Smiling Moon Balancer in action

Neptune from Montessori Ici was kind enough to share her recent blog post all about our Smiling Moon balancing toy.  Her two little ones are having a blast with it, and they're learning all about balance, colors, stacking, and sorting while they play.  Read on to hear all about Neptune's experience with this toy, and enjoy her gorgeous photos...

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Wednesday, 4 July, 2012

Balancing

For summer, I have tried to find a few toys that I could play with the kids when they either need to get way from the sun, or during a rainy day.  Although these have been scarce lately, we have found ourselves going inside a few times to get away from the heat.

This week, I got this toy out.  It is a balancing moon game by Smiling Tree Toys that I found on Etsy.  I like that it is handmade, with natural material, the quality is outstanding, and it is very inviting to play with.

We have been playing many ways with this toy.  Alone, or together, as a game or just an activity of balancing.  E has even found his way of playing with the parts of this toy: by using the wooden rods to pile them up, and even sort them by colours (and of course, trying to balance them on the moon, with a lot of success I might say!).

X and M have been playing together a lot at this, but I have also seen X trying to make patterns and montage of his own...which are not always successful...but still loads of fun

escaping block on the right

The kit comes in a drawstring bag, and contains the moon and 14 wooden dowels to balance on the moon.

It is simple yet fun, it is open ended enough to be able to make many variation of the game, portable, and playable about anywhere. We are totally happy with this toy, perfect summer game.

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**For more great handmade toys from Smiling Tree, visit our Etsy Shop - you'll find wood teethers, rattles, cars, blocks, personalized toys, and oodles more.  

**NEW** Go behind-the-scenes and get a feel for daily life at our home-based business in our new About Us page.

a new tradition for the holidays

I'm the first to admit, I usually skip over or delete forwarded email messages.  I'm not too worried about seven years of bad luck if I don't forward it on to twelve of my closest friends.  Not to be Debbie-downer or anything, but my inbox is overflowing the way it is. So when a friend e-mailed this message to me the other day, luckily the title caught my eye just before I hit delete. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. 

We always buy local, organic, handmade, and American-made whenever we're able.  But this year for the holidays, we're taking our pledge very seriously: no big-box retailers, no made in China.  None.  Sure that might mean being a bit more creative for the special ones on our list, but that just makes it all the more meaningful and fun!

So read on and get inspired! (And don't forget about shopping to support Small Business Saturday on November 26th.)

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 As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, come gift-giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. It's just not true!
 
So it's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

*Everyone gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?

*Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

*Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American-owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

*Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down the Benjamins on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, a driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

*Think handmade. Talented artists and crafts people are everywhere and they're selling their wares online - they create beautiful and unique jewelry, wooden items, scarves, toys, pottery, paintings, clothes, and so much more.  (Hint, hint: time to check out Smiling Tree Toys and all the other amazing shops on Etsy.)

*There are so many family-owned and operated restaurants -- all offering gift certificates.  If your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this isn't about big national chains -- this is about helping your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

*How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?


*Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? She'd love the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.

*My computer could use a tune-up, and I know I can find some young, talented person who is struggling to get his/her repair business up and running.

Honestly, do you really need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, how about leaving the mailman, trash guy, or babysitter a nice big tip?

You see, Christmas is not about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is about caring  for our neighbors, and encouraging American small businesses to keep following their dreams.  When we care about other Americans, we're caring for our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine.

This is the new American holiday tradition.

an Ode to Peace Corps...

The little one and I are spending a sunny afternoon in the house today trying to escape the heat.  I'm also trying (quite successfully I must say) to avoid an ugly pile of paperwork that has called my desk home for weeks now.

We've been a bit slow at getting our blog up and running since we started it a few months ago.  I blame Amana, the 9-month old who rules every waking second of the Smiling Tree household.  (I don't know what my go-to excuse will be years from now when the little ones are all grown up and out of the house!)

Our blog will still focus on our family's journey toward a simple, sustainable life on the Minnesota prairie, natural parenting, and keep you updated on the goings-on of Smiling Tree Toys.  But it's also going to be a great way for us to give a shout-out to the people, places, and ideas that inspire us and yes, as cliche as it may sound, "make the world a better place."

