The creation of dollhouses is an outgrowth of people’s interest in dolls. Being a plaything that usually resembles a baby or child that is especially appealing to girls, a doll can be further enjoyed by its owner in its own miniature house, complete with objects that make it look like an actual home. Dollhouses for girls have long been a source of joy and entertainment to girls of various ages.
The earliest-made dollhouse was known to have existed as early as the 15th century. Craftsmen filled the miniature houses with every conceivable household article such as furniture, books, clothing, musical instruments, silver, glassware, and china to make them very realistic. Dollhouses for girls come in different styles, most of which reflect architectural trends of a particular place and time.
Dollhouses were used by adults to showcase decorative figurines. It occupied a different level of importance as children were not allowed to get close to them primarily for their preservation. The more famous ones can be found in museums. Germans were believed to be the first ones to use dollhouses as toys. English dollhouses were inspired by the so-called Nuremberg kitchen imported from Germany. It was originally intended as a cooking game being a small model of a room with kitchen equipments. Succeeding variations came with several additional rooms which soon evolved into dollhouses. Americans were introduced to dollhouses in the 19th century.
Dollhouses were only found in the homes of wealthy people until the 20th century. They were objects of intricate and excellent craftsmanship typically having glass fronts and elaborate decoration. They were and are still considered trophy collections, played only by adults. It is a good thing that present dollhouses for girls are a lot more child-friendly and can truly be enjoyed by a child.
Large doll houses have entirely changed the playing landscape of children. No longer limited by the confines of the truly miniaturized versions of houses, the larger versions ensure more playing opportunities with playmates. The bigger size not only makes it possible to have more features that can hold a child’s attention, it also allows playmates to play simultaneously in different areas of the doll house.
Opting for large doll houses necessitate minor assembly work as it is not practical for manufacturers to have them packed fully assembled because of their size. The expected joy derived from having an excellent doll house choice more than makes up for the little extra work. The size also permits the inclusion of more furniture and accessories which are of course, such a delight to young children.
Large doll houses also offer more flexibility in personalizing doll houses while providing more opportunities to highlight a child’s creativity. The small hands of children may not yet be up to the care required by smaller versions of doll houses. The semblance of realism in a child’s point of view is much better achieved in the doll house’s advantageous size.
The size of large doll houses likewise allow for more extra details such as turrets, balconies, surprise rooms, and drawbridges. It also facilitates a wider range of interactive activity such as rearranging rooms and furniture to produce an entirely new look for the house. They are also much sturdier and can handle maximized play of children. Many models are provided in fun designs and colors to make imaginative play more exciting. A custom-made doll house can be as large as a young girl wants it to be.
I get newsletters from a lot of places, and admittedly I mostly just skim through them, only really clicking through if I find something especially interesting – like the other day! In my Fisher Price newsletter was a link to their 50th Anniversary toys, toys from my childhood.
If you grew up with Fisher Price toys like I did, I urge you to visit this page, I honestly got incredibly excited remembering the beloved toys my sister and I once played with for many happy hours. One thing I wasn’t aware of was how the “Little People” toys of today evolved from the ones we played with in the 70′s. My kids have the Christmas sets, which they love playing with, but the characters just don’t have the same appeal. They look too much like cartoons in my opinion (which I admit is completely biased!).
The first “house” I had was this yellow house you see above. I still have it in storage in my Mom’s house but sadly it’s pretty war torn with the pieces all disappeared – boo hoo. Fisher Price now has a “50th Birthday” version, which is just a few “retro” figures in a tin which vaguely looks like the original. A poor substitute, I think! They could have at least made replicas of the original people.
Other favourites which tug at my childhood heartstrings are the Sesame Street “street”, pictured at the top of the post and the airport just above. I could go on, and go the extra mile by actually purchasing these toys on Ebay (tempting, if it weren’t for the exorbitant prices), but for now I’ll just have to be content to look wistfully at these online photos.
For more memory tripping, check out this 1977 Fisher Price catalog, which I think is meant to be a bit of a joke, but for a seventies kid like me, is another lovely walk done memory lane.
