Never let your schooling interrupt your education.

Giveaway: $100 gift certificate from Imagine Childhood (Back to School Week)

//  by 

This giveaway has now ended. Thanks for entering!

Not long ago we had some new friends over to play. My kids eagerly gave the mom and her children a tour of their rooms and of our house in general.

Later, when the mother and I were alone she said, “Your kids have no toys! I’ve never seen anything like it. I love it–tell me how you’ve done this.”

I laughed along with her–because while it’s not true that my kids have no toys, it is true that they have significantly less than the typical child in the United States. They definitely do not receive the average 70 new ones a year either. And I think that’s a good thing.

I would rather have fewer toys and know that those we do have are of the highest quality–that they nurture creativity and imagination–that they encourage growing minds and inspire little hearts. In a world full of plastic gizmos and battery-draining what-nots, I’m thankful for the online store Imagine Childhood, offering an incredible alternative.

I have been a customer of Imagine Childhood since I first discovered it a few years ago. I head there when there’s a birthday or holiday in our house that needs just that certain something. (I’ve mentioned before how my youngest, Elijah, is in love with any and all of the lifelike plush animals they have.) And last Christmas Steve and I picked out stocking stuffers for the kids from their stash of indoor creative supplies.

The store’s outdoor play section is filled with items perfect for science experiments, optics and navigation, and other discoveries. (Head here to read more about the microscope they carry in my review from last year.)

The staff at Imagine Childhood have also made it easy to find anything you might need for back to school–creating a special category filled with everything from backpacks to lunchboxes, binoculars to new crayons.

Be sure to check out the summer guide they’ve put together to get a good overview of the seasonal toys in their shop. The Imagine Childhood philosophy is simple:

“At imaginechildhood.com we believe that children should experience the world through their own eyes, ears, fingers, and toes. That direct interaction with nature is the best way to learn about the world, and that open-ended imaginative play is the best way to learn about what it could be.”

This philosophy is sadly lacking in our modern-day era and needs to be spread, which is why I was thrilled to find out that Sarah Olmsted, co-founder of Imagine Childhood, was writing a book of her own: Imagine Childhood: 25 projects that spark curiosity and adventure.

Projects from the book include:

Part One: Nature

• Seasonal Capes
• Earth House
• Bird of Paradise Mask
• Maple Leaf House
• Nature Fairy
• Color and Shape Activities
• Flip-Book Animations
• Zoetrope
• Magic Lantern Projector

Part Two: Imagination

• Tree Shadows
• Play Tents and Structures
• Wands and Other Enchantments
• Boats for Sailing Imaginary Seas
• Nature’s Marionettes
• Nature’s Stage
• Adventures in Cartography

Part Three: Play

• Paint Can Banjo
• Steel Drum
• Bows and Arrows
• Lawn Bowling
• Rube Goldberg Machine
• Exploration Bag
• Game Seeds
• Simple Drawstring Game Bag
• Wishing Kite

Imagine Childhood, the book, will be released on October 16th, but you can see a sneak peek on the store’s blog and also go ahead and preorder your copy now!

One Simple Homeschool reader will receive a $100 gift certificate from Imagine Childhood!

(Sarah is also offering a discount to all readers: From now through August 17th, use the code ‘simplehomeschool’ to receive 10% off your order!)

How to Win

Everyone has two chances to win. Here’s how:

1. Comment on this post, answering this question: What toy currently sparks your child’s imagination the most? (If you are reading this in an email, you must click over to the blog to enter your comment!)

2. ‘Like’ Imagine Childhood and Simple Homeschool on Facebook. Then — this is important — you need to come back and leave an additional comment here, telling me you have done so.

This giveaway has now ended. Thanks for entering!

About Jamie C. Martin

Jamie is an introverted mom of three, who loves books, tea, and people (not always in that order), and avoids answering the phone when possible. She co-founded SimpleHomeschool.net in 2010 and began IntrovertedMoms.com in 2020.

Jamie is the author of four books, including Give Your Child the World (reached #9 on Amazon's Top 100 Best Sellers list), and her latest release, Introverted Mom (an ECPA bestseller). Her work has been featured by LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow, the Washington Post, Parents, Today Parenting, and Psychology Today.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Keara

    Currently it’s not a toy… My 3 year old loves playing behind our new loveseat.

    Today it was a resturant. The other day it was a barn. Before that a castle with a draw bridge. I love finding out each day what new adventure he’s thought of!

  2. Christy Coy

    My son’s favorite playthings right now are his new math manipulative blocks. He can make things with those for an hour or more at a time, and he’s only four! So fun! Thanks for the opportunity.

  4. Kimberly

    My children’s favorite “toy” is currently seashells that we have gathered. Add in play silks and string and it was an afternoon of fun.

  8. Michele

    This is one of my favorite sites for my almost 6yo! He was just using his little saw and hammer tonight to fix a wooden box that carries his big wooden blocks. Lately those have been seeing a lot of play time, coupled with some great Haba dominoes to make a really long run along the carpet.

