Looking Back At The Toys Of Yesteryear

Charming, whimsical toy stores reminiscent of Santa's Workshop are hard to find these days.  That's what's special about working for The Ark, especially here in San Francisco where it's really one of the few independent toy shops left.  So we like to keep that spirit of classic toys alive by carrying quality wood toys from Europe, local toys made in the USA, creative wooden block sets, Waldorf dolls, and all types of cool toys that veer on the timeless side.

These types of stores bring back memories of past toy shops for many, while introducing that same magic to a new generation of kids and parents.  Toys are more than just things, they're an experience.  Using the Museum of Childhood's amazing collection of historical children's objects,  lets take a look back and get to know some of history's favorite toys in this first entry of the "Toys of Yesteryear" blog series!

Turn Of The Century Dollhouses

Actually this insanely detailed dollhouse was made in 1890 and is noted for featuring some of the most advanced home technologies of the time; miniaturized of course.  Water heaters, knife cleaners, and bicycles are featured, while popular architectural spaces of the time like billiard rooms and in-home classrooms are also packed into this grand dollhouse.

Dominoes of Year's Past

Did you know Dominoes were first introduced in 13th century China?  And by the mid 18th Century, the game grew in popularity and made its way over to England from Italy where it took off ever since.  The very first dominoes sets were made from bone strips and ebony, then tightly fastened together with brass pins; these pins were known as "spinners" and they helped to support dominoes tiles so they could be placed upright.  

The most commonly played dominoes game is called the "block game."  It's most fun with at least four players participating.  Each player must draw seven dominoes tiles from the pile and place them upright so they stand freely on their own; however the tiles cannot directly face the opponents, just the edges of the tiles!

The first player who ends up with the "double 6" tile must place that tile on the table face up, which really gets the game going!  When players have tiles with the same number of spots, they must place those tiles next to dominoes already played.  The game ends when one person plays all of his or her dominoes tiles.  This same game is played together and enjoyed by kids, parents, AND their amazing grandparents. 

Stay tuned for Volume II of this very special blog series about cool toy history!

The Lowdown on Fine and Gross Motor Skills When Choosing Baby Toys

You've heard this term a lot, "fine motor skills", but how does it relate to babies and why is it important when choosing baby toys?  And to throw another curve-ball in there,  what's the actual difference between fine and gross motor skills? 

For starters, "fine motor skills" in babies refers to the small movements they exhibit early on.  These movements represent the beginnings of muscle coordination, as shown through small movements of the feet, toes, wrists, fingers, tongue, and lips.  The following examples fall under this umbrella:

• The holding or "clutching" of small objects, such as holding a little spoon and clutching a baby beads toy or teether.  That's why baby clutch toys typically feature large wooden rings for grasping or tactile features like bumps and large shapes to improve grasping ability.

• Discovering the coordination between thumbs and fingers to pick up objects (and before long chucking them across the room!)  Through baby toys, parents can help condition these fine motor skills with large wooden knob puzzles, stacking toys, sound rattles with large handle rings, and pint sized soft blocks for example. 

It's important to note that both fine and gross motor skills involve the development of muscle coordination, and they both grow together.  While fine motor skills in babies involve smaller movements like clutching and picking up toys, gross motor skills describe more physical movements like rolling over and sitting, and eventually more advanced large movements like crawling, walking, and running as children get older.

These motor skills continue to develop well past the toddler stage, into kindergarten, and beyond.  Gross motor skills continue to strengthen via sports and other outdoor physical activity, and mastering handwriting skills is just another continuation of fine motor skills for example.  

Developmental baby toys are designed to foster these motor skills and bring the two together early on, which also helps to improve early logical thinking!  

Pounding toys for example require large movements of the arms for pounding objects and smaller movements like picking up mallets.  And wooden Stacking, nesting, and sorting toys utilizes those smaller fine motor motor skills to improve logical reasoning like sequencing. 

To learn more about the relationship between motor skills and toys, check out our detailed online product pages, or visit our Baby & Toddler Pinterest Board for inspiration!

Get To Know The Timeless Stories of Elsa Beskow

You may have noticed in our Books section online that we carry quite a bit from Swedish author, Elsa Beskow.  What you might not know is that Beskow is one of Sweden's most beloved children's book authors and illustrators, producing such timeless works as The Sun Egg, Pelle's New Suit, and the delightful Woody, Hazel and Little Pip! 

Those are just a few of the many classic children's stories Beskow contributed over the years, and her work is regularly immortalized in such things as kids decor, baby dish sets, and photos albums, just to name a few.

Elsa Beskow worked prominently at the turn of century in Sweden and well into the 1940s, writing such classics as Peter in Blueberryland, Children from Solbacka, and Ollie's Ski Trip in between 1898 and 1907.  Later on, she went on to produce more storybook favorites like The Flower Festival in 1914, The Children of Hat College in 1930, and Peter & Lotta's Adventure in 1947.  

Her stories were often fanciful or whimsical in nature, typically introducing woodland characters like acorn or toadstool children, fairies, miniature people, and other imaginative characters.

Beskow was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1874 and went on to study art education at the Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts, and Design.  Before long, Beskow was already contributing to well-known Swedish children's magazine, Jultomten in 1914.

Elsa Beskow's whimsical children's stories are a big favorite of librarians, Waldorf Schools, Waldorf-inspired homeschooling, imaginative kids, and creative writers!