Nintendo DS
Just a little more than a week and Christmas Day will be here! I bet that your kids can barely contain their excitement as you start your preparations for the big day. I know that in our house, putting up the Christmas tree and lights is making everyone jump and down with the anticipation of Christmas. But have you decided on your presents for the kids yet?
I have several in mind but to be honest, I won’t be doing my shopping till tomorrow. I am sure that I am going to regret keeping it till this late when I am met by throngs of late shoppers tomorrow as well. Anyhow, I found an article detailing the most popular toys for kids this Christmas. Some of the recurring items that I noticed were gaming consoles and iPods. Umm, I think I shall refrain from these this Christmas – it’s too early for these this year. Perhaps the Wii, but nothing more.
For girls, the things on the list include the Nintendo DS Lite, Webkinz toys, Hannah Montana toys, and Barbie (yep, she is still at it). For toddlers, some ideas include Tickle Me Elmo Live, Lamaza Baby Toys, Leapfrog Little Touch LeapPad, and V-Tech Vsmile Baby.
I am leaning towards the educational toys for toddlers although I am really thinking about giving more books than toys this year. Some might think that this is the boring route but then again, get your children used to books and you will see just how much delight they will take in them.
What are you getting the kids this Christmas?
Secret Santa Mail
It’s all about Christmas these days, and since this is the first year that my daughter Nat has actually written to Santa on her own (in the past we’ve just “emailed“- and I did all the writing!), I thought it would be a special treat for her and her brother Ollie to receive a real letter from Santa. It is also the first Christmas where her reading skills have improved so much that she is finally able to read it herself – and best of all, and still believe! (my 3-year-old on the other hand, will be thrilled with that fact that something in the mail is actually for him)…..And what is Christmas without a bit of magic?
Online there are loads of places where you can get this sort of “Santa” letter, but the one I am using is owned by a stay-at-home-Mom like myself, called Secret Santa Mail.
It is pretty straightforward and easy (you can pay by PayPal, which I always prefer over using my credit card online), and all you have to do is to supply them with some information about your child, accomplishments and what they want for Christmas. They also offer two packages, both of which come with little extras if you choose, like Christmas stickers or a Santa teddy bear – a lovely touch that makes it more special, I think!
So with bated breath, I’ll be waiting for the letters to arrive….most especially to see my children’s faces when they open them!
We recently paid a visit to our friends and we all had a blast. You know how my husband and I love video games but we do not really want the kids to be too attached to them. I still place a strong emphasis on reading. Our friends had a Wii, though, and we all played some games – children and adults alike.
So how was the experience? I have to say that it was better than I expected. You see, with the other video game consoles, most of the time, the person playing is totally engrossed in the game and does not have much interaction with the people around him. With the various games offered for the Wii, however, there are more opportunities for groups of people to actually interact with each other while playing the Wii.
Do you know the board game Cranium? Well they have a Wii version called Kabooki and children and adults can spend a whole night playing the game. It presents more of a challenge because the game utilizes actual movement of the controller for certain tasks. The Wii Sports package also presents opportunities for players to develop team work.
That being said, I actually think that Wii is good for children. Aside from the fact that human interaction is not lost when playing Wii games – in fact it can be enhanced with certain games – I think that there are more Wii games that are geared towards kids.
So would you agree with me that getting a Wii is a good idea?
The Christmas season has just ended and I just realized how BIG gaming consoles are for children. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my extended family and I was really surprised to see that most of the kids had a gaming console with them – the portable ones!
Don’t get me wrong – I have nothing against gaming consoles. In fact, I kind of like the PlayStation Portable (PSP), which my husband got for himself when it first came out. Aside from the price, I think that this gadget is quite nifty – you can do more than play games.
The dilemma I have been having is how old should a child be before he or she could get a gaming console? More so, what kind of console is right for a certain age? Take my nephew, he is only 5 and his parents bought him a PSP. I think it’s too expensive a toy for his age.
