••• Toy

A toy is an object used in play. Toys are usually associated with children and pets, but it is not unusual for adult humans and some non- domesticated animals to play with toys. Many items are manufactured to serve as toys, but items produced for other purposes can also be used as toys. A child may pick up a household item and 'fly' it around pretending that it is an airplane, or an animal might play with a pinecone by batting at it, biting it, chasing it, and throwing it up in the air. Some toys are produced primarily as collector's items and are not intended to be played with.

The origin of toys is prehistoric; dolls representing infants, animals, and soldiers, as well as representations of tools used by adults are readily found at archaeological sites. The origin of the word "toy" is unknown, but it is believed that it was first used in the 14th century.

Toys and play in general are an important part of the process of learning about the world and growing up. The young use toys and play to discover their identity, help their bodies grow strong, learn cause and effect, explore relationships, and practice skills they will need as adults. Adults use toys and play to form and strengthen social bonds, teach, remember and reinforce lessons from their youth, discover their identity, exercise their minds and bodies, explore relationships, practice skills, and decorate their living spaces.

Toys are more than simple amusement, they and the ways that they are used profoundly influence many aspects of life.

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••• Disposal

When toys have been outgrown or are no longer wanted, reuse is sometimes considered. They can be donated via many charities such as Goodwill and the Salvation Army, sold at garage sales, auctioned, sometimes even donated to museums. However, when toys are broken, worn out or otherwise unfit for use, care should be taken when disposing of them. Donated or resold toys should be gently used, clean and have all parts. Before disposal of any battery-operated toy, batteries should removed and recycled; some communities demand this be done. Some manufacturers, such as Little Tikes, will take back and recycle their products.

In 2007, massive recalls of toys produced in China led many U.S. based charities to cut back on, or even discontinue, their acceptance of used toys. Goodwill stopped accepting donations of any toys except stuffed animals, and other charities checked all toys against government-issued checklists.

The WEEE directive (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), which aims at increasing re-use and recycling and reducing electronic waste, applies to toys in the United Kingdom as of 2 January 2007.

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••• By the way,

Payments by Western Union now available in Indonesia

We're excited to introduce Western Union Quick Cash as a new payment method for Indonesia. If you're located in Indonesia, you can now sign up to receive your AdSense payments in cash using the worldwide Western Union money transfer service. This payment method is quick, easy, and free -- that means no more waiting for checks to arrive in the mail or to clear at the bank.

Read More.

Congratulations.

••• Toy Guns

Some modern-day experts contend that violent video games encourage savage behavior in our young people, while others say that's just another example of the latest entertainment medium becoming society's scapegoat du jour. Keep in mind, the same breed of expert said the exact same thing about comic books in the 1950s - and look at how great the baby boomers turned out.

Long before technology gave us realistic video games that allowed kids to simulate predatory gun fighting electronically, America's children took to backyards and playgrounds with toy cap guns to battle it out in the neighborhood. Playing army or cowboys and indians in the dirt was how many American kids spent their playtime in decades past.

When did this behavior start? Perhaps at the very beginning of recorded history - the 1950s. Cowboys like Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy and The Lone Ranger ruled the daytime TV airwaves, attracting a legion of kids who wanted to play shoot-em-up at home.

Not a problem, since all of the television cowboys and detectives had their own line of realistic-looking toy firearms for sale at the nearest dime store. And best of all - no pesky background checks!

The most popular western cap gun sets of the '50s were Mattel's Fanner 50 realistic Winchester rifle, Buc'N Bronco, and the Hubley pistols.

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••• 5 Great Tips For Choosing Safe Toys For Your Children

Posted by Noel in Toys Articles

Every children in the world whishes to have toys and every parent trys to give them what they want. So until they grow-up children spend most of their time playing with different toys. If you are careful when you choose toys for your kids you can even consider that you are making an investment. But you have to know if you are making a good investment or not. There are many educative and safe toys. but you can also find many dangerous toys on the market this days. In this article you will find five tips for choosing safe toys for your children. After all every parent is concerned about their children safety.