So on that note, let me tell you why I'm avoiding paperwork and strolling down memory lane this afternoon.  It all started with an email yesterday from fellow Etsy shop owners KerryandLogan.  This adventurous couple just joined Peace Corps and is moving to Ukraine this fall.  In an effort to raise funds to pay for their college loans while they're serving abroad, Kerry and Logan are selling some gorgeous artwork and poem collections.  Here are two of my favorites:

Landscaping Print

"Home Grown" poem collection

Kerry and Logan will spend the next two years of their life immersed in a new community, new culture, new climate, new language, new clothes, new food, and new work environment.  That's a lot of "newness"...  Kudos to them for giving the next two years of their lives to do their small part to positively change the world!

So just what does this have to do Smiling Tree? 

Where do we begin...

 As many of you might already know, we served with the Peace Corps in Niger, West Africa from 2008-2010.  It was life-changing to say the least.  In fact, our daughter Amana (pronounced "ah-MAH-nah") was named for the Hausa (Niger's primary language) word meaning "trust and friendship".  We also make a donation to Peace Corps youth projects for every toy we sell.  Niger is in our blood. 

We made life-long friends, family really, who are now living a world away from us.  But we know they're never more than a few (well, FOUR actually!) plane rides away.  We look forward to the day when we can return to our 'home away from home' and reunite with our Nigerian community.  Until then, though, the magic of cell phones lets us call them regularly to check in and see how our goats, school garden, and tree nursery are doing.

In a future post, we'll share a few of our most powerful experiences and lessons learned during our time in Niger.  We've got pictures that'll bring a tear to your eye (or at least to mine).

In the mean time, here are a few Etsy finds that pay a small tribute to Peace Corps and the passionate, creative people who have helped make it a reality:

Upcycled Vintage Peace Corps Stamp Magnet

JFK photograph by Clyde Keller

Sargent Shriver silk screened t-shirt

Tanzania map journal

And our two Smiling Tree "ode to Peace Corps" favorites:

organic peace dove teether/grasper

                                                                                 

 

organic little Africa teether/grasper

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can

change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

-Margaret Mead

Introducing our POLKA DOT PLAYMATES!

We're super duper excited to roll out a new line of toys this past week - POLKA DOT PLAYMATES! They're cute and funky little hardwood toys that can be teethers, grasping toys, and/or imagination play pieces.  The funnest (I know that's not a real word, but it just has to be said!) part about them are the colorful little polka dots we've added. 

You might think of these one-of-a-kind gems as our "teething toys with a little extra pizzazz"...  

Georgia Giraffe has always been one of our favorite teethers, but she really was just begging for her very own giraffe spots.  (We think she was feeling a bit self-conscious about not having them, so this has really made her day!)  Her she is, all dressed up and happy as a clam:

 

 

Georgia giraffe



We've had spring on our minds lately.  Our backyard is home to some lovely little butterflies and ladybugs, both of which inspired these playmates:



cute-as-a-button ladybug



crazy colorful butterfly

For those of you who know a soon-to-be Daddy, this is an especially darling little polka dot necktie:



funky necktie



If any other shapes that are polka dot-friendly come to mind, please share your ideas!

The Adventure Begins....

Welcome to STT's blog! A place for you to:

• get to know the faces behind Smiling Tree
• read and share tips, stories, and experiences for all things "natural, organic, and eco-friendly for little ones and their parents"
• get insiders' tips, catch sneak previews, and enter contests for Smiling Tree toys 
• learn what we're up to in our little corner of Minnesota
• and some other stuff (gotta leave it opened ended - who knows where this adventure will take us!)

Our Etsy toy shop is "GOIN' GANGBUSTERS" as Justin likes to say...  We're thrilled to be oh-so-close to our 100th sale, we're introducing new toys - Polkadot Playmates - this week, and we just opened a few wholesale accounts. 

Perhaps our most impressive feat as of late, though, as that we've done all of this while taking care of our little TEETHING MONSTER (aka our 7 month old little lady Amana).

Here she is now, discovering grass for the first time (Yes, spring has *finally* sprung in Minnesota. We were beginning to wonder...)

"I'm lovin' this green stuff!"

~~~~~Welcome and enjoy!~~~~~