Old-fashioned toys better for kids

The Times of India ^ | 25 Nov 2007, 0026 hrs IST | The Times of India

[mylife]

I always laugh when parents buy fancy electronic gizmos for toddlers and the little tykes play with the box instead of the gizmo!

[Brad’s Gramma]

Rocket Science Mentality Ping.

[bannie]

Less lead is always good.

[SE Mom]

Thanks for posting this- just sent it to my daughter-in-law :) (I’m not a subtle grandmother!)

[padre35]

The elusive obvious, a learning tool does not always come with batteries required.

Simple linkin logs can teach spacial relationships, creative thinking, and can be chewed on....

[Pylon]

Heck with all the fancy electronic gizmos, gimmie back my Jarts.

[Paperdoll]

Let’s see, there are also games such as Jacks, jump rope, board games, Phase Ten, Dominos, unrevised history books on our founding fathers, and the classics.

[mylife]

This isn’t good news for “baby einstein”

[Jaysun]

I give my children scissors or sharp knives to play with. There’s a number of things they can do with them. And they have to figure out how not to stab themselves with them when they fall down. That helps build survival skills that will be useful later on, I think.

Plus scissors are cheap, cheap, cheap.

[chemicalman]

The best part about wrapping presents are the sword fights with the empty paper tubes....who needs toys.

[mylife]

Yup! and they make great “durder’s”

Place one end to the mouth and “durt durder!!”

[Beagle8U]

Buy them a BB gun.

[mtbopfuyn]

A rock and a stick in every child’s Christmas stocking!

[skinkinthegrass]

“Lincoln Log / Lego” BUMP

[Red_Devil 232]

Tinker Toys come to mind also.

[NittanyLion]

And they have to figure out how not to stab themselves with them when they fall down. That helps build survival skills that will be useful later on, I think.

And also adds a Darwinian element to this phase of their life, thus ensuring that only the strongest and smartest children will emerge...

[Jaysun]

And also adds a Darwinian element to this phase of their life, thus ensuring that only the strongest and smartest children will emerge...

That's right. We started off with four children. The one we have left is the cream of the crop.

[esoxmagnum]

“Buy them a BB gun.”

Got my son a BB gun when he was 8. Taught him about safety, what he can shoot, what he can’t, etc, etc.

Other parents in the neighborhood were aghast when they heard about what he got for Christmas.

He’s 11 now. Never shot an eye out, never shot a bird or a window, and he only target shoots cans in the backyard when he’s bored or wants to blow off some steam.

This is usually a solo sport for him when he wants to blow off steam (but sometimes with Dad), and he keeps the gun up on the wall over his bed (in case we are attacked by Black Bart).

He tells me he would never think of letting his friends shoot with him, because they (his friends) just wouldn’t be mature enough to behave properly.

Funny how that works, eh?

[AlexW]

“Less lead is always good.”

Au contraire.... A bit more lead in the pencil is far better then little or no lead at all.

The lead in toys scare is almost as stupid as Gorebal warming.
All of us over 40 grew up with lead in everything from house paint to gasoline.