Hazelnut Kids Blog

Perfect Life Cycle Teaching Tool!

Now that March has hit, Spring is threatening to come. Living in Northern Michigan – we are certainly ready to welcome it!

At Hazelnut Kids, we decided to add a couple 5-Layer Puzzles that would help take advantage of the learning opportunity that Spring presents (as well as a few people layer puzzles).

We have two options available for ages 4+; the Butterfly 5-Layer Puzzle and the Frog 5-Layer Puzzle. Each puzzle takes the child through the entire life cycle – from eggs all the way to the adult life. They are made out of birch wood with non-toxic ink, and have 30 pieces.

Help your child hop into Spring and check out our new layer puzzles today!

Bridgett, Manager – Hazelnut Kids

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought I would share a photo of our homemade heart crayons. I had been looking for a reason to rid our home of all the traditional crayons that are petroleum based and replace them with some of the beautiful beeswax and soy crayons we carry at Hazelnut Kids. I just couldn’t bare to throw them out, so when my children needed to make Valentines for their classroom exchanges, I found the opportunity!

Hazelnut Kids Homemade Crayons

We simply melted the old ones down in glass dishes inside the microwave and poured the melted wax into heart shaped molds. We first tried mixing two colors in one dish, but after having to stir them a couple of times, the colors blended and didn’t give the “swirl” affect we were looking for. We had better results melting individual colors in their own dishes and then mixing colors as we poured them into the molds. Once they hardened, which only took about ten minutes, I had the kids carve their names into the finished crayons.

Our last batches were certainly better than the first, but they were all equally fun! And how nice for the kids to deliver a valentine that is useful and not destined for the garbage. This project only cost $10, and that was for the heart molds that we will use for many years to come.

Tracy Coe – Owner of Hazelnut Kids

As I was sitting at my computer last night, I began thinking about all the negative, selfish thoughts I had throughout the day. I started out grumpy because my six year old son woke me up a half hour early. Later in the day I complained that my husband never likes to attend social events at the school and only wants to hang out with me and our two children. I’m sure I grumbled once or twice about the weather, and I’m almost certain there was a raised voice at the dinner table over someone not minding their manners.

As I shut the computer down, gave a stretch, and crawled into my warm bed, I grabbed the TV remote and began searching for something to entertain me. Instead I was reminded of the devastation and desperation of the people in Haiti.  Suddenly my eyes swelled and all I could think was how lucky I am to have a roof over my head, two healthy children, and a husband who enjoys our company.

Tracy Coe, Owner – Hazelnut Kids Natural Toys

If you would like to make a donation to the relief efforts in Haiti, here is a trusted source – Oxfam

While we have managed to avoid printing a paper catalog for Hazelnut Kids, this past holiday season I realized we may be in the minority!  Each day I checked the mail at my home, I had to make a stop at the recycling bin to drop in the 3-4 catalogs that were received that day.  The mound grew, and I realized there were many duplicate catalogs.  The cover may have been different, but the company was the same, and for the most part – so were the products featured.  I think catalogs certainly have their place – not everyone has computer access believe it or not, and sometimes you just want to be able to flip through tangible pages while looking at products – but the duplicate mailings do more harm than good when they just get tossed.

I came across a site that might be helpful.  It is called Catalog Choice, and is a non-profit corporation looking to help lessen your junk mail while also reducing the amount of natural resources used for catalogs.  You can search for the unwanted catalog on their site, and put in your information to stop receiving the catalogs or reduce the number received (depending on the company’s options).  It is an easy way to stop mailings from multiple companies, by using just one site.

Before your mailbox gets jammed with next year’s holiday catalogs – check out Catalog Choice – and stop the epidemic!

Bridgett, Manager – Hazelnut Kids Natural Toys

So, as the holidays are behind us, and the gift wrap has cleared – the true test begins.  Do the kids actually play with the quality toys they received from Hazelnut Kids, or do the Legos and Barbies prevail?  As we had many new products this season, I updated my kids’ wishlists and watched as their grandparents ordered the new products.  Would they be a hit?  A break from school has allowed for much time at home for Jack and Isabelle to explore their new gifts, and I decided to describe their experience with each below to perhaps help with some gift giving decisions for our customers.

Received by Jack, 6 years old

Jack received this Kinderkram – Wooden Race Car, and I have to admit – I was skeptical.  Does it really work?  Will it be boring?  I was astonished how fast it zipped across the wooden floor!  He giggled with delight, and I am sure he will put many miles on this classic automobile!  Downside:  Jack wound it up a bit too much and the rubber band snapped.  However, it only took once to learn how much was too much, and with 3 extra rubber bands included, it was no problem at all!

