Etsy's Handmade Blog
My Top 10 Waldorf Toys
Story by FaerieRebecca, Vanessa, waldorfmama
Published on November 3, 2008 in Spotlight 		Photo by

chimera

Natural Kids Team Teammates FaerieRebecca and waldorfmama collaborated with Etsy admin Vanessa to find some of the best healthy toys for creative play.

1. playdough.jpg 12 Month Subscription-Play Dough of the Month Club by DoSiDough

Find more play dough on Etsy.

2. gnomehomechimera.jpg Gnome Home Needle Felted Play Mat by chimera

Find more woodland-themed toys.

3. strawberrytapestry.jpg Collecting Strawberries Needle Felted Tapestry by crazymommaproduction

Find more toys with strawberries.

4. caterpillar.jpg Caterpillar in a Leaf by zuzuspetal

Find more caterpillar toys.

5. owlswaldorf.jpg Hootie Gang (Wooden Owl Toys) by mamakopp

Find more wooden toys.

6. Harvestqueen.jpg Harvest Queen by WonderwulAnnette

Find more needle felted toys.
Learn how to make a needle felted turkey on Thursday, November 6th, live in the Virtual Labs. Sellers winsomehollow & littleloveblue will be hosting the event, which is free and open to anyone to attend (you just need to be logged into Etsy to use the Virtual Labs). Join us in the Treehouse room at 7pm (Eastern time). Please help us spread the word by blogging about it!

7. blossombabies.jpg Sandro, Waldorf-inspired Toddler Doll by blossombabies

Find more Waldorf baby dolls.

8. birdsunflower.jpg Sunflower with Bird, Needle Felted Set by TheSingingBird

Find more toys with birds.

9. birdbag.jpg Purple Bird Bag Stitching Kit by lovealittle

See these blog posts with ideas for children's kits.

10. fairy.jpg Beautiful Purple Dragonfly Fairy Doll by Unwaveringfaith

Find more fairy toys.

Search words for finding Waldorf items on Etsy:
Waldorf, Steiner, naturalkids team

Find more Gift Ideas:
Children's Gift Guide

And, since lots of people seem to ask...
Just what *is* Waldorf?
Waldorf education was developed in Germany by a philosopher named Rudolf Steiner. He envisioned a holistic education that met the child and worked to support and nurture the child. He and Maria Montessori were contemporaries, both working in the aftermath of WWI and dealing with so many damaged German and Italian children. Steiner based the early years of his educational philosophy on the realms of fantasy and play, putting off formal learning until the age of seven, where Montessori focused on teaching children to be self-reliant and learning practical skills. The hallmarks of Waldorf toys are natural materials, minimalistic features, and open-ended playthings that inspire the imagination.

See this adorable Waldorf article by the Natural Kids Team.  So many cute customer appreciation pictures of kids with their favorite toys, it's guaranteed to make you squeal!

Sellers, the Holiday: Kids & Toys Showcase goes on sale on Thursday, November 6th, 2008!

Tags children, dolls, Etsy Teams, Handmade Kids, kids, natural, naturalkids team, Needlecraft, needlefelting, Steiner, Top 10 Lists, Top Ten Lists, toys, Waldorf, wooden, wool
All articles in Spotlight
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This article was reported by:
FaerieRebecca
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Etsy Admin
Vanessa
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waldorfmama
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50 comments     Login to add your own!

Nov. 3, 2008 at 3:32 p.m. HomemadeZen

wow beatuiful! Love the bird and sunflower

Nov. 3, 2008 at 3:34 p.m. fernfiddlehead

Awww, I love these Waldorf toys. So precious.

Nov. 3, 2008 at 3:37 p.m. nat1489

Love Love love! A lot of my jewelry has a childlike appeal to it. New moms seem to like this piece a lot:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...

Nov. 3, 2008 at 3:39 p.m. mullishmuse

love love all these.