  14. Elizabeth Anne

    Right now, her favorite toy is a vintage scarf I found in a box at our local antique mall! It’s a cape, it’s Rapunzel’s hair, it’s a picnic blanket…

  18. Christie

    My kids favorite toys right now are their wooden train and wooden horses, they find so many different ways to play with them beyond their obvious uses!

  20. Casey

    My two boys are loving anything and everything sports related right now and my oldest daughter is loving her pioneer dress up outfit. My youngest daughter loves our art supplies. 🙂

  21. sarah

    I am so glad you shared this! My son just doesnt enjoy toys (which I am fully ok with), but it does make it tricky sometimes when we need a little something new in the house. I will be checking this store out for sure. Of course it would be awesome if I had the $100!! Right now my son is very much into rocks. The outside is taking over the inside at our house

  22. Marguerite

    My daughters favorite toy is the new cat toy we bought, lol. She loves the long stick with the feathers on it, and is so excited that once she starts playing with one cat the other two come running. Then once she has worn out all the cats she hands it to me and says “here, momma, your turn”. Then she pretends to be a cat!

  25. Margaret

    My kids currently play with their dolls most of the day, every day. My daughter’s all-time favorite toy is the train set, and seeing her use is always sparks a renewed interest from her big brother too. 🙂

  27. Jo

    At the moment my kiddos are having a blast playing with a HUGE cardboard box that someone gave us. If they are not in it then they are on top of it 🙂

  29. Charity

    My daughter is 14 months old and right now she loves books and putting lids on containers. 🙂

  30. Wild and Carefree Mama

    For my son it’s anything ‘spy’ like- he wears three watches and green sunglasses, a black outfit with a backpack filled with all his spy gear, real and imagined, and he goes outside and climbs our tree to have his secret spy meetings……… just tonight he fell asleep with half of his spy gear still on….. I noticed it when I went to check on him……. implying that he was most likely up and ‘sleuthing’ after his bedtime and I was none the wiser ☺
    Wild and Carefree Mama’s latest post: We are Free

  32. Amanda

    Currently, all three of my children are into modelling, and love clay/plasticene. They will sit and tell stories with it, creating scenes and characters that they have made up, or have come across in books and stories. It is getting pretty gross though – full of sand and stick bits – I believe it’s time for a fresh batch of modelling material!

  34. Naomi's Nutrition Nook

    My daughter is 8 years old, and LOVES anything art related, especially sketching nature/still life with her art pad, and molding Play-Doh or clay. She can entertain herself with her own work for hours! I am always amazed at the quality of it- darling budding artist! I must also note that she loves helping me in the kitchen and has her own Vegan page on FB. Some new children size cooking implements would be a great gift for her birthday next month AND ‘back to school’ (she is unschooled). Thank you for the opportunity, and great blog content!

  37. deanna

    My daughter’s first and enduring love is her dollhouses. Today she made new wallpaper for them…

  39. lolo

    my boys favorite playthings right now are all the parts from their “take apart science” projects! they absolutely LOVE seeing the insides of any non-working device<and subsequently will re-invent these parts into a whole nother thing and create a la scenario around it!

  40. Jessica M.

    This would be wonderful for my little guy – I liked both fb pages, and I’m excited to delve into both websites!

  41. Sheri

    The best imagination-building toy of my children right now is all of the wood in our backyard. They love building forts with it and pretending to be woodsmen/explorers/etc.

  43. Maha

    My 4yr old is very big into her paintbrushes recently. In addition to really painting, she likes to pretend to paint everything and also sometimes uses them to “fix” things.

  45. Jan J.

    My kids love realistic plastic animals – they have a whole herd of them and each has a name and a complex back story!

  46. Beth

    Sand! We put our play kitchen set out by the sandbox and it has been the biggest hit ever. I’ve had lots of mud pies this summer.

  47. AmandaXC

    Yesterday, it was dirt, sticks and string (bow and arrows were made) and the wooden train set we’ve had since the oldest was 3. He’s now 8. Hurrah for enduring, beautiful, and non-electrical toys!

  48. Halina

    At the moment my nearly 3 year old daughter loves building houses from sofa cushions, blankets and pillows. Her little brother (14 months) gets quite excited about her houses too.

  49. Heather

    Right now my kids love their geometric shapes (which is supposed to be for math, but whatever :-)). They like to build new shapes, bridges, caves and jails for each other…apparently we have a lot of these shapes! Would love a chance to win!
    Heather’s latest post: oh happy day!

  51. Julie

    This summer, it’s just been whatever they find outside…..rocks, sticks, etc. In the winter, it would be Legos.

  52. Johanna

    Her current favorite is her Magna Doodle! At 3, she is beginning to learn to draw. It’s so fascinating to watch!

  53. Kylie

    My son has been playing with money from his piggy bank and an old receipt, pretending he is a waiter.

  54. Kylie

    I also liked Imagine Childhood & Simple Homeschool on Facebook. Thanks for the chance to win!

