Our way of homeschooling during the elementary years was using Konos unit studies. Dramatization and pretending led to delightful participation in the history periods that we studied. I found that by giving the children dress ups and period props, they naturally wanted to act out some of what we were reading aloud together in our library books recommended by the Konos Curriculum. This kind of homeschooling is unforgettable and cannot compares to paper-and-pencil desk learning.

For Christmas, I always gave the children a few gifts that related to our past or upcoming unit studies. Many of these classic toys we have held onto because they offer so much creativity for children. Memories have been created through reading together, playing together, learning together, and creating together…all possible through homeschooling.

Classic Christmas Toys

In December most of us are looking forward to a little break from our homeschool schedules as we celebrate Christmas. This is the perfect time of year to invest in toys that your children will love and that will also be useful in the long-term. We’ve all seen the oft-advertised bits of plastic, the toys that get loved and used for about two weeks before being discarded to contribute to the piles of clutter.

Every year I buy a few family gifts that are classic toys which have the benefit of being useful in addition to being fun and well-loved by my children. An apron can be a neat dress-up tool in addition to keeping your child clean in the kitchen. A castle model can teach your children the history and logic behind castle forms, as well as provide hours of creative play that reinforces learning.

Other classic toys that my friends have enjoyed are fire truck pedal cars, victorian doll houses,  timeless models-even a scale model of the Mayflower, remote control flyers, sleds, train sets, and others.
Will Rogers Rope Tricks Classic ToysThis unique classic toy, Will Rogers Rope Tricks Set, is no longer available, but any Mom or Dad can use this model to create one-of-a-kind gifts by pairing a loved book with an object (toy) that is a perfect match for a child’s use to act out the character , activities, or plot of the book.  A book about Will Rogers, or in this case a book about rope tricks with a connection to Will Rogers, will be a perfect fit when you study Cowboys or Western Expansion in the United States.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Airplane Design StudioA fun addition to our unit study on Aeronautics is The Airplane Design Studio. It comes with over 35 parts  including balsa-wood wings, tails and bodies, plastic parts, rubber motors, and more. This kit gives you the means to build your own unique flying toy designs.

Simple to build, easy to fly, and hours of fun. A great kit for homeschool or just for play. The kids will learn while they play.

 

 

 

My daughter loves to browse through the mail order catalogs of classic toys and look at all the unique toys that you never see in the big box toy stores. Some special toys that we have found include:

Traveler’s Calligraphy Set

Vintage Tea SetGirl’s Tin Tea Set & Travel Case

Prince & Princess Magnetic Dress-Up

Original Lap Loom

Original Slinky

Ice Cream Maker

Juggling Balls

Jumbo Checker Rug Game

Mini Checker Rug Game

 

 

 

Fold & Go Barn-13″ long, 6 1/2″ in depth, and 10″ high when closed.

Fold 'n Go Barn

 

 

Fold & Go Stable

Fabulous Fiddlestix

Amaze ‘n’ Marbles Basic Builder

Frontier Logs Building Set

Pets Cube Puzzle

Magnetic Dartboard Game

Silver Race Car Metal Speedster

Wooden Family Doll Set

Vintage Doll Family

Many of these toys are remakes of Vintage toys and have an old fashioned appeal that is unequaled by modern toys.

(The TOYS on this page may be hard to locate now because the company that sold them has closed down. SORRY!)