Are Wooden Toys Really Affordable?

By: Jon Skinkis
Submitted: 2008-04-08 01:37:47
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Can we really afford natural wooden toys and gifts?

It isn't just about price that this question has to be answered, although if you compare the prices of equivalent toys made from other materials there is only a small difference in price. Kids wooden toys will almost certainly last years longer and will probably be passed down from generation to generation because they are more robust and never seem to go out of fashion. Taking this into account you would probably buy two or three other types of toy to one made from wood, this surely gives a saving in the long run.

We can't afford more damage to the environment by not making natural wooden toys like the rocking toys and push and pull wooden toys because they are a lot more environmentally friendly than other materials. The trees used to make these wooden toys are from sustainable managed forests where a lot less resources are used to convert the trees into usable lengths of wood for manufacture than say converting oil into plastic or metal into die cast. At least with trees you can replant new ones as others are felled and this is happening six fold in managed sustainable forests. Can this be done with other materials?

Look at how wood is used when it is recycled, it can be used in parks and the countryside when converted to chippings as a pathway that will drain easily when wet. It can also be used on top soil to prevent weed growth. If for any reason it ends up in the ground it will bio-degrade and have no adverse effects to the environment.

When you look again at the finished product of the natural wooden toys, they too have used a lot less resources especially when the master wooden toy makers produce their toys having only used their skills with their hands, tools and eyes and not big heavy machinery and large production lines like used when plastic toys are manufactured.

So the savings can be two fold, one is in your pocket and the other and most important must be to the environment.

Article source: Expert Articles