  55. Bridget Stevens

    right now they can;t get enough of legos, building worlds with their imaginations!

  57. Maria

    The two things that inspire imagination the most with my boys’ (ages 2 and 4) are our dress up chest and LEGOS. There are several more items, but those are used every day multiple times a day.

  60. Cristy S.

    Right now, my girl is loving her hoola-hoop! It’s a circus act, a skiprope, a projectile and a hole to jump in!

    Great contest, thanks!

  62. Southern Gal

    My son is immersed in a book I bought at a used book sale on how to make paper airplanes. He has a laundry basket full of planes made from the instructions in the book. He loves flying each one and telling us what it’s going to do – loop-de-loops, spins, etc. It’s the best $1.50 I’ve spent in a long time.
    Southern Gal’s latest post: Hello Morning Run

  63. Holly

    My boys (10 and 7) STILL love cardboard boxes. Give them a pile of flattened boxes and some packing tape and it is ON!

  64. Kim

    Currently it’s various action figures. They create all kinds of stories with them both at home and in the car.

  70. Nicole

    A BOX! We have been unpacking many boxes this summer. The last box was a boat, car, pool, and sled! Hours of entertainment!

  71. Kristy

    The sand pit is the place wher my kids are currently the most imaginative. After all the big exciting play time outside, they both like to just relax in the sand box and let their imaginations take over.

  76. Kristin

    When not “reading” to herself from Good Night Moon, my two year old is pretending anything and everything is either a cookie or an oven. Book ovens are placed over block cookies, or a paper plate is shoved on the bookshelf awaiting the timer to ding so the tea party can begin. 🙂

  78. Lori

    Imagine Childhood is one of my holiday go-to’s! I love it.
    My kids like to play with lots of stuff. Their favorite, though, is cars. They draw chalk roads for them in the driveway, build houses for them out of cardboard boxes, bake cakes for them when it’s time for a birthday, and on and on. My daughter who is 11 (!), is making a book about the cars, with a photo and description of each. They all have names, birthdates, family trees, bank accounts, elections, and they take a census now and again as well. It’s something that has developed with their own imagination over the years. There is no way I could have “encouraged” this play. It is all their own, except I allow the freedom, or course, to do the activities, and I show an interest in it all.
    I agree with you, Jamie, and would have been happy if I had gotten a handle on the toy thing earlier. I have seriously sifted through the toys at our house so there is room to play without all the distractions. I just read a book that says that 70% of the toy’s in the world go to American children. That’s just crazy!
    Anyway, thanks for the opportunity to win this awesome giveaway.

  79. Jessica

    My children have been so happy “collecting” toads, frogs, a praying mantis, etc. You’d think we had given them puppies! My daughters are also very into their cloth dolls.

  80. Ericka

    Both my children have been crazy about their Schleich animals recently. We made a play mat and they are spending hours setting up and playing.

  84. Ronessa

    Currently, all three of my children are enthralled with the magical combination of sand, water & rocks. Yesterday, with the help of several friends, they built an epic castle along the banks of a river, using river clay as mortar.

  86. Tracy

    My son’s favorite toy and the one that is imagination always going off are his Legos….other than I can give him a roll of tape, scissors, and some rope. He has always been able to do wonders with those. Congrats on the new book. It looks great.

  89. Monique

    My children have always loved blocks of any shape and size. The possibilities are endless with such an open-ended toy. Thanks for this opportunity!

  92. AmyB

    Art supplies. It seems she has an endless number of stories to tell through her illustrations.

  93. Meredith W.

    One of our greatest, imagination-spurring toys is the wooden train track sets we’ve acquired. My oldest (4) builds different rather complex tracks and spends hours in role play with his trains.

  94. mdvlist

    I can’t believe how many things my three-year-old can do with Lincoln Logs. Those things can be ANYTHING!

  95. Bethany

    My kids are currently loving their tool set and pieces of wood, screws, and paints. They’ve benn spending lots of time outside on the driveway building things.

  96. Jen

    what a fabulous giveaway! thanks for the chance.

    right now, her coloring tools (art supplies in general, actually) and playsilks are getting the most use.

  98. Melissa

    My kids would love the ecoscopes and I would love the Imagine book! Thank you for this giveaway!!!

  99. Amanda

    I have to say that simply a crayon and a piece of paper make my kids happy. They never tire of drawing and I love how quickly the young can pick up on their artistic expression!

  100. Heather

    My boys, 4 and 7, love their legos. They will play with the figures and build them houses, cars, flying gismos, and anything else you could imagine, for sometimes hours at a time.

  101. MzBaker

    My son turned 9 last month and Lego’s are his most favorite toy, he makes videos using his 3DS of Super Mario Bros characters he creates using Lego’s. He is basically remaking the video game with his Lego’s and recording little videos of him making them move. He also loves playing with the Super Mario Bros. X Level creator. He has made an entire game on the computer using this program. He amazes me to no end!!
    MzBaker’s latest post: Happy 7th Birthday to Jake!! We had his party today!

