Review: Roy Toy Classic Log Building Set

It’s the time of year when homeschoolers attend conventions and begin to think about the coming school year.  We’ve picked our curriculum for next year (Heart of Dakota’s “Beyond” program for Alex), and much of it centers around early American history. 

In online forums, many moms suggested that a log building set makes the history portion of Beyond really come alive for their children!  I loved this idea, and I began to search online.  As I looked at the prices and the reviews, I was disappointed to see that the most well-known brand is now made in China.  The price is high, and (judging by the reviews) the quality is not as great as it used to be.

No thank you!  Scratch that plan.  I began to look into alternative companies, coming across a company called Roy Toy.  Their products are made in the USA, use safe and non-toxic food grade dyes, and are very fairly priced.

Roy Toy produced its first sets in the 1930s, and they continued to offer quality products until the 1960s.  The owner, Roy Dennison, passed away at that time, and production was discontinued.  His grandson, Bruce Dennison, re-established the business in 1992.  You can read the history of this family owned company to find out more about their dedication to providing safe, fun, classic toys for children.

After visiting the Roy Toy website repeatedly for days, I finally worked up the courage to  email Roy Toy and see if they would be willing to offer me a set in exchange for a review.  I received a quick response from the company, and within a week, we were the excited new owners of a 250 Piece Deluxe Building Set.  This set retails for $49.99.

The set arrived nicely packaged, with the blocks neatly stored inside of a strong canvas bag with a rope tie.   Our three little reviewers were SO excited to see what was inside of the bag. 

Oh, that beautiful scent of pine when you open the bag is amazing!  We explored the contents, and once the kids understood the concept, they were ready to BUILD!  They wanted to build the exact structures shown in the directions, which required assistance from Mom and Dad.    I’m so glad, as this turned into a fun family afternoon!


The Deluxe Building Set includes instructions for building a log cabin, a farm (barn and silo), and a tree house.  These are pictorial instructions on one 8.5x11 paper.   We chose to laminate it for durability. 

These instructions were too challenging for our young kids, and even my husband and I had to look very carefully to make sure we had the correct pieces for each set.  Once we began to recognize the large variety of log options, we were able to build more efficiently.  We were also able to help the 6 and 4 year olds learn to distinguish the different log sizes and different notches, and they were able to hand us the correct pieces as we built.

You may have noticed that we placed our blocks in a clear, plastic tub.  We started with the blocks piled on the floor, but after the blocks had been spread across the floor and stepped on multiple times, we decided it was best to keep them contained yet easy to see. 

Mommy and Jensyn (2) built the log cabin together.  It took me a few tries to get the correct pieces, as I hadn’t yet noticed the different notches in some of the blocks.  After a time, I caught on, and we completed our cabin.  You can see Jensyn adding the green roof pieces below, which was a perfect task for a two year old.

Daddy and the boys built the tree house fort together.  Alex (6) was very excited to build the ladder all by himself, and Max (4) happily built the roof.

This tree house led to so much fun, imaginative play!  The boys built a ‘slide’ using green blocks, and their characters happily climbed the ladder, played in the tree house, and slid back down to the ground.  (This is NOT a staged picture – my boys played with HUGE grins on their faces!)

The next day, Max (4) asked me to help him build the farm and silo.  With my guidance, he was able to do most of the building himself.  He also built some pens for the farm animals, which made him very proud.   You can be sure that our toy farm animals will be visiting this farm!

  

Roy Toy products are made in the U.S.A – Maine, to be precise – of U.S. pine wood.  They are stained with food approved dyes, and their website makes it clear that the dyes contain no major allergens.  The logs are smoothly sanded to protect little fingers.

This set contains enough pieces to build the tree house, cabin, barn, and silo all at the same time!  This means there are plenty of pieces for two or three children to play together – which is important in our home.  With all of the pieces, it’s easy for the kids to use their imagination, make their own structures, and have tons of fun with this set!

We are very impressed with this product, and it’s quite likely that we will purchase more products from Roy Toy in the future.  Looking through the brochures that we received with our building set, my boys and I found many building sets that look fun!

