Babies being born today are still being given these traditional wooden toys that even my grandparents were playing with. The log cabin kits were my personal favorite wooden toys. You could play with Barbie or Polly Pocket after building different sized cabins. You were definitely missing out if you have never gotten to play with Lincoln Logs! The assortment of different sized miniature wood logs in these kits could be stacked on top of one another because of their specially designed notches at each end of the logs. The notch is really just a deep groove that allows the other log to sit perfectly into it.

These wooden toys were invented back in 1916 but they weren’t mass produced to the public until about 1918. While most people assume these classic toys were named after former president, Abraham Lincoln, they were actually named after the inventor’s father’s middle name! Inventor, John L. Wright, got the design of the Lincoln Logs by looking at an earthquake proof basement structure in Tokyo. All the way up until about 1970 all of the logs included in the kits were wood, but that soon changed. Most manufacturers switched over to plastic because it was cheaper but there are just a few manufacturers left that only produce wooden logs.

Educational wooden toys were also popular at my childhood day care and pediatrician’s office. While at day care I would play with the wooden tic tac toe board, and another wooden toy that had you match up wooden shape pieces into shapes set into a wooden block. Building blocks were also considered a type of educational toy so those were always around too. The building blocks were a little cooler than the Lincoln Logs simply because you weren’t restricted to one or two designs. You could make homes, castles, bridges and many other things with the building blocks.

There are some kits out there for those of you who want more design potential. A variety of homes, including Appalachian homes, can be built with these kits. You may be able to find some classic wooden toys like these in local retail stores but most of these kits can only be found online at certain retailers. You should start looking online though if you want the best selection with these wooden log and building block toys.

Well what better of organizing your children toys than with a wooden toy box so that your children can have their toys all in one place? It is not to say that they will stay there for long but at least you can put them back in there afterwards. There is a great selection of wooden toy boxes around to choose from, or if you are a bit of a dab hand at DIY then you could even make one yourself. They can look extremely good in any room, adding an extra bit of character as well as keeping things a lot more organised too.

If you make your own toy box then you have a chance to be extremely creative and it can be cheaper than actually buying one. If you have an imagination then you could create something that your children will absolutely love. Also the best bit is that if you customise it then there will not be another box like it anywhere else and it would make a great keepsake for your children.

The thing is though that over time they may start to look a bit tattered and worn, but fortunately you can do things to help to protect it rather than just replace it. If you have built a custom toy box yourself then you are not going to want your talent to go to waste, so instead of binning it why not treat it so that it can last for as long as possible. Something that you should keep in mind before you build one is the type of wood that you are going to use. This will prove vital in durability and for how long that the wooden toy box lasts.

To ensure that the wooden toy box looks as good as possible for as long as possible, regular care is essential. For instance, you can wipe it every few days to get rid of any dirt, grime and dust to keep it looking clean. Also after a while you can apply a wood finish to the toy box too. When you clean the toy box you should research what products to use as it may cause damage to the toy box if you use the wrong products. Just by applying the right wood care techniques you and the children can enjoy the wooden toy box for as long as possible.