  105. joy newman

    my daughter loves her baby dolls. it’s so fun to see her playing “mommy” and caring for her dolls.

  106. Kimberly

    Defnately our dressup bin inspires the most creativity! I try to keep items that are very versatile and the kids can turn easily from one thing to the next…a blue silk scarf dresses up a homemade princess hat, becomes the “ocean” under a mermaid or a pirate plank and holds a bandage on a patient’s knee!

  118. melanie

    My daughter enjoys art so we find different materials for her to work with and be creative.

  123. Mandi

    My son is obsessed with a panda mask he got at the zoo where he saw, in his words, “Mommy, a panda, panda, panda!”

  125. Jennifer W

    We started school on Monday and my daughter was visited by the “back to school fairy”. Later that morning on our walk she collected all sorts of twigs, plants and rocks to make a fairy house. As much as she loves her dolls and dress ups its been things in nature that have always excited her curioisty and creativity. Magnifying glasses, microscopes and field guides are constant compainons.

  126. Kate

    Currently my son has been very into building things with his Zoobs. My daughter loves her dress up clothes.

  127. Kristen

    LEGOs for my son, for sure…my daughter is most inspired by acting out the books she reads. My little guy just likes being invited into any play that takes place! 🙂

  129. Jennifer W

    I already “like” Simple Homeschool on facebook but just added Imagine Childhood to my likes! Thanks!

  131. Kaight

    Our 11 year old is drawing all the time, our 9 year old is all about music and dancing. Our 7 year old is all about lego’s and our 2 year old twins LOVE anything with wheels.

  132. Connie

    Not sure if it counts as a “toy” but my daughter has a sketchbooks and pencils stashed everywhere and is constantly creating new characters in them.

  134. Connie

    I’ve already been following Simple Homeschool on Facebook and now I’ve “liked” Imagine Childhood as well. Thanks for letting me know of such a great resource.

  135. Jennifer J

    My son would have fun with anything having to do with bugs and my daughter would enjoy caring for the cuddly animals.

  136. Colleen

    Legos!! Recycled bottles, cans and boxes and plenty of sticks, twine and tumbled rocks keep my kiddos imagining for hours 🙂

  137. Cardinal

    Iris (3) loves her costume bin. She removed the strap from one of her purses and turned it into a dog lease. Voila, now she is a dog! Griffin (7) has lately been loving his old Tom & Jerry comic books. I liked Imagine Childhood on FB. Thank you for this opportunity!

  140. marissa

    for my youngest (who is almost 3), it is all of the toy animals we have. he likes to stick them under his shirt and call himself the daddy bear/elephant/dog/etc.

  145. Kara

    My son loves his art supplies, my daughter enjoys her simple wooden dollhouse. (And I love reading and crafting, so I am looking forward to seeing the Imagine Childhood book in October!)

  146. Mary Ann

    My boys, ages 7 and 5, enjoy a small pop up tent and realistic stuffed animals. They come up with dozens of ways to play with these. Thanks for showcasing a great resource and the chance to win!

  148. Karla

    This is wonderful! A while back I started simplifying everything, from clothes to toys to books and everything inbetween. I’ve been trying to stick with natural, creative toys and activities for the kiddos and Imagine Childhood sounds like a great resources for this aim.

    Sometimes my kiddos’ favorite “toy” is a laundry basket or cardboard box… but among the more conventional toys they like pretend items – like their play kitchen with food or doctor set.

  149. Nancy

    For my kids, Legos, hands down, seem to inspire the most creativity. I am simply amazed at what they construct and the stories they make up to go along with their creations. Thanks for the giveaway!

  151. Teresa

    Dress up clothes is an understatement – my kids play and live in their dress up! In fact, I wouldn’t even call it dress up any more….much more like their daily fashion palette! They can wear the same dress or hat and be on different adventures every day. Love the dress up =)

  152. Jenn R.

    Great giveaway! My oldest son is really into building with whatever materials he can get his hands on. My youngest is into animals, and loves setting up little animal communities. Thanks!

  153. Alicia

    My 7 year-old girl and 2 year-old boy love to play pretend. A fort of chairs, airplanes made out of legos, and blanket capes are their favorite play items.

  154. Teresa

    I wish there was a LOVE button, but I like both Imagine Childhood and Simple Homeschool on FB =)

  155. Gina

    Any “toys” from cardboard boxes and scraps of lumber to wooden animals or legos. And don’t let me get started on the art supplies that they aren’t supposed to use without my permission 🙂 Somehow the ones that they can use freely just aren’t as imagination provoking!

  156. Sheri

    Legos and light sabers are big favorites around our house. The piano, while not a toy, gets plenty of use too!

  157. Amy

    Both of my girls have always been inspired by dolls or stuffed animals. Anything they can “care” for, bring along, talk to, etc. Also, they really like playing with the toys’ storage containers as much as what is stored in them;-)
    Thanks for the giveaway!

  162. Heidi

    Definitely anything with the fairies would spark my daughter’s creativity! The Oak Leaf Fairy House would be a favorite!