If I *had* to name some flaws in the product, I wouldn’t be able to make a long list.  Here’s all I can find:

1) I wish the instruction sheet was a little more precise, with step-by-step pictures to simplify the building process for young children.  I don’t think my kids could build the exact structures independently by following the instructions.
 
2) The green roof pieces lay on top nicely, but we always found a bit of a gap at the top of the roof.   If you add an extra roof piece, the top buckles.  It isn’t a big deal to our kids.  I don’t think they even noticed, to be honest, but you will likely have a small opening at the top of your structures.  I just think it’s worth noting for the perfectionists who might come across this review.

Roy Toy offers a wide variety of building toys that are made in the U.S.A.   The sets range in price from $9.95 to $89.00.  Currently, they are offering free shipping on all orders over $25.

Below you’ll see that Roy Toy offers a huge variety of building toys on their website.  Be prepared to drool over these – my kids & I sure did!

Deluxe Sets, stored in a canvas bag



Classic Sets, stored in a traditional canister

Wood-Links sets, stored in a sturdy plastic tub

Earth-Friendly sets with smoothly sanded pieces

Build And Paint sets

If you’re looking for a creative, battery-free, made in the U.S.A toy for your children, I would HIGHLY recommend Roy Toy!  These toys promote thinking skills and imagination, and they are sure to help you build many happy memories with your children!

Many of our toys leave the house after a year or two, but this Roy Toy building set is one of the few toys that I plan to keep for the long haul.  Even after our kids outgrow this set, I will still gladly keep this fun classic set on-hand for visiting friends! 

Disclaimer: I received this free product in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a positive review or compensated in any other way.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Special thanks to Roy Toy for generously sharing the 250 Piece Deluxe Building Set!

Technorati Tags: Roy Toy,wooden log building sets,logs,HOD Beyond,made in the USA

Fluffy Little Bums…

Alex, 6 months old, wearing a cloth diaper

I’m very excited to have the opportunity to host a cloth diaper giveaway starting tomorrow!  Before the giveaway, I wanted to share a little about how we cloth diaper…

I started looking into cloth diapers about 4 years ago, just before Alex was born.  It’s something that I just felt compelled to try.  I was surprised to see that cloth diapers are not just Gerber prefolds, safety pins, and plastic pants anymore.  The new options are much nicer!

There’s no more “swishing” in the toilet.  We keep a plastic kitchen trash can with a PUL (waterproof) liner in our laundry room.  When we change a diaper, we just toss it into the can.  (If it’s dirty, we “plop” the solids into the toilet first.)  Every other day, I wash by doing a cold water rinse, a HOT wash with a diaper-safe detergent, and a few extra cold rinses to be sure all the detergent has washed out.  Every once in a while, maybe once a month, I do an extra wash with a bit of bleach.)  That’s it!

We started out trying a variety of diapers.  I tried everything: prefolds and covers, fitted diapers with separate covers, snap diapers, velcro diapers…and I got a pretty good idea of what I liked best. 

In those early days, I really came to appreciate the diapers that were most similar to a disposable.  Still adjusting to being a mommy, I didn’t enjoy any sort of prefolds or complicated diapers.  My favorites were BumGenius one-size diapers (which are like a washable disposable with velcro tabs) and FuzziBunz (which are very similar, but have snaps instead of velcro).

Alex, around 4 months old

When Max came along, I purchased some used Bum Genius x-small and small diapers to use for the first few months.  (DiaperSwappers is an excellent place to purchase gently used baby diapers.)

Max, around 2 months old

When Max began using the same BumGenius that Alex was using, we started having a problem ~ after 2 years of regular use with Alex, and now the washing/drying demands of TWO children wearing the same diapers, the velcro just wasn’t holding well enough to stay on a wiggly toddler.  Max could still wear them just fine. Alex, however, would be running around the house, and suddenly his diaper would fall out through a pant leg! 

 Max, around 4 months old

That’s when Cotton Babies was introducing their new Flip diapers.  The price was right, and I was confident enough in cloth diapering to try something a little less like a disposable.  I fell in love with the simplicity of the Flip diapers! 

