Childrens Gift Ideas Blog Toys and gifts to inspire the Imagination

Our contribution on World Environment Day

photo credit: thilawee

World Environment Day is an annual event which celebrates our planet and promotes positive environmental action. The concept for raising environmental awareness was conceived by the United Nations in 1972, to encourage the world’s population to make changes that will improve the condition of the planet not only for ourselves but for future generations.

Each year a different environmental issue is put under the spotlight. Past themes have raised awareness about issues such as water shortage, desertification, children and the environment, oceans and melting ice. This year’s event, hosted in Delhi on June 5^th,  focused on forests. It aims to draw attention to the 5.2 million hectares of forest that is cut down each year - despite the essential role it plays in sustaining life to more than 1.6 billion people across the globe.

The principle aim of World Environment Day this year is to encourage a move towards a greener and more sustainable economy, by helping people make simple changes to their lifestyle, such as buying furniture, wood and paper that carries a forest certification logo. Fortunately the awareness we have of our impact on the environment as we go about our daily lives has never been stronger. Whether it be connecting more with nature, planting trees, walking to work, buying locally sourced organic food, growing our own vegetables, recycling, reusing or just the old-fashioned principle of make-do most people are now choosing to make small yet significant changes to their lifestyles.

One of the most important and increasingly popular changes is creating opportunities that stimulate our children’s interest and raise their awareness of environmental impact through the art of play. Many exciting new toy products such as solar-powered toys, recycled-cardboard playhouses and battery-free toys made from innovative new materials are emerging in the marketplace.

This developing ‘green’ sector of the market also taps into the current trend for traditional wooden toys and games made from sustainable sources, rather than the ubiquitous plastic variety which have saturated the market in the last few decades. Not only is this shift essential for the environment, it ties-in perfectly with the Imagination Station’s ethos for encouraging learning and development in children through educational toys.

It is against this backdrop that we have seen more and more parents look for quality andvalue for money in the toys they buy, rather than the high-tech, electronic gadget range which tend to distract children instead of stimulate them. That is why we actively seek out toys that will not only help to educate children through playing, but also teach them how they can interact and make a positive impact on their environment, and get plenty of fun out of it at the same time.

By partnering with the very best suppliers at the forefront of eco toy manufacturing, we aim to inspire children to investigate sustainable objects and materials around their homes and in their daily lives. Our Make Your Own Plastic Bag Monster - a Green Creativity Toy that will turn unwanted plastic bags into an environmentally friendly monster, puppet or decoration is a great example of the type of toy that will engage future generations with the concept of  ecology and environmentalism.

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