Nov. 3, 2008 at 3:42 p.m. Waterrose

These are beautiful. I don't have small children any more, but I love to look at all of these creations!

Nov. 3, 2008 at 3:42 p.m. pumpkinhaus

Thanks for featuring Waldorf in a top ten list!! Beautiful!

Nov. 3, 2008 at 3:53 p.m. littleloveblue

looks great! love waldorf:)

Nov. 3, 2008 at 4:09 p.m. Thinkoutsidethebox

Absolutely gorgeous and inspiring Waldorf toys. I am fortunate to know a few of these fine ladies who are very dedicated to their craft and the philosophy of creative and imaginative play. Many of these shops also sell a lot of the natural supplies needed to create these toys. I personally have bought the most gorgeous wool roving and locks from Chimera's etsy shop..and her supplies are unbelievable! I encourage others to try their hands at crafting toys, even with their children, that will spark hours of fantasy play. Go Natural Kids Team!

Nov. 3, 2008 at 4:10 p.m. fairiesnest

Waldorf toys are so wonderful! Thanks so much for putting together this top ten!

Nov. 3, 2008 at 4:17 p.m. mizusugi

Cute and sweet!

Nov. 3, 2008 at 4:55 p.m. woodmouse

Lovely selection! I love it all!

Nov. 3, 2008 at 5:02 p.m. oritdotandolls

Thanks so much for featuring here so many beautiful "fruits" of waldorf education

Nov. 3, 2008 at 5:39 p.m. GemmaBeads

I love all of these creations! Thank you for explaining what "Waldorf Inspired" means. Now I know why I'm drawn to them. The harvest doll and felted tapestry are TDF and I love the childrens toys!!!

Nov. 3, 2008 at 5:49 p.m. sugarraindrops

All of your creations are beautiful. I love the caterpillar in a leaf!

♥

Nov. 3, 2008 at 5:51 p.m. buzzhandmade

yay team!
thanks for the nice feature.

Nov. 3, 2008 at 6:15 p.m. amysfunkyfibers

very inspiring and fun!

Nov. 3, 2008 at 6:18 p.m. woolcomesalive

wonderful!

Nov. 3, 2008 at 6:37 p.m. laralewis

these are all so beautiful, i can't decide which ones i love the most! well done!!!

Nov. 3, 2008 at 6:50 p.m. DoSiDough

Beautifully done. Thank you for including me! :)

Nov. 3, 2008 at 6:50 p.m. lovealittle

Thanks so much for featuring my stitching kit. This is just so encouraging. A lovely top ten :)

Nov. 3, 2008 at 6:58 p.m. TheSingingBird

Thank you for this article! I have bought so many beautiful gifts from many of the people listed here and I highly recommend the whole team! Yay Naturalkids!
♥

Nov. 3, 2008 at 7:22 p.m. haddy2dogs

Awesome! It is a treat to see my friends here. I have many toys from these folks and the school I work at ordered almost all it's toy stock from Etsy Naturalkids team. I can recomend these shops for quality and customer service.

Nov. 3, 2008 at 7:46 p.m. cozycottagecreations

I love this article!! It's so wonderful to see these beautiful waldorf toys featured and such an inspiring and loving group of craftspeople! My children love their waldorf toys more than anything. It always thrills me that such simple items can open their world of play so wide. Woo Hoo for Waldorf!

Nov. 3, 2008 at 8:02 p.m. mamakopp

Oh MY! My mouth hanging open! This is wonderful! Thank you for showing The Hootie Gang. Everything is so beautiful!!!! Harvest Queen has won my heart!

Nov. 3, 2008 at 8:03 p.m. babus

soft, sweet, inspiring, and gentle toys. The strawberry-gathering tapestry is dreamy. I'm proud to be in this team. thanks for this article.

Nov. 3, 2008 at 8:13 p.m. chimera

Wow! I'm so happy to see Waldorf toys featured! Naturalkids members are just such sweet wonderful people! Thanks so much for sharing all these beautiful creations, and for including my felted play mats!

