Easter - North Star Toys

Now I know Easter was a while ago but I never got a chance to talk about what I bought the Easter Bunny brought for Liam and Ella. I'm part of this Waldorf homeschool curriculum supplies yahoo group. Where I can buy used curriculum and other "waldorfy" things used from other waldorf homeschool moms. It's great! I've gotten a ton of stuff from them it's better than going to Savers.

Well I posted a list of things I would like to buy for Liam and Ella's Waldorf homeschooling adventure and one of the things I posted that I wanted to buy was wooden cars, trucks and planes. Well someone got back to me saying, "Perhaps you are looking for something bigger, but if you are interested in the "Little Rollie Vehicles" by North Start Toys then I have some to offer."  Are they super cute or what! 

I had to buy them even though I knew Liam might think "these are so tiny, and so not colorful and so not detailed." Still I figured if he didn't like them baby Ella would play with them and maybe with more Waldorf exposure Liam would get over his love of cars that go "voom" for him. 

She also had a paddle boat and a pull duck.

They are beautiful, gorgeous unfinished wood. I was in love. Now, here's the best part: North Star Sells the vehicles set for $45, I got it for $25; they sell the duck for $26, I got it for $16; They sell the paddle boat for $20, I got it for $12. Ahh I love a great deal. I and I love these wooden toys. 

After having them for a month now I can tell you Liam absolutely adores the paddle boat, it goes in the bath and the kiddie pool and anywhere there is water. He's not so excited about the wooden vehicles. He plays with them when he makes a city out of pine cones and beach rocks then, he drives them around the city he made. Ella loves them though! She doesn't roll them yet but she loves them rolling on her :) and she loves chewing on them. 

They are really great quality and knowing that they are totally worth the price North Star is asking or them. I plan on buying more from them in the future. especially their wooden camera!

Now, I never wanted to write any bad reviews but I have to be honest. Last year for Easter I bought Liam a little red sail boat from Nova Natural. It is very poor quality. The sail is very clumsily stitched it doesn't look neat or finished or even "artsy" it just looks lazy. It is attached to the front of the boat merely by a  piece of elastic cord poked through the sail (no eyelet or hole just randomly poked through the cloth). Also, the wood wasn't good so the first time it got wet (as sailboats do) the front cracked! It didn't break but it has a big crack in the front of it! Besides it had a little piece of wood filler in the front as if whoever made it made a mistake cutting and filled in the hole. I paid $15 for it plus $8 S&H I would have much rather spend $20 on the excellent quality boat I just bought. That being said. Nova Natural is still the only place to get Michael Engleberger's wood carved figures (much more beautiful then Ostheimer, in my opinion)

Anyway, on Easter we hid them around my mother's house and instead of an Easter egg hunt we had a little wooden toys hunt. 

Where are those sneaky Easter presents? 

 Found one in the microwave! (I found the microwave at Savers for $5)

 What is that horse doing on the stove! Silly horse!

 

 

Liam's paddle boat and Ella's duck were hidden n the bath tub.

 

It spins! Awesome!

 Ella is enjoying her duck already :)