made to play!

We've tried to keep plastic and mass produced toys and playthings to a minimum here in Chez Leo. Much of what he has is handmade, or handed down or handcrafted in natural materials. I don't want to be too precious about it but I know that he, I and the world benefits from reducing waste and packaging and plastic crappiness and increasing simple, creative and lovingly made things for him to interact with.

My sister gave us this amazing book for Leo's birthday (I say 'us' because first birthdays are all about the parents, really aren't they?) which you may know about but is new to me and I thought I'd share it here because I LOVE it.
It's by Joel Henriques (the website is pretty great too) and describes simple, handmade toys to make for your little one, even if you're not particularly handy or creative. It's beautifully photographed and very inspiring and has given us lots of ideas for our now one year old, who day by day is growing more aware of the world around him.