Max, 2 years old, in a Flip cover

I used Flips on Alex until he potty trained, and Max is still wearing Flips every day.  Jensyn will begin using these soon, too.  They’ve held up WONDERFULLY, and I have no doubt they’ll last through Jensyn’s diaper days, too.

Flips are very thin, PUL (waterproof) covers with flaps inside to hold an insert in place.  They have absorbent microfiber inserts with a soft, stay-dry suedecloth lining that goes against baby’s skin.  (They also sell organic cotton inserts for those who prefer to avoid synthetic fibers against baby’s skin.)

You simply pop them into the reuseable cover and snap it on the baby.  (They’re available in snaps or velcro, but at that point, I was not a big fan of velcro on diapers that needed to last for a long time!)  When you change the diaper, you slip out the insert & set a new one in the cover.  If the cover gets a little dirty from a messy diaper, you can swap it out for a new cover.

We ended up purchasing 6 Flip covers, 12 inserts, and 4 organic inserts.  We also have some prefold diapers (you know, the “old-fashioned” diaper) that get used when we’re behind on the diaper laundry.  I just fold them into thirds and pop ‘em in the Flip – no pins involved!

Jensyn, just a few weeks old

When Jensyn came along, I purchased some clearanced BumGenius small diapers.  (Cotton Babies no longer be sells their sized diapers, so I snatched up some REALLY inexpensive pink & purple diapers.)  These fit her well, and we’ll be able to resell these with no problem when she outgrows them.

Now that she’s nearing the point of outgrowing these, I wanted to get her a few girly-colored diaper covers for Christmas.  There’s nothing wrong with yellow, green, and blue…but a little pink won’t hurt.  Besides, this little girl has EVERYTHING she needs…and she deserves to get SOMETHING for Christmas!

The next post, scheduled for tomorrow morning, reviews the diaper covers that we’ve been trying out this week.  I’m excited to have the opportunity to share a cover with one lucky reader!

Happy Earth Day 2010

Just like the past 2 years, here’s the annual Earth Day post…most of you won’t care; this is really just for me to remember what we do! :)

If you’re curious, here’s what I wrote in 2009 and 2008. It’s not very exciting, so don’t feel some pressing need to go check out those posts, ha ha!

So, I’m still aiming for that tricky blend between frugal & environmentally friendly. Here’s where we’re at this year, and it’s not much different from last year…

Baby Soaps: I could SURE use some help in this category! Oh, my poor eczema-covered children. :( Burt’s Bees is good for Alex, but the boys bathe together, and it makes Max break out. We’re experimenting. It seems like Aveeno is all right (but not totally natural), Gentle Naturals is so-so (and not entirely natural, despite the name), and I just bought a new one to try…can’t remember what it’s called, but it’s much more natural!). This is definitely not a category for being frugal – not when my boys are blotchy and uncomfortable :( I tried coconut oil as a moisturizer, but it didn’t make a difference. I’m trying to avoid desonide/steroid cream, but sometimes that’s all that will work. If anyone has any suggestions that don’t cost an arm & a leg, let me know!

Cloth Diapers – Bum Genius 3.0s would be my favorite, except the velcro is wearing out, and Alex can “escape” from his diapers. My second favorite is the Bum Genius Flip diaper. These are snap diapers, not quite as “user-friendly”, but still plenty easy to use...and cheaper! I’m probably using cloth at 7 out of 10 diaper changes right now. (We have yet to buy an expensive disposable swim diaper. Old, unstuffed FuzziBunz snap-on diapers are perfect for this!)

Cloth Wipes – Absolutely love them! Dr. Brewer (our pediatrician) even gave us some new ones as a gift when Max was born. How sweet is that? I use them as baby wipes (of course…), but we also use them as baby washcloths, mini spit rags, and extra-soft nose wiping cloths. (www.diaperswappers.com, search for Kate Danzer/Eli’s Wipe-Es)

Dishsoaps: Palmolive Free & Clear, 7th Generation, or Meijer Naturals

Laundry Detergent: Planet detergent for diapers, Purex Natural or Arm & Hammer Essentials for clothes (and Arm & Hammer dryer sheets)

General Cleaning: Still LOVING Advanage cleaner – thank you, Deb! That stuff can clean just about anything from countertops to windows to carpet stains! (Although Windex does a MUCH better job on getting hairspray spots off of bathroom mirrors…)They just had some sales that scored me some free 7th Generation and Greenworks products, so I have some of those in the cabinet, too.