Both kids have been interested in checkers lately, so I thought a Chinese Checkers inspired elf game would be lots of fun.  We gave it to Jack, but Isabelle is the one that has been playing it with me!  She seems as addicted to the strategy of the game as I am.  It is hard to pull yourself away.  As soon as we finish one game she is already saying, “let’s play again!”  It is a great game that adults can really enjoy with their children, and kids love improving on their skills.  Downside:  The pieces are pretty small, so sticking to the age suggestion of 5 + is a must.  You have to have good fine motor skills to place the little pieces where you want them to go.  Isabelle is 8 years old, and it suits her age very well.

My kids love creating things, so Santa was smart to but the Made by Me vehicles in their stockings.  The design is so simple, my 6 year old had no problem putting it together by himself.  He was very proud that he created the car.  Decorating is fun and easy to – crayons, markers, paint – whatever you have works on these car canvases!  Downside:    You’ll have to buy more once the kids are done creating theirs – because they enjoy it too much!

You can never have too many pieces for your ball track set!  This Basketball Hoop Set was a welcome addition to my son’s collection.  It comes with everything you need, so it makes a great set to be played on its own – but it also adds much excitement to your existing ball track.  This set scored major points with Jack!  Downside:   Do I have to find one?  Quality wood and the excitement of scoring big on a small scale – what’s not to love?

My kids have received far too many cheap attempts at ball catchers, all of which have broken within minutes of use and ended up in the trash – leaving them disappointed and saddened.  It is such a fun concept to kids, yet it was always over before it started.  Well, they both received a beautiful wooden ball catcher this year – and there is no disappointment in sight!  These toys will last for years, and are a fun, challenging way for kids to have fun on their own.  I even caught Nana giving it a try!  Downside:  Keep your distance from the child playing with this toy!  Or wear a helmet . . .

Received by Isabelle, 8 years old

A few years ago, Isabelle received a Kathe Kruse Waldorf Doll.  She adores it – to say the least.  There is something special about these dolls.  I know she will have it forever.  She has since been wishing she had another doll like “Sarah.”  This Christmas we decided to give her just that.  This Mini It’s Me doll seemed just right.  It comes in its own little carrying bag, and has an adorable hat!  Isabelle was ecstatic when she opened this present, and quickly named her “Molly” – Sarah’s little sister.  She is easy to bring along, and fun to change outfits with.  Downside:   She technically does not fit our 10 inch doll clothes, but Isabelle received a set and made it work.  She rolled the pants up a bit and made the skirt into a shirt!  It’s almost better, because she has been able to get creative with it.

This was a great gift that both Isabelle and Jack can enjoy with us.  The Haba Keep It Steady! Game is lots of fun for all of us, and is great when you wanna play something fun but not think too hard while doing it.  Really great for many ages, and doesn’t seem to get old fast.  I have to say I lost many times already – which is always fun for the kids!  Downside:  Not as exciting if only 2 players play, I rather play with 3-4.  But the kids still enjoy it with 2 players.

Isabelle has her own locker at school, and is quite interested in decorating it!  This Haba set of magnetic pins was a perfect fun little gift for her.  She can’t wait to bring them to school and adorn her locker.  When school is out, they will be perfect to hang artwork on the fridge.  Downside:  I want my own set!

Second grade really vamps up the vocab!  That’s why I was so glad Isabelle was very interested in playing this game that encourages word building.  The Haba Wooden Letter Dice is a fun way to practice spelling.  It was fun to play with two players, has a few different ways to play so it doesn’t get old, and was challenging for both my 8 year old and myself!  I’m sure her teacher will be pleased that she played this over break, too.  Downside:  I may have a wounded ego as Isabelle starts to beat me at this one!

Sarah’s Silks are not new to many of you, but they are to us!  At 8 years old, let me tell you they are still enjoyed.  The possibilities are endless, and Isabelle never tired of creating new dress-up ideas with her gold silk.  She loved the texture, the color, and the many ways it could be used!  Downside:  None!  Sarah’s Silks are the best, that’s all there is to it.

Well, that’s it.  Another successful gift giving season with Hazelnut Kids toys!  I hope this helps some of you who were wondering how these toys actually fair in the real world.  My children have yet to be disappointed by any Hazelnut Kids gifts they have received.  I hope your children have experienced the same joy this holiday season!

Bridgett, Manager – Hazelnut Kids Natural Toys

Artist - Jack, 6 years old

So my son has been using the same blue Easter egg-shaped piece of chalk on his blackboard since last Easter.  Needless to say, I was very excited to see Hazelnut Kid’s new Mercurius Blackboard Chalk come in!  I promised him that I would bring him home a set, and today I did.  He received them with a giant, “Thank you so much Mom!” and then got right to work.

