep ourselves humble in its presence."

I believe the best way to expose our children to much beauty is through God's creation. We also surround our children with the beauty of God's word (the Bible), with beautiful music, and with beautiful pictures. Yet...how about their toys? What playthings are you admitting into the nursery? Charlotte said we should not let anything in that would "vitiate a child's taste or introduce a strain of commonness into his nature." Instead, parents need to supply "wholesome and nourishing" books and toys. Yes, toys can be wholesome and nourishing. Beauty nourishes humans and our children need to see much beauty so that they will recognize it when they see it, thereby refining their tastes to appreciate and enjoy all things pure, lovely, and good.

I love what John Eldredge wrote about beauty in his book Captivating,

"Nature is not primarily functional. It is primarily beautiful. Stop for a moment and let that sink in. We're so used to evaluating everything (and everyone) by their usefulness that this thought will take a minute or two to begin to dawn on us. Nature is not primarily functional. It is primarily beautiful. Which is to say, beauty is in and of itself a great and glorious good, something that we need in large and daily doses (for our God has seen fit to arrange for this)...

Beauty nourishes. It is the kind of food our souls crave. A woman's breast is among the loveliest of all God's works, and it is with her breast that she nourishes a baby- a stunning picture of the way in which Beauty itself nourishes us....Beauty comforts. There is something profoundly healing about it...Beauty inspires...It is our most immediate experience of the eternal...Beauty reminds us of an Eden we have never known, but somehow know our hearts were created for. Beauty speaks of heaven to come, when all shall be beautiful..."

We can see just how essential beauty is to life, but how does this apply to the toys we supply our children with? Jane Lambert wrote in her book Before Five in a Row, that there is a "beauty, mass, and warmth in wood", and I agree with her. Toys that are made out of natural materials, such as wood and cotton, give our children a picture of beauty much more than any plastic toy.

Wooden toys are often more expensive, but there are a couple things we would do well to consider when deciding on whether or not to purchase such playthings. First, how much do adults spend on "toys" for themselves that are not needed such as TV's, i-pods, and all other technology related items. How much do we spend on items for ourselves? Why do we not consider the cost factor for our "toys" as easily as we do for our children's toys? Second, we must realize that our children do NOT need a lot of playthings. It is far better for them to have just a few worthy toys than a room full of "junk food" toys! One year, when we got our tax refund, I spent a good chunk of change on toys for my children. Since that year, we have only added a few things to their collection and my children still play with those quality, wooden toys that I bought that one year! So is the cost worth it? Most definitely!

The key is finding worthy toys; ones that are of quality both in their substance (materials that last for years, even generations, and that are beautiful) and in their play value. Let me share some more about the issue of a toy's play value.

A worthy toy to buy for your child is one that is open-ended. It is a toy that can be used in many ways, unlike those high tech plastic toys. For instance, wooden nesting bowls and boxes can be stacked but children also find other amazing ways to use them, such as cooking pots, pools, boats, seats for dolls, etc. The wooden rainbow I will link to below can not only be stacked, but also be used for bridges, baby cradles, tunnels and caves, boats, etc. Toys that are open-ended allow the child to use his imagination in deciding how to use them; one day for one purpose, another day for a different purpose. Playsilks can be used as picnic blankets, tablecloths, curtains, capes, dress-up, doll blankets, rivers, etc.

In today's world, too many of the toys our children play with are either meant to just entertain them or to teach them certain skills. There is a place for entertainment in every person's life, and there is value in limited toys that teach academics and skills, but most of a child's playthings should be those that are open-ended and foster creativity, imagination, and problem-solving. This is when play truly becomes the work of childhood, when children play with toys that help them to become problem solvers and encourage "out-of-the-box" thinking. Children need toys that some adult has not determined how the child will play with them. The child needs to be the one to find uses for the open-ended, multi-purpose toy. She needs to use her mind in creating, imagining, and thinking outside of the box. Children who play with toys that foster such mind work are on their way to becoming independent thinkers and problem solvers.

Wooden toys give our children a more beautiful image of the world. Wood is also made from nature, from a living thing, and is warmer and adds texture, so toys of wood appeal to a child's senses much more than toys of plastic. Of course, when choosing wood over plastic, we should also remember how plastic effects us and our environment.

All this said, I am of the opinion that, when it comes to the playthings we admit into the nursery, we should supply quality toys that are open-ended: such as the wooden ones I will link to below, a couple beautiful cloth dolls, and playsilks. All these toys add beauty to a child's life while also allowing him to do the work of childhood.

I have found that the German company "Grimm's Spiel and Holz Design" produces the most pleasing toys that I have ever set my eyes upon and touched. These are all wood and colored beautifully with non toxic water based dyes. The following are open-ended, multi-purpose playthings from them that I HIGHLY recommend- well worth the cost, these will last for many, many years. Your children can easily pass them down to their children!



















As for other wooden toys, these are not necessarily open-ended, but they do have play value:







***Go to my store (see top right of sidebar) to find more toy recommendations, including wooden food and many educational toys!

These blocks are also made in Germany and they are truly awesome! They are sort of like big, wooden duplos:








Consider also a wooden memory game or two:







Organic, natural, cloth dolls can be expensive, but remember that children do not need many of them. Even one or two can be enough. Waldorf dolls are usually handmade and great play options. I have chosen to purchase a few of the "cheaper" ones for my children to play with (I say cheaper because one can pay over a hundred dollars for a single doll), similar to this doll:



Lastly, the playsilks I spoke of above can be purchased, or I have heard, can be made:



Make Your Own Playsilks

In my next post, I will write about choosing the best books to admit into your child's nursery.

As we thoughtfully consider what our children should learn, what they should read, how they should spend their time and with whom they should spend their time, let us also give thought to the toys we supply them with. Let us offer our children playthings that are healthy, beautiful, and open-ended. Children do not need many toys, but the toys we do supply them with should be the best that we can give them.