Toilet: Clorox Greenworks or (if we’re out) a quick squirt of cheap shampoo or bodywash that I’ve picked up for free at CVS.

Paper Towels: I try to use our cloth towels as much as possible, but some things just require a paper towel…and it’s usually CVS recycled paper towels. (Meijer stopped carrying Sunrise)

Paper Plates & Ziploc Bags: We have paper plates in the house….for crafts. Other than that, paper plates are for themed birthday parties! If I can get Ziploc bags for dirt-cheap, I’ll buy some & use them sparingly. If we don’t have any, well…that’s what Rubbermaid & Tupperware are for!

Gardening - I may try planting tomatoes again this year for Alex’s sake, as I know he’d love to help water & pick tomatoes. I’m so pathetic at it, though. He’ll have to be the gardener of the family if anything’s going to grow here! ;)

Recycling – We switched garbage services this year, so now we have to bring our recycling to the recycling center on our own. It’s kind of neat, as it gives Alex a way to see where our recycling goes. I usually procrastinate & let the recycling pile up until it fills the ENTIRE back of my vehicle! Bad habits are hard to break ;) Hopefully Alex will be big enough next year for recycled art projects! I soooo look forward to that!

Still trying to incorporate two things into every day, but not always succeeding:

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”

and

"The greenest products are the ones you don't buy."

August So Far...

Okay, I lied. These start on our anniversary - July 31st. I haven't updated for a while, so it's another picture day.

See? Keith IS wonderful! Happy Fourth Anniversary, Keith! Wer celebrated at home with grilled ribeye, baked potatoes, green beans, corn, & rolls. Keith said it's better than a restaurant.


The picture above is supposed to show Alex's 2 teeth. He didn't cooperate.

The picture below shows Alex "helping" me with the laundry by unfolding all the wipes.

This is one of his favorite seats.


I volunteered to test a new fabric softener. I just had to be able to complete 5 loads of laundry in a week. (Ha! I can handle that!) You get free softener (obviously) and now that I've completed the survey, they're supposed to send me another free product. Here are a few pics I took during the survey:

Comparing my regular fabric softener (yes, I'm cheap...) with the survey softener.
Odd looking, isn't it? You might have guessed it's an all-natural product made from recycled papers. It's the newest 7th Generation product. That company hasn't let me down yet. These do the job of softening & removing static, but they're unscented. I look forward to them introducing a scented variety. I'm waiting on my other free "green" product to arrive in the mail. I'm so curious to know what the thank-you gift will be!!!!

Do you think he's helping with the laundry? At least he's not bored or crying while I fold clothes!
Thanks for the corn, Angie! Alex held an ear very happily while I shucked the rest.

Look what happens when you give Alex a teething biscuit...

Most of you know that I don't let Alex watch TV. I think TV for babies is absolutely ridiculous. After 7.5 months of parenting, I still feel that way. Ask me again when he's a year old. Until then, no TV.

However...

...THIS is what happens when Jon & Kate Plus Eight is on. I usually watch it in the afternoon for a little humor while I'm making dinner, folding laundry, nursing Alex, etc. If he's not in my arms, Alex is on the floor with his toys facing the OPPOSITE direction so he can't see the TV. On this day, I was making dinner. I peeked in on Alex to find he had turned himself around to watch Jon & Kate. He loves to hear/see all the little kids on this show!

Uh-oh...We're in trouble, people...somebody discovered that the toilet paper roll looks very entertaining. At least he's not mobile yet! Look out, Mama...

This is my little guy today. He has a cold, and he feels miserable. He's all stuffy, has a cough, and I think he has a sore throat because he keeps making funny throat-clearing sounds & whimpering. He really doesn't feel well. Poor kiddo! He just about fell asleep with his head back while I dried my hair today. Every time he falls asleep, though, he wakes up screaming a short time later. I feel for him. If only I could make it all better :(
That's all so far. Just a bunch of pictures for those of you who have asked when I might update the blog again. There you have it - an update *Ü*