  165. Jennifer

    My little girl teaches her “babies” anything and everything. They have all been potty-trained, know how to read and count…everything she learns, she teaches them. My favorite is to go in after naptime and see her teaching school on her bed. We have very smart baby dolls in this house!!!

  166. Diana Lee

    My kids ages 9, 6, and 17 mos. all absolutely love our
    Recycling bin in the garage :). It is really amazing to still see that necessity is the mother of all invention. They’ve invented and created
    bug catchers to spy machines, fairy houses and everything in between….

  167. Teish

    LEGOs are what spark my sons’ imaginations the most these days! My daughter has always been the artist though, so give her paper and colored pencils or crayons and she will come up with something interesting!
    Teish’s latest post: Daybook for August 6th

  170. Amber

    Oh dress ups and Sticks and stones. Shall I throw sandbox in there. Lots of imagination in the sandbox but dress ups is #1! How exciting, Thanks.

  171. Diana Lee

    Liked IC on FB and have “liked” SH for quite some time
    on there as well…. Thanks for the introduction to IC
    and the great giveaway 🙂

  172. Melissa Ferguson

    A princess dress and pop-up castle, along with toy cakes and ice cream get used daily here. The storyline changes daily, but there is always a princess and a castle involved!

  173. Jeri Thurber

    Right now my little one loves pretending to change diapers on all of her dolls and stuffed animals.

  180. mudmama

    Each of my kids have a different favourite, for my 8 year old it is LEGO – not a huge amount like some kids have, he has a cake tin full and several baseplates. He builds elaborate museums with it, and incorporates his nature finds as specimens. He loves it because it stays together while he’s playing then comes apart when he wants to change things. My 4 year old is a dress up fanatic. We have silks and cotton flannel squares we dyed 12 years ago – old cotton flats! plus finger knitted ropes that hold on stick swords, and head dresses. My 12 year old daughter’s favorite toy is a lanyard with a firestarter a whistle a compass and a bird call…and a pocket knife in her pocket.

  182. Jane

    Marble runs are currently the toy du jour around here with our boys. We love our sturdy wooden Quadrilla with endless options for creativity and problem solving.

    Thanks for sharp such a fantastic resource. I am in love 🙂

  184. Karen

    Our toddler loves his train-set and wooden blocks, our 8 year old has been playing with an energy experiment kit.

  187. Jennifer

    I “liked” Simple Homeschool on Facebook. I had previously done Imagine Childhood. 🙂

  191. Laura

    My daughter loves dress up clothes – anything that can propel her into a story she’s already got figured out in her mind. 🙂

    Love the resource – cant wait to dive in and put things on the Christmas and birthday lists!!

  193. Jennifer Prewitt

    We just started to create a schoolroom, and my daughters are very much into organizing and re-organizing their arts and crafts supplies (i.e. getting every single thing out and making a creative mess!).

  195. cam

    Legos are the big imagination-sparkers here right now. My boys spend hours and hours building their own elaborate designs.

  203. Jenna

    I made a rice table per your suggestion in your book. They play for hours using their imaginations creating rice volcanoes, bulldozers, find the toy person, etc. Amazing!

  204. Robyn Burnett

    Since we studied the pioneers on Pioneer Day a couple weeks ago, instead of building forts, they now build “covered wagons” and pretend to cross the plains for hours and hours at a time!
    Thanks for this chance.

  205. Caitlin

    Ato our house right now, the big toy for my three children is the big cardboard box that our new vacuum came in. Currently it is a spaceship. Thanks for this opportunity!

  207. Jenna

    I just “liked” both Imagine Childhood and Simple Homeschool. Thanks for offering this giveaway! Awesome!!!!

  209. Stephanie

    Honestly, still Legos. All of my kids love them. Even my 12 yr. old daughter. They like the sets, but will spend hours with just a normal box of legos, building fairy houses, race tracks, planes, everything. Really fun to see each of their personalities come out using the exact same material!

  211. Jennie

    My son makes a Rube Goldberg machine every day. I think I’m missing some CDs. Looking forward to the book! Thanks for the opportunity to win.

  216. Christina P.

    My kids all love building out of blocks and Lego’s; it’s fun to see what they will build next! Thanks for the great giveaway!

  220. jenifer

    My almost 8 yr old, loves Legos and is always creating fantastic things from his imagination.

  221. Julie

    This week it is a small indoor tent that has been their focus. It (along with any available pillow, blanket and stuffed animal) has taken many forms as house, boat, river raft, museum and store.

  225. Becky Jones

    Legos have lasted the last 20 years and my 17 year old has a huge bin still in his closet 🙂 What a treat it would be to win this giveaway..thank you!!

  228. Deanna

    My daughter is one and a half and I think right now what makes her the most creative is just having space to play! Room in the living room to run around or the grass.

