Green Toys | Inhabitots

Marc Tetro New York Pop-Out! Paper Models Go From Flat Pack to 3D in Minutes

by Julie Seguss, 04/05/12

Let your little one build her own Empire State Building and imagine she’s living a big city dream with Marc Tetro’s New York Pop Out! Paper Models. We’ve shared Marc Tetro’s cute puppy pop-outs in the past, but his latest eco-friendly offerings are geared toward kids who love the bright lights and action of city life. Made from recycled paper, the punch-out flat pack pieces quickly become impressive 3D art. The skyscraper is nearly a foot tall and the taxi is 3-inches tall. Buy both for lots of fun city play.

+ New York Pop-Out! Paper Models Building $12.00

+ New York Pop-Out! Paper Models Taxi $12.00

+ MoMA Store

Help Support Artterro on Kickstarter by Earth Day and Gain Awesome Crafty Rewards

by Jennifer Chait, 04/05/12

There are plenty of green companies out there for kids, if you’ve got loads of cash to spend. It actually makes sense that eco-friendly companies are more expensive, because it really does cost more to produce green and ethical goods. However, not all families can afford to spend more for green toys or other products, meaning some families (and kids) lose big time when it comes to safe, eco-friendly products, and that’s a huge bummer. Luckily, there are a few green companies that understand that green families have different sized budgets – for example, Artterro. Artterro creates amazing eco-friendly and safe art kits for kids that won’t break the bank, yet all of their kits are high quality. This is a company that makes green living affordable for everyone, and right now you have the chance to pledge some money Artterro in order to help them grow to the next level, so that they can keep right on doing what they do best. Keep reading to learn more about why you absolutely want to help this company become a bigger success.

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Wee Can Too Edible Veggie Crayons Are Safe to Eat (But Better for Art!)

by Jennifer Chait, 04/04/12

Wee Can Too first brought us sweet edible vegan sidewalk chalk and now they’ve taken vegetables (and art) to a whole new level with their creative Edible Veggie Crayons. While not intended as a yummy snack, these cute little dollops of crayons are safe to eat, made with entirely edible ingredients like organic fruit and vegetable powders. Your child can stack these little discs, plus color with them, and you won’t have to worry if they end up in someone’s mouth because there is zero petroleum, wheat, sugar, preservatives or other toxic additives in these crayons. Also, each edible crayon is the perfect shape and size for even the youngest artist (baby-safe if supervised). Crayons come in five pretty organic colors: Green, Yellow, Orange, Red/Pink & Purple.

+ Edible Veggie Crayons $11.00

+ Wee Can Too

eeboo Eco-Friendly Board Games are Fun for the Whole Family

by Marni Fogelson-Teel, 04/03/12

Eeboo’s whimsical design and learning-through-fun activities (including other Inhabitotsfavorites like their nesting blocks) are supported by lots of green cred: the small, family run business uses simple materials which are often recycled and colored with non-toxic inks, and consistently exceed safety standards. But their products are not just for kids – you can fill up those extra post-dinner hours of sunlight with a family board game. Eeboo’s games are printed using soy inks and do not include any plastic. Plus, the eco-friendly messages continue into the themes of the games themselves.

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Inhabitots Roundup: Easter Fun for Little Ones!

Easter is just around the corner, and our basket is brimming with eco-friendly goodies and …

Organic Cotton Giggle Scraptopus is Made from Baby Clothing Factory Scraps

This bright and cheery octopus from Giggle isn’t only adorable and fun for babies, but also it’s a brilliant way to repurpose fabric that would otherwise be discarded. Scraptopus is made from leftover 100% Egyptian organic cotton fabric scraps from the production of Giggle’s Better Basics baby clothing line. Your baby or toddler will love tugging at every single one of this cuddly companion’s eight legs. Plus, it doubles as a teether giving this eco-friendly toy even more …

Animal-Themed Wooden Instrument Set is a Musical Menagerie

Inspire your little musician with this cleverly designed wooden music set. Each instrument is animal-themed, making it a menagerie of music fun – an elephant rhythm block, a bunny tambourine and a lion castanet are included. This adorable eco-friendly music set is handmade from a variety of natural woods and finished with linseed oil, which is music to our ears.

+ Wooden 3-Piece Musical Instrument Set $36.00

+ My Sweet Muffin

Free Universal Construction Kit by F.A.T. Labs Connects LEGOs to Tinkertoys and 8 Other Building Blocks

With the new Free Universal Construction Kit from F.A.T. Lab and Sy-Lab, kids will go connect-o-crazy exploring the now endless possibilities of inter-connectivity between their once incompatible building sets. The kit allows LEGO blocks to snap to Tinkertoy cogs; makes it okay for K'nex to link with Lincoln Logs; and sees that Duplo, Krinkles, Zome, Zoob, Gears! Gears! Gears! and Fischertechnik pieces all play well together, too.

