I sat down to write a post about a cool shape sorting box, and ended up falling in love with a company. EverEarth (by parent company Maxim Enterprise) creates sustainable wooden toys in an eco-friendly manner, literally from a tree sapling to a store shelf. The EverEarth line of toys are constructed of solid wood from renewable forests, finished with non-toxic water-based paint, and minimally packaged in strictly recycled materials. This company truly takes ‘eco-friendly’ to a new level by only purchasing wood from nurseries that are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, which is an international organization that promotes responsible stewardship of the world’s forests.
And beyond being environmentally and socially responsible, these toys are also creative, entertaining, and visually appealing. This wooden collection is colourful and sleek… the kind of toy you won’t want to hide away when company comes over! We picked up the above shape sorter for Maddie last Christmas, and we have received so many compliments on it.
In regards to the functionality of the shape sorter, I feel it has one downfall. Unlike its plastic shape sorter counterparts, the lid on this toy does not have a mechanism to keep it shut – the lid simply ‘sits’ on top of the box. So, when Maddie comes along and flips it around to try and find the right hole for her shape, the lid inevitably falls off and all the shapes wind up on the floor.
We bought our shape sorter box from our local Winners for about $20 (FYI – Winners is a great place to find unique toys at a really reasonable price!). As far as I can tell, you cannot purchase the toys online from the EverEarth website, but almost the full line of toys seems to be available on Amazon. While you’re there check out the Busy Pond Activity Center – this may just have to be Maddie’s next birthday present (cause it’s sooooo cute!).