  229. Kristi McFarland

    My middle son is infactuated with making bows from limbs in our woods and using real feathers for the arrows (which came from a goose who had an unfortunate encounter with our dog. )

  234. Moosegirl

    Anything Olympic!! They have been running, pretending to dive and lighting the torch……and then of course step up to the podium for their medal :o)

  235. Maggie

    I would love to win this giveaway as we would be set for this years celebrations!
    Thank you for the chance!

  236. Melissa B

    Their current passion is building fairy houses, mostly outside, and telling me about how they can tell the fairies have visited.

  239. Kathleen

    My children have been enjoying playing in the garden, gathering little tomatoes, herbs, eggplants and squashes and sorting them in bowls, washing them in their “mudpie” kitchen set up and helping to make “salads”–we’ve all eaten more raw eggplant than I’d ever imagined we would!

  241. bethany

    Oh gracious, reading and then acting it out is huge… the olympics have inspired them a lot too… legos and other (age-appropriate) building sets. Would love to win this! Thanks for the opportunity!

  243. Sandy

    My 7yo literally spends hours playing with small figures (animals and wooden people especially.) I love eavesdropping on her play and hearing the elaborate stories unfold.

  245. Sarah

    I just liked simplehomeschool and imagine childhood on facebook. Thank you for such a generous giveaway!

  246. Lisa

    My children are crazy about those cardboard brick-print blocks. They’ve been building furniture, spaceships, grocery stores…

  253. Jennifer

    Actually my son’s most imaginative play is reenacting recent family travel experiences. He uses all of the toys as props to enjoy those moments all over again!

  257. Kirsten Walker

    Right now, the toy of choice is Lego (and making animations with them) Use the Ipod App Lego Animation to make it easier.
    Very fun!

  258. Brittany

    My kids both love playsilks, they are almost always integrated into their play. More recently though, they’ve been borrowing our large wooden cutting board and grill top. They use them as a stage for dolls (or themselves), surf boards, castle walls, or musical instruments with the addition of wooden spoons.

  263. Alycia

    My son is a big lego, building blocks fan and my daughter is very in to anything art related (painting, coloring). I think that they see the outdoors as the greatest “toy” at the moment though. Definitely soaking up the summer!

  266. Nancy

    My son has been playing and playing with his wacky wall walker. Just a rubbery thing that you throw on the window and it walks down. He loves to watch it and give it a bath. Weird, yup!

  268. Alexandra White

    The “toy” that sparks my children’s imagination (ages 5 and 7) is a roll of red and white baker’s twine–they use it to make leashes for their stuffed animals, decorative elements on cards for friends, necklaces for natural objects they find outside. I need to get some more twine soon!
    Alexandra White’s latest post: Game Face

  269. Alicia

    Right now my youngest son loves costumes and dress up clothes. Also anything that involves legos or things to put together.

  271. Alicia

    Thanks so much for the chance to win. I already like Imagine childhood and Simple Homeschool on Facebook.

  273. Jess V

    My 6 year old’s favorite toy is his radio- he spins all kinds of discs that become the background of all his play when he’s in his room- when he’s outside nature always seems to provide everything he needs!

  274. Faye E. Hunt

    Right now my son is extremely obsessed with his dinosaurs. He creates all sorts of imaginative scenarios with them. He is also getting into building with legos because of his older six year old cousin. He will build imaginative things and take them on journeys. Thank you for this incredible giveaway!

  275. Melissa

    Paper, markers, coloring books, scissors, glue sticks and a bin of random things such as plastic straws, curly ribbon, buttons, pipe cleaners, etc. And—most importantly—no instructions from Mom! I am always amazed at what they make when left to the power of their own creative imaginations!

  276. Aimee

    I’d have to say Lego. He could spend lots of time making his own scenes & stories! Thanks for the chance!

  280. Melanie

    I love your products! My dd is really into clay and painting right. Sometimes she likes to incorporate the two.

  282. Casie

    I would have to say our recycling bin. He loves to find odds & ends and make them into anything, lately robots.

  286. elena grover

    My 4 yr old loves her wooden tree house for her fairies and the fairy gardens we planted recently with nature she has been collecting.

  290. Sarah

    My 2.5 yr. old daughter is in love with weaving a large beading string through anything she can right now! It’s hilarious what sort of toy trains she comes up with 🙂 Anything with a hole gets a strong put through it.

  294. Katie

    Right now it’s her kitchen set. She loves playing restaurant, and rotating between being waitress, chef, and customer.

  296. elizabeth

    Lately my boys have been playing mostly with their cars and trucks. We have a big metal car carrier truck that was my husband played with when he was small. It was handed down with two cars, which my sons have named,”the truck brothers.”

  297. Celia

    My girls both love paper, scissors and colored pencils. Add an empty cardboard box or two, and you can make almost anything.

  298. Jen

    Right now my son is having the most fun with a plain old shovel … he is making large “mountains” of dirt, excavating under trees, helping the dog dig under the fence … all sorts of cool stuff!

  305. desilou

    My kiddos love taking things from around the house pretending they are something else – like kitchen wares turning into a drum set.