Nov. 3, 2008 at 9:11 p.m. ClairesArtfulThings

how precious! i love the little mushrooms and gnomes!!! Thanks for sharing, I would never have thought to look for these, and what a loss that would be!

Nov. 3, 2008 at 9:42 p.m. wyattsmagicwagon

love them all!! Thank you for showcasing Waldorf toys!!!!

Nov. 3, 2008 at 9:51 p.m. autumnsarrival

Oh, you all must check out naturechild.etsy.com - she as some of the most AMAZING little critters and her mobiles are to die for- I cried when mine came in the mail it is so beautiful!!

Nov. 3, 2008 at 11:44 p.m. Nushkie

Beautiful article! Thank you for including me by way of my quote. This is a great team and I'm so proud to be a member of it!!!!!!!

Nov. 4, 2008 at 2:01 a.m. KraftyKatinaBoutique

Wonderful Storque! Thanks for the post!

Nov. 4, 2008 at 3:33 a.m. BluCille

I love the acorns.

Nov. 4, 2008 at 9:20 a.m. LittleAdorables

Adorable! Adorable! Adorable!
:o)

Nov. 4, 2008 at 10:21 a.m. Unwaveringfaith

Oh, how wonderful!! I love this article, thank you for featuring the Natural Kids Team!! :0)

Nov. 4, 2008 at 11:45 a.m. WrenWillow

awesome compilation - so many wonderfully soft toys full of imagination!

Nov. 4, 2008 at 12:56 p.m. Jamisson

So good to finally know what Waldorff is. I should have known, I went to Montessori school:}

Nov. 4, 2008 at 1:44 p.m. jodieflowers

oh so fun and cute they all are!

Nov. 4, 2008 at 1:45 p.m. hulderhale

Oh! I was so happy when I read the headline of this article ^-^ I went to Waldorf school when I was little, and I miss it so much! I still go to christmas-markeds to get these kinds of toys:)

Nov. 4, 2008 at 2:42 p.m. 4TheSparrowsNest

These are all so amazing!!! Great work guys! Loooove all the neat felted things...the caterpillar kids are adorable...

Nov. 4, 2008 at 4:47 p.m. tangledhangers

THESE ARE ALL GREAT !!! ; *)
BUT, YOU SHOULD ALSO CHECK~OUT THE AMAZING WALDORF~DOLLS THAT *FreedomRainbow* CREATES !!
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=...
THEY ARE SOO SWEET !!! ; *)

Nov. 4, 2008 at 5:27 p.m. mommychick

This is such a wonderful group of artists! I can't wait to join Natural Kids team when my shop reaches 3 months!

Nov. 5, 2008 at 2:35 a.m. MadEarth

As a former teacher, I LOVE the feature of Waldorf toys! This selection brought out the best of my imagination! What a treat!!

Nov. 5, 2008 at 4:06 a.m. Acharyavivek

hello this is test comment by vivek acharay

Nov. 5, 2008 at 12:24 p.m. Grooveycrafts

These are gorgeous shops and items, I've never come across Waldorf so I've learned something new :)

Nov. 6, 2008 at 6:11 p.m. Owlishly

I love Waldorf toys, and I even let my kids play with mine ;)

But really, out of all the toys that have come in and out of our home, the Waldorf inspired ones are the ones that last and are played with and loved the most.

Nov. 19, 2008 at 10:51 a.m. merrydaledolls

Lovely waldorf items! The owls and Caterpillars are sweet!

Jan. 2, 2009 at 6:47 p.m. isiki

The felted tree house is so inspiring!!!

Jan. 17, 2009 at 6:20 p.m. woolcrazy

It's great to see all these wonderful toys together at this site.

Jan. 31, 2009 at 5:31 a.m. Intres

They are a fantastic and imaginative artists.

Jan. 31, 2009 at 5:49 a.m. formydarling

Thanks a lot for putting together this top ten. I love the caterpillars and everything else!

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