Why We Love Rough n' Tumble Bruder Toys!

Toy trucks, buses, fire engines, and bulldozers are just a few of the many classic construction vehicles kids have been enjoying for decades.  At the Ark we definitely love to keep the spirit of traditional toys alive, and we do it through brands like Bruder and wooden toy makers such as Melissa & Doug and Hape for example.

Plus there is something truly magical about finding a bright shiny fire truck under the Christmas tree or a large CAT bulldozer with a big beautiful birthday bow on it!

As far as coming close to the fine detail and experience of those timeless toy vehicles of yesteryear, Bruder definitely takes the cake.  Made in Germany, Bruder makes a stunning variety of vehicles like Mercedes Benz Fire Trucks, realistic tractors with front loaders, CAT excavators, giant cement mixer trucks, Mack Granite dump trucks, and towering cranes; just to name a few!

So which is the right toy vehicle for your child?  The best thing to do is head down to your local Ark Toys and get a feel for which vehicle your kid reacts to best, or have them look through our online store if you're not local to the area, so you can gauge which vehicles they're most drawn to.

Bruder toys are also exciting because young kids already recognize these gargantuan vehicles on the road while on the way to preschool, the supermarket, and family gatherings.  And they could even help spark an early interest in trade, engineering, large construction projects, and city planning.

Showing The Art of Customer Appreciation. Ark Style!

It's been an extra special month here at The Ark!  School's out, the weather's been fabulous, and we've dedicated the entire month of July to our lovely customers.  So we're running this nifty month-long offer that gives new customers a gift card when they sign up for our frequent buyer program and spend over $35.  It's been really great to see new faces welcome brand new customers to The Ark family!

Okay giving away Ark gift cards is pretty awesome, but we're all about having fun here at The Ark.  Yes, we're a bunch of grown up kids here, so we just had throw some weekend events to entertain the kiddos while Mom and Dad shop around. 

Thanks to our store manager Anna, who also moonlights as the world's best cook, we've been able to supply our guests with complimentary homemade baked goods and beverages too.  As well as providing activities like paper flower making, hula-hooping, sidewalk and window art, foam popper bullseye games, and juggling.  Every weekend has been a completely different theme which has been really fun for us and our customers.

So what's in store for this weekend's customers appreciation festivities?  After tackling outdoor and crafts, we're going to harness the power of your mind with brain teasers, window mazes, giant dot-to-dot games for tots, fortune teller games, and of course, super delicious free food.  Oh yeah!  We're also throwing in a 40% off sidewalk sale too for those last-minute birthday gifts.

If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, take advantage of our July offerings before it's too late.  We're looking forward to playing with you this Summer!

Baby's First Birthday Gift Guide

It's almost here!  That awesome day your little niece, nephew, cousin and grand kid turns the big #1.  And the very best part?  Buying them awesome presents they'll absolutely love of course.

Shopping for children may feel a little daunting but it's actually really fun!  Plus it's a blast channeling all that childhood nostalgia for stuffed animals, board books, and blocks.

It's pretty cool what 1-year olds are doing in terms of motor skill development, creativity and logical thinking, so there's tons of awesome gifts to choose from which is great.  And we're talking birthday gifts kids can actually use for a while and grow with too.

All-Natural Wooden Toys

For starters, high-quality wooden play blocks are a great choice for promoting dexterity and creative thinking.  Keeping quality in mind, limit choices to top rated wood toy brands like the following:

• Haba
• Melissa & Doug
• Janod
• Plan Toys
• Hape

These high quality wood toy brands produce some of the most whimsical and creative wooden block sets for babies.  Haba's fanciful Sakrada block sets are made in Germany and features a cool color palette with pastel shades and cool tones; as well as incorporating sensory elements like miniature bells and reflective materials.  

Hape's known for it's dazzling and colorful block sets, plus they're fantastic at blending in themes with their sets too.  1-year olds and toddlers are especially drawn to their Fantasy Castle Blocks that feature sound blocks, bright colors and whimsical illustrations.

Soft Toys & Plush

Switching gears from solid wood toys to extra soft plush goodness, another gift option are plush products from Kathe Kruse, Apple Park, and Lilliputiens.  Like HABA, Kathe Kruse toys are also produced in Germany, plus they're known for their high quality, detail, and charming aesthetic that's uniquely Kathe Kruse.  

Their towel dolls come in a variety of styles like Waldorf dolls, foxes, donkeys and rabbits, which are great cuddly add-on gifts to accompany a building set or activity toy. * Oh btw, If there's a baby shower on the horizon, Kathe Kruse also makes teethers and grabbing toys for infants that come with detachable plush, like Alba the wise owl pictured below/ 

   

Stylish Activity Toys

Like Kathe Kruse, French toy company Lilliputiens has also earned a reputation for their stylish, whimsical plush toy designs.  Crafting a growing cast of adorable characters like Arnold the Hippo and Ophelie & Her Chicks, Lilliputiens has done an extraordinary job at blending style and creativity with fine motor skill development.

Children delight in discovering oodles of plush animals hidden away in Lilliputien's soft Noah's Ark Toy.  It's like opening a clown car of never-ending alligators, giraffes, lions and chickens!  And Mama Chicken Ophelie comes with her own plush nest that's filled with four adorable (and numbered) chicks that transform into small finger puppets.

Need more birthday ideas for that awesome soon to be 1-year old?  Stay tuned for our next blog post on buying organic toys for kids!