How to Select Wooden Farm Toys
Long before the invention of bright yellow and blue plastic, people made farm toys using commonly found materials. Wood was handy and easy to carve into shapes or cut into forms that became a small barn with fencing or a tractor with moveable wheels. To this day, wooden farm toys are a favorite choice for parents and kids.
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Instructions
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Select the Best Materials
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Feel the wood of the farm toys if possible. Select smoothly sanded toys for young children to protect their hands and mouths from slivers.
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Ask what type of sealant was used on the wooden farm toy. Choose toys sealed with water-based, non-toxic paints and finishes or toys not sealed at all.
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Go green: Look for wooden toys made of sustainable materials, such as beech, pine or maple. Avoid selecting wooden toys made from endangered or exotic tree species.
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Select from 100-percent wooden farm toys or wooden farm toys with plastic, rubber or metal accessories.
Select the Shape of the Wooden Farm Toy
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Choose from many shapes and sizes of wooden farm toys. A wooden mini farm set can be large enough to hold a farmer, tractor, wagon, fences, stalls, trees and animals.
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Check for wooden farm toys in carved or cut-and-assembled options. Some artisans hand-carve the farm animals and the intricate wooden toys. Others use various saws and other tools to create flat-surface toys. like barns, farmhouses and tractor puzzles.
Select Wooden Farm Toys
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Look for any merchant carrying Waldorf toys, a high-quality brand of wooden toy.
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Shop locally during the holidays or at festivals to find artisans specializing in wooden toys. Some may even do custom work, a wonderful option if you'd like to include a toy based on a family pet in the farm set.
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Make wooden farm toys using twigs for fences and extra wood to craft a rough barn or farmhouse. Use a pocketknife under parental supervision to carve small farm animals and figures.
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Tips & Warnings
Select a barn with a carrying handle and a roof that opens to store wooden animals inside.
Keep toys simple and age appropriate.
Depending on where you live, you may be able to take a Saturday drive through Amish country to shop for crafts and wooden farm toys. Remember that Sunday is their Sabbath, so shops are closed.
For toddlers, opt for a wooden farm puzzle with large, secure knobs. Little ones could choke if a knob came off.
Avoid buying cheap trinket wooden toys, particularly for young kids. These types of toys could contain lead paint or other harmful substances.
