I’m so very excited about today’s giveaway AND promotion. That’s right, there’s a discount code and a giveaway today from Mama May i, purveyor of handmade learning toys – yipee! In fact, if you just can’t wait for the end of the post, you can use the code MPMK for 15% off – but do it quick, the code expires October 5, 2012.
Now back to the fun stuff, Mama May i is hands down one of my new favorite shops. Not only are the toys gorgeous and eco-friendly (lots of wood and hand-dyed goodness here), they’re also incredible for open-ended play. The shops’s owner, Jessica, has been creating for as long as she can remember – originally helping her mother with her handmade toy store over 20 years ago. With the birth of Jessica’s children, and all the new little people in her life, she found herself searching for toys that met her educational and design standards.
Inspired by these little explorers, and her understanding of Montessori and Waldorf methodologies, she began making all of her creations with the belief that children make sense of their world through sensing their world. As a result, her handmade learning toys blend the best of developmental psychology and design to offer a unique learning through play experience.
If you’re a regular here then you know these are my kind of toys. So much so, that I just couldn’t resist asking for a few toys for my own little ones to have some fun with. Picking from the shop’s extensive inventory was no small feat (I wanted it all) but I finally settled on three items – the first of which were these If a Tree Falls in the Forest stacking and nesting toys.
As soon as C got his hands on them, he was drawn to their bright colors and graduated sizes. As I watched, he instinctually started sorting, stacking, and ordering. There were so many opportunities for play-based learning with this toy (counting, colors, size, etc.) – I was in heaven. And C was right there with me, building and destroying, lining up and counting for nearly an hour.
Next up was the Colored Cups and Balls Playset. Along with providing more opportunities for color sorting, this one is also great for fine motor development as well as dramatic play (think tools or kitchen utensils).
While we were playing, C made up a game in which we took turns lining up the containers and attempting to scoop all six matching colored balls in without any bouncing out. It’s not quite as easy as it sounds and the game lasted for a good long while.
My last pick was this set of Silkies, which are a collection of six 35″ squares of hand-dyed habotai silk. These are commonly known as “play silks” and you’ll find them in almost all quality preschools and childcare facilities. Both my kids loved playing peek-a-boo and dress up with them at toddler group classes. The large size of the Silkies make them good for so many things – capes, tents, skirts – the dramatic play possibilities are endless. If you’re wondering why there aren’t any photos of these at play, it’s because I’m saving them for C’s upcoming 4th birthday. I’m positive they’ll be a hit.
So have I properly conveyed just how wonderful these toys are? Good! Because here’s your chance to get some of your own. Mama May i is graciously offering up a $100 gift card to one lucky winner and you have 3 chances to enter: visit Mama May i and leave a comment telling us your favorite product and why, like Mama May i’s facebook page and/or become a Mamay May i twitter follower. Remember, your entries aren’t official unless you tell me about them on the rafflecopter below.
One more thing – don’t forget that Mama May i is offering up a 15% discount to all MPMK readers. Just use the code: MPMK.
But don’t wait, it’s only good for 2 weeks (expires Friday, October 5th). Don’t want to shop yet in case you win the gift card? No worries! Jessica has offered to let you apply the gift code towards a prior purchase if you win!
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED
THIS SWEEPSTAKES IS OPEN TO AMERICAN RESIDENTS 18 YEARS OR OLDER. TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE SWEEPSTAKES YOU MUST EITHER: 1) LEAVE A COMMENT ON THE ABOVE RAFFLECOPTER GADGET NAMING YOUR FAVORITE Mama May i PRODUCT 2) LIKE Mama May i’s FACEBOOK PAGE or 3) Follow Mama May i on Twitter. 1 WINNING COMMENTER WILL BE DRAWN AT RANDOM, USING RAFFLECOPTER, AFTER THE SWEEPSTAKES CLOSES ON Friday SEPTEMBER 18TH 2012 AT 12:01AM EST. THE WINNER WILL RECEIVE A $100 GIFT CARD TO MAMA MAY I, VALUED AT APPROXIMATELY $100. AFTER THE WINNER IS NOTIFIED HE OR SHE HAS 48 HOURS TO RESPOND, OR ANOTHER WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN AT RANDOM. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.THE NUMBER OF ELIGIBLE ENTRIES RECEIVED DETERMINES THE ODDS OF WINNING. ANY INFORMATION GATHERED THROUGH THE SWEEPSTAKES INCLUDING EMAIL AND POSTAL ADDRESSES WILL NOT BE USED IN ANYWAY OTHER THAN CONTACTING WINNERS AND SHIPMENT OF WINNINGS. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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