  306. elena

    My daughter loves her wooden tree house and her homemade fairies. We also planted a couple fairy container gardens with some of her nature that she’s collected on walks.

  307. Amanda

    I would say that books spark his imagination right now, and he uses his legos and a Brio set to carry out his ideas.

  311. Tina

    My kiddo loves binoculars. He can be a bird watcher, an army guy, a ship captain, a park ranger, and on and on.

  314. Amber

    Arts n craft supplies really trigger the imagination button in my kids. The inventions and creations they come up with are amazing!!

  318. Sara

    Imaginative toy…my child has an old fashioned milk truck you can pull around with the bottles on it. Sometimes she is a doctor and the bottles are medicines, other times she “feeds” all of us with them, and sometimes she makes the truck sit up and do tricks as she “walks” it. She’s a pretty creative 2 year old and I’d love more opportunities for open ended imaginative play for her instead of the more modern typical toys that tend to be more scripted.

  320. Tabatha

    Currently both my boys absolutely love their legos and play food. They will build with legos for hours making cities of their own and they also enjoy playing restaurant. My daughter (14 months) loves tearing out my tupperware and pots and putting stuff in them.

  331. Lacey

    Thanks for offering this 🙂

    My dd’s favorite things to “play” with are markers and construction paper.

  337. sarah

    Right now, simple dolls spark the imagination of my 6 year old. Wooden blocks are the biggest hit with all 3 of my children! My 8 year old’s favorite place to play is outside building things with bark, pinecones, etc (whatever she can get her hands on!). For my 2 year old boy, I would venture to say mostly any toy with wheels or spinning toys.

  338. krystle hummer

    My son loves legos, my daughter loves babies, and my baby son loves anything he can get out of a cupboard or drawer!

  340. Anna Lea

    Right now, it’s all about the art supplies. My five year old is drawing a billion pictures a day… lots of them are really amazing and clever.

  344. Loretta S.

    Currently, my 5 year old is most inspired by his crayons, his 3 year old brother by space documentaries, and my 1 year old with her kitchen toys.

  345. Wendy K.

    My kids enjoy their trampoline more than anything. It provides great exercise, plus they get creative and make up many games to play or new tricks to show off!

  351. Crafty Mama

    I love Imagine Childhood! Right now my kids have been loving boxes and blankets — seriously! 🙂

  353. Tracy Gaito

    What a wonderful shop! I love the book section. Thank you for sharing them with us. My three year old is always swept away while playing with little playmobil people – she will turn anything into a playscape for adventures with them!

  354. Laura

    My 2.5 year old daughter is inspired by a hand-me-down doll pack-n-play. It is at various times a crib for the dolls, a hiding place for her (she can actually curl up in there which astounds me), a stroller (she stands it on one end and pushes it), a “car” when she sits in it, etc.

  358. Michelle

    I don’t have kids, but I do work as a nanny. Right now the boys are into Lego. They can spend HOURS building!

  367. Haley @ Carrots for Michaelmas

    Our 3-year-old recently inherited some of my husband’s Star Wars toys from when he was little. For the past month, my son has acted out every possible scenario with an “ATST walker”: lifting it with a crane, wrapping rope around it’s legs so it will fall over, walking it all over the house, etc (with his made up sound effects and dialogue, of course). I’m shocked that one toy keeps him entertained for so long!
    Haley @ Carrots for Michaelmas’s latest post: When We Were Away: A Photo Post

  368. Molly L

    Dress up clothing is always a big hit at our house. And currently any and all things dinosaur!

  372. Nancy Wang

    My daughter loves Playmobil figures and sets. She makes up elaborate scenes and can play for hours. Right now, they’re having Playmobil Olympics!

  376. Meg

    Dress up clothes and water color paints, preferably at the same time- with a 4 year old girl those are the current favorites.

  378. Annie

    For my son it is little figures and dinosaurs. There is always a epic battle coming from his room. My oldest daughter it always anything that she can create something with. My youngest is loving horses and her dollhouse.

  387. Christine

    my boys love anything they can build with and my girl is lost without her colored pencils.

  389. Nadia G.

    My 8yo is currently obsessed with making hemp jewelry and needle felting. The 5yo is all out building Roman scenes with Legos and wooden blocks.

  391. Jaime

    I “liked” both of them. The current favorite toy that certainly sparks imagination is the new climber in the backyard. Right now, I think it’s a pirate ship…

  395. Deb

    My kids are really into using blocks to recreate the various Olympic venues and whatever else they can find to be the athletes!

  399. Carrie S.

    Legos combined with the Olympics are inspiring plenty of creativity for my kids. They have gone from building actual Olympic events to creating their own venues and events. Love it!

  400. Carrie S.

    I ‘like’ both Imagination Childhood and Simple Homeschool on Facebook. Thanks for the opportunity to win!

  402. trynna

    Thanks for this opportunity! my family practically lives outside this time of year, a lot of dirt/water play, incorporating natural elements that take on new forms, etc… creative endeavors abound

  403. Susan

    Currently, my kiddos are playing with their sleeping bags. They are rafts and tents and beds and nests and a multitude of other things. Thanks!

