Melissa and Doug and Friends

All my readings on the Montessori Method and fostering curiosity in children has caused me to encounter the names Melissa and Doug quite a bit. I looked into it a bit further. For those of you that don't know, Melissa and Doug is a toy company synonymous with high quality low/no tech toys. Thing like trains, floor puzzles, wooden blocks, and other classics.

They're quite a reputable company, with very little advertising and promotion, the focus is on quality, not trends. It's a great notions. Let's unplug our little ones, put away the apps, and play school and dress up like to good old days. But like most things in life and parenting, that's easier said than done.

For starters, Melissa and Doug toys are awfully expensive. I don't thing they're overpriced. The price tag has to match the labor, cost, and quality of the product. But something plastic and flashing with a AA battery the makes train sounds can be cheaper and even more enticing than a wooden one with four wheels and a track.

So where does that leave parents? Active toys create an inactive child; inactive toys create an active child. How easy and shameless is it to throw in a video or Wii game when we need to get the dishes done or pay bills or call the bank? But what are we giving our kids when we allow them to be entertained rather than learn to entertain and grow?

It's a slippery slope. Children immersed in technology lose the ability to entertain themselves, create, and imagine. But does that mean we have to fly off the handle with $15 ten piece puzzles and a padlock on the TV remote.

I think the answer there, like most things, lies in moderation. The occasional cartoon before bed or smartphone game while waiting in a restaurant won't turn our kids into zombies.

But I think that Melissa and Doug are onto something with their back to basics approach. I'd like to think that educational play and creative exploration are more important than dirty dishes anyway....just maybe not more important than paying bills.