I was reading one of my forums today and they were discussing toys. Specifically the lack of quality in toys. Not only do they break easily, but with many of today's being imported not only is their quality questionable, so is their safety.
Look at the recent problems we have had with lead levels in the toys imported from China. Maybe these levels are acceptable there but as these toys were manufactured with the intent of selling them here in the US, shouldn't they have been manufactured to our standards?
And what about the toys themselves? They used to last more than six months (or even six weeks...or six days) before breaking. Some toys not only lasted through all the siblings in a family, but made it to our kids. Try that with one of today's toys.
They used to encourage the imagination. Remember Lincoln Logs, and Erector sets, and Legos (not the small sets for one specific toy like today, but the big sets where what was built was limited only by the...imagination). And baby dolls - just plain baby dolls, ones that didn't eat, talk, and all but change their own wet diapers. And stuffed animals, real stuffed animals, not the ones with computer chips to control their sound and actions (or, in my mind worse, animals that only exist on a computer chip or online).
Then there's the physical fitness aspect - hula hoops, roller skates, and jump ropes for gross motor skills - jacks and marbles for the fine motor skills. But all of them requiring more physical activity than moving thumbs on the controllers. Even our so-called educational toys (Leapfrog comes to mind) discourage physical activities and encourage video game addiction from a very young age. Do we really want to send our kids down this path?
What about group games like Monopoly and Clue which encourage kids to exercise critical thinking skills rather than their thumbs? When did toys and games become about keeping our kids sedentary and quiet rather than about physical fitness, imagination and learning? I sometimes think we should go back to the old toys. What do you think?
Saturday, June 28, 2008
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2 comments:
You're quite right! Sigh, but such is the way this generation has evolved,with all the techno stuff. If they don't have at least one gadget in the house, then they fall behind from everyone else. I'm not crazy about the violence shown in video games either. The best new thing seems to be the Wii as it is interactive and you physically have to move to be involved with the action on the screen. At least that's a step in the right direction. But I think all kids should be encouraged to get off their duff, go play outside in the dirt or at the park and use their imaginations to invent the sort of games we came up with. And as for toys, yep- the quality these days suck and the stuff is so expensive! I cringe whenever I buy something for my grandkids because I know it Won't last!
Say little lady, are you unable to blog anymore? Miss ya. email me at chrissb_40@yahoo.com, let me know how you're doing.
Chriss Hill
www.chrisshillbooks.com
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