small things

Nova Natural {giveaway}

sailboat-girl

This weekend’s giveaway is from Nova Natural, one of my family’s favorite shops!  Nova Natural is a small, family-run business based in Vermont. It was created around the mission of providing natural, wholesome products that encourage every child’s individual spirit to flourish. We practice sustainability by working with small businesses and artisans to offer high quality, long lasting products with a high play value. That means they don’t get used once or twice and then tossed aside. Rather, they’re made to last, sometimes for more than one generation.

We’re lucky enough at Nova to spend summer in Vermont. As a small, family business, we like to carve out time to enjoy the gorgeous weather and bounty summer has to offer. For our children (and yours!), we try to have toys that spark the imagination, foster outdoor exploration or stir them to action.

Nova Natural

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An active day can lead to a restful sleep, so it’s good to give children new challenges that get them moving. Younger children still delighting in imitation will enjoy “mowing” the grass accompanied by the clackity clack of the tumbling wooden beads in the classic lawnmower pushtoy. The motion of a tree swing, as well as the balance necessary to stay on the wooden seat, can be a challenge that a child might spend a summer perfecting, as they learn just the way to keep it in free motion without sliding off the seat. The sturdy stilts bring a child to new heights as they master propelling themselves while staying atop the wooden blocks for their feet. Another fun challenge for the elementary aged child is jumping rope; those rhymes you probably remember from your childhood can help a new rope skipper to find the rhythm that will lead to success.

swing

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Other toys might help children find the quiet that nature has to offer. They can look more closely at the wondrous world with a microscope or press leaves or blossoms for a summer souvenir. And of course, there’s the peace brought about by water play. A good ship and a bit of quiet water can occupy almost any young sailor. For moving water, children will be enthralled by the water­powered machine that will move the trout boat upstream. So, with the wind calling their names, send them outside to jump, run, learn and dream.

Nova Natural

This weekend, we’d like to offer one Small Things reader a $50 Gift Card! For your chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post. And don’t forget, when you sign up to receive our newsletter, (scroll to the bottom of our homepage, and you will see the place to enter your email address), you will receive a coupon for $7.00 off your order.

Comments are closed and the winner is Heidi who commented, “We love our wooden walking blocks from Nova Natural! The jump rope book looks equally awesome… Thank you!”

Thanks, Nova Natural!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. What a great giveaway! I used to have that Anna Banana book as a child, brings back memories!

  5. Love the toys and as a resident of the Deep South I’d love to go to Vermont someday!

  9. So many fun things for little ones! Thank you for the chance to win something wonderful from them.

  22. We love nova and the toys we have bought have lasted through three kids and counting!

  38. What a great giveaway! We love Nova Natural and our latest desire is to grab the micro scope for summer exploring. Thanks!!

  41. Great! love quality build toys that can with stand continus play and my kids do too.

  50. Beautiful toys and beautiful pictures of the children playing with them, too! I would love to be able to buy some more toys for our kids that will stand the test of time. Thank you, Ginny!