Many years ago we had our own wooden toy shop. We made toys ourselves, just me and my husband. Handmade products were not very appreciated in our society, but elsewhere they were very wanted.
Our goal was not just to sell, but to educate people on the importance of natural products for their children as well as for them. For this goal, we needed more than just our manufacture and our word. We needed more words from more people.
From this point of view, I may say that we managed to initiate a change in people’s minds and their view of wooden toys. Even today, people inquire about our little shop that stopped working about 7 years ago.
Have an Ear for Kids’ Ideas
Our project was started because of some higher interest which definitely wasn’t money. We wanted a healthy society and healthy kids. We were wrong to think that it would be fast and easy.
Unfortunately, it is always difficult to break someone’s routines and habits. People’s habits have been plastic toys for years. Some people don’t even want to consider another possibility.
One of our first big sales was at a Kids’ Christmas fare. We were proud of so many educative, natural, wooden toys. Much praising came our way which made us exalted and hopeful.
Our prices were decent and pretty much affordable for many people. Of course, you can’t please them all, so some complaints that it was “only wood and not gold” to be that expensive were thrown our way. Wood has always been considered as something omnipresent, within everybody’s reach and accordingly should be brutally cheap.
The same parent, that made a complaint about gold, in arrogance, went on to buy two balloon swords which cost half the price of one wooden sword. The child’s happiness lasted very short as the balloons soon exploded and half of the wooden sword was wasted in vain. The unhappy child desperately wanted a long-lasting sword and gave a good lesson to his parent.
Children can be good teachers if they have good listeners. It often happens that we don’t give a voice to children, we don’t consider their thoughts and ideas equally, although they have a lot to say.
Wise men learn from their mistakes and wiser men learn from the mistakes of others. Let’s make use of this example in two ways. The first one is to choose wisely, choose natural, durable and healthy and the second is to appreciate kids’ ideas as equal.
A Happy Dad
As time went on, some parents did learn their lessons, either from their own mistakes or from other peoples’ mistakes. Never mind, the outcome was important. Everything went slowly but surely.
We were happy to have some regular customers who bought each of our products and eagerly expected our new inventions.
One of the most memorable customers was one happy dad. We had always had a feeling that he was happier to play with our toys than any kid. He would always come to our store and try out new products ending in his purchase. However, his favourite product was a building block set. He just loved it. It was his first purchase. It consisted of fifty elements which he found not enough for their play so he asked his mother, his kid’s grandmother, to buy another one for her grandson’s birthday.
Accordingly, grandma bought another set of natural wooden building blocks, but our customer still needed more. As soon as we started painting our toys, he came to buy the coloured set of blocks explaining that they needed to add some colour to the kingdom they were building. However, after some time, we discovered that he was bought another coloured set by some of his friends. This happy customer shared his experience with the others, thus helping people with their choices and at the same time helping us with our goal.
Ecologically Oriented Kindergartens
Kindergartens, new, innovative and oriented towards natural and healthy living as well as preserving nature and our surroundings, always take a stand on wooden toys. It is such a good idea to start teaching ecology from an early age. At this age, kids don’t learn things consciously, they unconsciously acquire what is shown to them. The unconscious acquisition ends up in kids’ habits rather than knowledge. Knowledge can be forgotten or ignored and habits follow us all life.
Our customer kindergartens were delighted by our handwork and the choice of our educative toys. They were always welcome at our shop to see the process of our work and to try the toys before making their final purchase. They liked us because we were different from other shops where you bought toys in boxes, and you saw what you had bought only when you came home.
Consequently, good words about our shop came from kindergartens’ satisfaction with our cooperation and the experience with our products, too.
However, if you ever choose the kindergarten for your child, ask them what kind of toys they use and about their view on implementing ecology at an early age. You will find out a lot about the kindergarten through their answers to these questions.
Kids’ Care for Their Toys
Lots of our toys were donated to kids without parents or poor families. Compassion is something very needed in this world and it should be practised on a daily basis. As pointed out earlier, parents are kids’ best teachers, so we should provide the best models for imitation. Our kids have always been taught to be generous, to share and give away when they don’t need something anymore. Therefore, our toys are circulating through our big family and I may say I am proud as they are very well-kept and cared for.
Caring for toys builds kids’ responsibility and economy. They should be taught to take care of their toys with respect because toys make them happy and are someone’s present to them. Again, toys are bought to make a bridge, a close connection between the buyer and the receiver. Toys are bought with love thus they should be respected accordingly.
The economy is something that most children are not aware of. Of course, we should not teach them the word economy or its definition. What we should teach them is to take good care of their toys because we can’t afford the new ones. Even though you are well off, kids’ should know that toys can’t be bought whenever they break theirs. This way, they will learn to be economic and spend money wisely.
Conclusion
It is nice to put in a good word for any product that you have had a pleasant experience with so other people can benefit from it. Equally, let others learn from your bad experiences, too.
That is exactly how I buy anything. I always try to find someone, other than the seller, who can assure me of the quality and benefit of the wanted product. The aforementioned happy customer was our best commercial at the same time he was a great help to people who wanted to buy our products.
Accordingly, I am trying to help you with your purchase for the most important members of your family. They should be taken well care of and given the most delicate, healthy and natural toys.
Choose wisely, choose wood.