My other nephew got a Gameboy Advance and he’s 7. I think that’s a better match. Then again, he felt so envious of the PSP, which a younger cousin already has!
As a parent, it could be quite hard to make the right decisions – should you get your child a gaming console? If so, which one? More than that, how do you handle their use of the console?
I believe that it boils down to more than the game or toy itself. It is part of disciplining your children and giving them what they want at the same time. Good parenting includes treats and teaching children control at the same time.
Ok, it isnt such a far-fetched idea really, but given the day and age we live in, when it comes to video games and kids, its just a matter of time (unless you live in Outer Mongolia – but then again, even there they’ve probably got some bootleg gameboy from the mainland).
Not that I’ve decided to give in and allow N to have one just yet- I think its better to get all the facts and get oneself ready to make the best out of a situation.
So here are some tips I found:
1. Find the “good” games and stay away from the “bad”
Find games that people can play together (team building and sportsmanship) like sports and action games. Make it more social, as opposed to a “mind-numbing” activity. Steer clear of violent titles, do your research and check out online reviews first.
2. Get “Active” Games
If like me, you’re concerned about the health aspect, then get some games which will get the kids (and maybe even yourself) out of the sofa and moving! These usually come with a dance pad, which younger kids will enjoy. Karaoke games are fun too, like Singstar, which can get the whole family spending some fun quality time together.
3. Be Involved
As with most things in your child’s life, take an active involvement. Try and spend some time together playing and discover why your child loves it. In my case though, it will be my husband playing the sports and action things – I’ll just stick to the karaoke.
The same pro-video game parent who inspired these tips had this to say (he does have a point).
Don’t believe all the popular media about violence in video games. While there have been a great deal of sensationalist news claims over the years, little legitimate supporting research has been presented that makes a strong link between games and violence. In 2001, the Surgeon General of the United States released a report that concluded, “[t]aken together, findings suggest that media violence has a relatively small impact on violence.” Besides, the debate becomes mute if you pay attention to the content of the games your child is playing.
It’s easy to want to say no when your kid asks for a video game system for Christmas or for a birthday; after all, we’ve all seen various news reports about the dangers of video games. But next time your child makes such a request, don’t be so quick with that knee-jerk reaction. Two thirds of parents with children under the age of 18 say that they feel video games are a positive element of their child’s life. You don’t have to feel guilty next time someone asks you, “You let your kids play video games?” Just look surprised and say, “We play video games together. Why? Don’t you?”
You might be surprised at how nice a ring that line has.
If you have a little boy, you’ll probably understand the relation betweeen Christmas shopping and fulfilling your child’s obsession with Thomas the Tank Engine. Ever since my boy O started to take an interest in toys, it was Thomas the whole way. Unlike my daughter, who enjoyed those colourful, apparently “smart” and un-cheap baby toys from Lamaze and Manhattan Toy, my son ignored all that and only wanted trains – Thomas, to be precise.
That was about a year ago, fast forward to today, and at 22 months, his penchant for all things Thomas has escalated to a normal (yes, it is!!) obsession. So, the indulgent Mom I am, have taken it upon myself to go the full whack and purchase the wooden sets plus table (as seen in picture above) for Christmas.
As those wooden sets are hideously expensive ( but the quality is fine, let me assure you, and will no doubt last for many many years!!- I hope), I’ve am having the table made by our carpenter/handyman, who actually just built our dogs a veritable mansion in the yard, complete with veranda. So, a toy train table shouldnt be too difficult?????
I have never actually bought toys online, preferring to go to our local toy stores and seeing what the kids naturally gravitate to throughout the year. However, for this Thomas project, I did find myself checking out what was there online, as some Moms had alrealy beat me to the retail outlets and supply was getting thin.
Here are some of the websites with the best selections for all things Thomas (still havent tried them out though, so on purchase and delivery I really cant say). Click on the words to link:
Thomas the Tank Engine Store
Totally Thomas
Thomas Station
[tags]Christmas, Holidays, Christmas gifts, Thomas Tank Engine[/tags]