Imagination Kids Fabric Easter Basket is Filled With Wooden Waldorf Toys

Looking for an eco-friendly alternative to classic plastic Easter baskets filled with plastic grass? Imagination Kids has a plastic-free solution that we love. They fill a natural fabric basket with a selection of their Spring and Easter-themed handcrafted, wooden Waldorf toys. The best part? You get a say in what goes in your kids basket.

6 Safe and Non-toxic Play Jewelry Choices for Kids

In recent years we've seen that cheaply made jewelry is often contaminated with chemicals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, chlorine, PVC, bromine, chromium, nickel and mercury, all of which have been linked to some serious health issues like cancer, liver toxicity, impaired learning, immune system problems, birth defects, allergies, conception problems and more. That said, many young children love to play dress up with their very own collection of jewelry. Now, you can ban all play jewelry and curtail imaginative play or say yes to fun and dress up by providing your child with some lead-free, non-toxic jewelry piece of their own. Below are some great places to find fun, beautiful and safe play jewelry for your child.

Six Adorable Eco-friendly Handmade Easter Gifts

If your goal is a handmade, eco-friendly Easter then you have to check out all the lovely Etsy Easter goodies. Etsy shops offer many wonderful Easter gifts made safe and non-toxic for your little one. Because Etsy goods are handmade, you need to order early so you get your goodies in time for Easter. We suggest ordering ASAP or at least two weeks before Easter (April 8, 2012). See our favorite eco-Etsy Easter surprises below.

Baby Oomfy Dolls are Sweet, Snuggly, Baby-Safe and Help to Save Orphaned Animals

Soft loveys are an essential part of growing up, so why not choose one for your child that does good for orphaned animals and other kid as well? Baby Oomfy dolls are made in India from non-toxic, azo-free polyester stuffing (recycled whenever possible) and are made without hazardous pellets or beads or small parts, so they are suitable for even the smallest snugglers. With real orphaned wild animals as their inspiration, baby Oomfy dolls come in sweet animals such as monkeys, rhinos, pandas, and zebras. Curious kids can even look up the true animal story behind their cuddly creature.

Cardboard FORT CUBE’s Can Be Connected to Create a Whole Neighborhood

The FORT CUBE connects kids together in creative action-oriented play. Each playhouse is much more than what it appears. The coolest feature that sets FORT CUBEs apart from other cardboard playhouses is their ability to connect together to build neighborhoods, tunnels, mazes and whatever kids can imagine.

Inhabitots Roundup: Best New Eco-Friendly Toys for Tots

Inhabitots recently attended the 2012 American International Toy Fair, and we were so delighted by all of the great, innovative new toys we can’t wait to try out with our little ones. At the Fair, …

Organic Cotton Hazel Village Plush Toys Are Full of Personality

Take just one look at these adorable plush animals from Hazel Village and you know that they'll earn an immediate place in your child's heart. Made from organic fabrics, these 14-inch plush toys are too cute for words. Despite their expression-free faces, they seem to be full of personality. Maybe it's their adorable outfits or their sweet back stories. Reginald Fox here for example tends his garden every morning with a shiny blue watering can and a shiny red bucket for any slugs he finds. Read on to meet the rest of the Hazel Village gang.

Citiblocs Citi Cars Bring Motion to Eco-Friendly Building Blocks

One of our favorite eco-friendly block makers, CitiBlocs, just added new Citi Cars to their collection of certified non-toxic toys made from New Zealand pine grown in certified renewable forests. Now your tots can drive a bus, truck, taxi, race car and four other vehicles under and around their Citibloc constructions. What’s more, just like all CitiBlocs are the exact same size, shape and weight, these cars are the same width and height to keep building uniform.

+ Citi …

Cate & Levi People Puppets Are Made From Upcycled Sweaters

The Canadian dad behind the brand Cate & Levi never ceases to come up with cute and creative new ways to upcycle wool sweaters. What started with eco-friendly animal hand puppets has since morphed into a collection of everything from baby blankets to animal-inspired hats, scarves and mittens - all made from reclaimed wool. Now, Cate & Levi has launched a new line called People Puppets. Available in four classic characters, fireman, nurse, pirate and princess, the 12-inch …

Oscar Diaz Studio Tube Toys Incorporate Packing Into Play

Part building toy, part push toy, these smart sets are perfect for car-crazed tots and future engineers alike.

+ Tube Toys (available in the next two weeks)

+ Oscar Diaz Studio