The colors are unbelievable.  Yes, you pay for what you get.  What you get is a super high quality set of chalk – they blend so well, and the colors jump off the blackboard.  The smiles your child produces as they create are priceless, however.

Not only is my son thrilled at the potential he has for greatness with this color wheel of pastels . . . he is thrilled to have the means to practice his weekly spelling words with no harm done to the environment.  That’s right, no more paper.  He now has 12 colors to choose from as he writes and erases each word of the week.  The colors add fun, and the lack of paper involved makes us all feel like we are making our footprint that much smaller.

So don’t wait – get your set of 12 vibrantly colored pastels today!

Bridgett, Manager – Hazelnut Kids

My family and I had the pure luck of stumbling upon a fantastic Art contest in Grand Rapids, Michigan this past weekend.  ArtPrize consists of over 1,000 artists displaying their work all over the city.  It is a powerful outlet for them to speak their mind and make a statement.  One particular piece I found to be very relevant to our concerns at Hazelnut Kids.  Lisa Yarost’s work was entitled “Recyclable Container for Humans – plastic bales.”  The concept (in short) is that we consume more than we realize, not considering the resources gone into creating these items that are all too disposable.  The conatiner consists of plastics about to be recycled.  It encloses around the people that enter the structure – hopefully giving the viewer a much needed perspective of mass consumption.  A kind of ‘in your face’ visual where every turn you make you see the result of your consumption.  However, there is no roof, giving the viewer a glimpse of hope as they look to the sky.

It is easy to keep consuming in a disposable way – we’ve all done it – paper plates for pizza to avoid doing dishes, plastic baggies so we don’t have to spend money on reusable ones, or plastic bottles when we’re on the go.  It is easy to toss and forget, but standing in this maze of discarded plastics, I was forced to stop and think about how my consumption affects our environment.

You might be wondering why Hazelnut Kids would be writing about over consumption – being that we are in the business of selling products.  The answer is simply this: we work with vendors that do what they can to make each step of production as least harmful as possible to the environment, we sell only quality toys that won’t be tossed in the landfills after one or two uses (in fact, they can be handed down from generation to generation), and we use materials that have been recycled to ship our products.  The Holidays happen, toys will be bought.  I feel good though that I can be a part of providing toys with a clean conscience, and ones that have a long life ahead of them . . . one that does not include the landfill.

- Art work information gathered from artprize.org

- Concept of Art work by Lisa Yarost

Bridgett, Manager – Hazelnut Kids

Hazelnut Kids is proud to announce that we made top ten for the Green America People’s Choice Awards!  We are so grateful to our loyal customers for supporting us (and, of course, we would be even more grateful if you support us again and vote one more time!).

We are proud to be a company truly built on the principle of providing safe, quality, easy on the environment toys to our customers.  This recognition means a lot to us, as we are focused on making our footprint smaller – not just making our piece of the market larger.

So thank you friends, for doing your part by choosing the path less traveled, and taking steps  towards a greener life – one toy at a time!

Bridgett, Manager – Hazelnut Kids Natural Toys 

Hazelnut Kids is proud to announce our decision to reuse boxes.  This has been a consideration for some time.  We take pride in how our orders are received by customers, and have always wanted to ensure safe arrival of these packages to our customers.  The time has come, however, to put cosmetics aside – and make our footprint just a bit smaller as we begin reusing cardboard boxes for shipping.  We will choose only boxes that we feel will be a safe and sturdy vessel for our orders, and when you see the “previously loved box” sticker – you’ll know your footprint has been made smaller as well!

So if you receive a less than perfect box from us, just know that it is in the name of preserving our Earth for generations to come – and that our commitment to quality remains the same.  We care about each package we send out, and that remains  true – even more so – as we take yet another step in the “green” direction!

Bridgett, Manager – Hazelnut Kids Natural Toys

For awhile now we have carried Haba’s Japanese House Blocks, but recently we decided to add almost the entire line of Haba Architectural Blocks.  We of course love the smooth, sturdy quality of all Haba blocks, but we are especially fond of these sets.  We believe it is important to offer our children every opportunity to explore other parts of the world, and expand their knowledge of cultures beyond their own.  These blocks offer children a fun, tactile  way to explore other areas of our world.  Whether they are building the great ancient Roman Coliseum, or solving the mystery of how the Pyramids of Egypt were built years ago – these sets will offer a starting point for a great history lesson.  We can learn so much about a culture from their architecture, why not let your kids recreate it?!

Just the other day, my kids’ Grandfather was referencing the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and I thought, “how neat would it be for them to actually build one!”  Now you can offer that opportunity to your own kids.

Check out our new Haba Architectural Blocks, and make an investment in your child’s education.

Bridgett, Manager-Hazelnut Kids