Read more at http://www.most-gifted-toys.com/link/educative

••• Solar toy race car: Ecofriendly and educative

I guess, inculcating eco awareness in kids from a very young age will make a huge difference so, it would become a habit to be conscious about every little action. How can we make a kid sit and listen to us? That is the most challenging task. Certainly they would admire play things. This is one such play thing – a tiny toy race car that is solar powered. It requires no battery and the parts can be easily fixed by your kid. It uses no electricity making it totally safe for you kids. Besides, kindles their inquisitiveness to learn how it works. Now is the right time to teach your kid why use solar energy and how it works and I’m sure they will be all ears. I wouldn’t recommend this toy car for kids younger than 5 years because its parts are very small and we sure don’t want to take the pains of getting it out of their mouth.

Read more at: http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/solar-toy-race-car-ecofriendly-and-educative

Toy Industries of Europe supports adoption of new Toy Safety Directive

Toy Industries of Europe (TIE) supports today’s adoption of the new

Toy Safety Directive. The outcome is a tough, but workable approach to toy safety standards. This
result is especially important for SME toy manufacturers, who make up 80% of the European toy industry.

Read more at: http://www.tietoy.org/

Pick n' Play

As good parents, we must be able to pick good toys for our children. You can go to a Toy Shop, spend your time there checking all items.

Or you can find more simple ways to do that.

Newspapers and magazines provide such information. Or the Internet, maybe ?
Your choice.

Anyway, I invite you to send comments in this blog about all information you have about toys. People (I, specially) may find it useful in finding good toys for our dearest children.

Thank you for your time.

Joy,
Questio

Toys, Play & Young

Play is essential to children’s healthy development and learning. Children use play to actively construct knowledge, meet social/emotional needs, and acquire life skills. The content of their play comes from their own experiences. Because of the pervasive influence of the electronic media — TV, movies, videos, DVDs, computers, video games — children spend more time sitting in front of a screen and less time playing creatively with each other. These changes in today’s childhood are undermining play.

Parents are constantly faced with decisions about what toys to buy and what toys to avoid. The influence of high-powered marketing and popular culture interfere with thoughtful decision-making at the toy store.

This guide is intended to help adults promote children’s creative and constructive play by making informed choices about toys, and by working with others at home, school, and in the community to promote positive play and toys.

Read more at:

http://www.truceteachers.org/toyactionguide.html

Sasha Obama Brings the Ugly Doll to the White House

by Susan Wagner Jan 17th 2009 11:00AM

Categories: Celeb kids, In the news, Kid decor & style

I love Ugly Dolls -- they're plushy and soft, sure, but they're also a nice antidote to the usual super-sweet kid stuffed toy. Because they're ugly, see! And I have boys, which means that we don't have a lot going on at my house in the "doll" category, other than the Uglys. And I'm not the only parent of boys who has fallen for the Ugly Dolls -- Donald McNeil wrote a piece for last spring's New York Times where he pointed out that "there is no doubt that there is something preternatural about the boy-Ugly bond."

Read more at:
http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/17/sasha-obama-brings-the-ugly-doll-to-the-white-house/

A Creative Toy Story

By Mitchel Resnick

Walking into a toy store these days feels like walking into the movie Toy Story: it seems as if all of the toys have come to life. Start talking to a teddy bear, and it talks back to you. Sing a song to the bear, and it starts dancing.

The technology is amazing. But are these toys really what's best for children?

The issue is not whether toys should include the latest technology, but rather what types of play activities are encouraged by the toys. Unfortunately, most of today's high-tech toys squeeze creativity out of children's play.

This is not an idle academic concern. There is a growing recognition that creative thinking is the key to success in today's fast-changing society. In his book The Rise of the Creative Class, Richard Florida estimates that 30% of all jobs now require creative thinking, up ten-fold since 1900. And the percentage will undoubtedly continue to climb in the future.

Read more at:

http://www.parents-choice.org/article.cfm?art_id=329&the_page=editorials

Toys, oh Toys

From the Chicago Tribune

2.4 million more dangerous toys recalled

Recalled items were sent as replacements

By Patricia Callahan, Tribune reporter
8:13 AM PDT, March 18, 2008

Federal safety regulators recalled an additional 2.4 million potentially deadly Mega Brands magnetic toys Monday, at least 14 months after learning there might be problems with some of those products.

In December 2006, a consumer complained to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that magnets could come loose from Mega Brands Magna-Man action figures, one of the toys recalled, according to government records. And last May a Tribune report, which featured an account of a magnet popping out of one of those action figures, questioned whether the company's earlier Magnetix recalls covered all of the potentially hazardous toys in the line.

See more at
http://www.latimes.com/news/specials/chi-toy-recallmar18,0,7096475.story