plan toys

It's becoming easier than ever to turn your little drummer boy into an Eco-friendly musician with all of the wooden instruments currently on the market. Revving up to celebrate Earth Day, we noticed that there are several toy manufacturers taking the lead in creating products for a variety of skill levels. Plan Toys, the makers of this great percussion set that encourages lil ones to compare and differentiate sounds, specializes in brightly colored wooden toys for kids up through preschool age. Their sturdy products are made from rubber wood, non-formaldehyde glue and water-based dyes and inks. French company, Boikido, designs wooden toys featuring their own characters for kids up to four-years-old that meet the highest European safety standards. Check out other fun picks below!

When baby looks like he is ready to take his first steps, mama may turn to a walker to help steady her lil guy. While some of the push toys feature flashing lights and music to encourage tots, more traditional wooden versions are making a comeback. Unfortunately, the fewer the frills, the more expensive the items seem to be.

Simple: Melissa and Doug's Chomp and Clack Alligator Walker ($30) is made from hand-sanded, painted wood to create a colorful push toy with three clacking alligators.
Swank: Plan Toys' Woodpecker Baby Walker ($76) reflects the company's Eco-friendly mission. The natural wood colored toy is made from recycled rubberwood trees and has three nature-inspired animals that move as the walker is pushed.
Which one do you prefer?

Three-year-olds tend to be a bit fickle as they express their independence. One moment they are telling you they can do it all by themselves, then the next they insist on holding your hand. When shopping for a gift for a preschooler, look for items that showcase their new found abilities.

Among our favorite selections for this age group:

• The ballerina in your life will be begging to put on a recital with the Acting Out Dress Up Musical Skirts that either play music from the Nutcracker or Swan Lake with the flip of a switch.
• The little John Bonham or Tommy Lee in your family will love the Plan Toy Musical Band drum set. Featuring drums and cymbals, this environmentally-friendly set, is not too loud and is made from replenishable wood.
• One of the coolest new toys on the market, Automoblox, are more than just wooden vehicles. Each car can be taken apart and reassembled, and, once additional cars are purchased, the interchangeable parts can be used to create new, unique, creations.
• Sprig Toys use kid-power, rather than batteries, to move their environmentally-friendly, paint-free vehicles. Unlike other vehicles on the market, the trucks and all terrain vehicles in the line use kinetic energy to move, make sounds and light up.
• Get your tot up and moving with Animal Scramble a new game of hide and seek that encourages listening and following instructions.
• What preschooler doesn't like ice cream? With the Melissa and Doug Ice Cream Set your lil one can dream up the quadruple scoop cones while practicing her colors and numbers.

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Does your dollhouse need a renovation? Plan Toys has the goods to revamp your lil one's home into a swanky modern living space for miniature people and their pets. I imagine if Elroy and Judy Jetson played with lil figurines, they would have pined after the Plan Toys Modern Furniture Set ($50) as it best suits their lifestyle.

Ditch the old three–cushion couch for the posh pink and white sofa complemented by the large flat screen television. In addition to being fashionable and chic, the sleek bathroom package and the funky kitchen gear keep the Eco-friendly wooden play set colorful. Next up, the Barbie Hybrid!