  405. Jen Sweetman

    My 11 monther loves opening cabinets and sorting Tupperware , my 7 yo loves balsa wood airplanes

  412. Erin

    Lately, whatever we are currently studying in history really sparks their imaginations! They build it, draw it, pretend it, and act it out. I love that!

  413. Jenn

    OH PLEASE! I would love this win! Thank you for the opportunity… Our favorite “toy” is a few knitted “ribbons” (8 stitches a row and a good 6 feet long) that are used as spider webs, roads for small cars and other indoor and outdoor things!

  414. ErinB

    My oldest son, a 4 yr old. love his Legos. We live in Kansas City were they recently built a Legoland. He wanted to go desparately, so we set up a reward chart using an old calendar page. Every day he did something extra good or special he was awarded a sticker. After earning 30 stickers he earned a trip to Legoland. Not only did it teach him patience and about working towards something, he also learned to count to 30!

  415. Clara S.

    At the moment, my kids spend a lot of time outside, raiding the recycle bin for items to use in their dirt kitchen. My older 3 even prepared an entire birthday celebration for their just turned 3 year old sister and everything was made of mud and in some type of recycled container. I love their imaginations!

  416. ErinB

    I love this blog and have liked both IC and SH on Facebook. Good luck to everyone on the drawing!

  417. Jen

    Blankets and pillows and cushions. Amazing how long this can occupy them! Makes a mess of the living room but they are having fun!

  418. Valerie

    Paper dolls! Both kids – boy and girl – have been enjoying printing out paper dolls to color, and then acting out elaborate stories with them.

  419. Dahlia O'Neil

    We save cardboard – egg cartons, toilet paper tubes, cereal boxes, etc. – and let the kids make up their own toys and doll/fairy houses. I love seeing their creations!

  420. Tori

    My eldest, almost 6, has always been obsessed with playacting and dressup. She mostly loves my clothes and silkies and such. The 2 year old prefers things you can throw or build with. Either stackable/nesting blocks or dominoes or whatever. Blankets and pillows are a must for both kids and we build forts and jumping piles and bird nests galore.
    Tori’s latest post: Summer School and Flowers, too!

  421. Dahlia O'Neil

    I’ve “liked” both Facebook pages and am excited to have inspiration in my newsfeed 🙂

  425. Lisa

    My daughter’s inspiration these days seems to come from a bunch of odd shaped wooden blocks that my husband cut for her from scraps of wood. She uses them as mountains and corrals for her toy horses and then she sets then up as jumps so that she can be the horse and perform for us.
    Lisa’s latest post: Are You Protecting Your Children From the Sun?

  429. Jen

    My daughter loves to play with her stuffed bear and makes costumes with blankets and ribbons to dress him in.

  430. Rose

    In my hose, it’s all about Legos!! Both my 8 year old son, and my 4 year old daughter build with Legos all day long, every day!!

  432. Molly

    The favorite in our house is always Legos. Big ones, little ones, all forms of Legos are a hit from my two year old to my six year old twins. A favorite that I will never give away!

  434. Melissa L.

    Just saw a lot of things in their store my girls would love. Thank you for introducing me to it.

  438. Jeanette

    My “little ones” are 8 and 5, and they love play animals and making tents and forts out of blankets and sheets, etc.

  439. Anita K

    Sticks! any size, any material – real sticks (like from trees!), wooden dowels, wrapping paper tubes… you name it. They can be swords, lances, make forts, pretend fires, hold flags…… the list goes on and on!!!

  442. Andrea

    I LOVE Imagine Childhood! My kids pretty much only play with Legos…while they like to get the kits (which teach how to follow directions, but not much imagination), they immediately dismantle them and build new things of their own design.

  444. Molly

    My boys are just getting into Legos. I love to see what even the littlest one will create. The cushions of our new couch are a close second…. but I’m honestly trying to discourage that one 🙂

  446. Roxanne

    Tinkertoys seem to keep my girls busy for hours. Sometimes they’re just simple microphones for them to sing or interview one another with and sometimes they’re elaborate castles.

  448. Renee Boring

    Both of my girls love to play Mama with their baby dolls which usually involves lots of wrapping up in scarves and walking the babies in play strollers, but also some occasional stern “No, no”s. 🙂

  449. Katie T.

    Right now, the play things that spark my kids’ imaginations the most are a set of simple building blocks that entertain both my 1-yr old boy and 4-yr girl for hours and the couch cushions which are fun for building on a much bigger scale!

  452. Betsy wilhelm

    My 3 year old is into bringing books to life- worm races modeled after a Curious George book has been one of our latest adventures! It’s fun to see how she wants to “play” out the adventures we read about in books

  453. Catherine Scott

    My 10-year-old boy and 7-year-old girl have spent a lot of time this summer creating entire villages out of Legos. I love watching their incredible creativity and attention span!

  458. Rachel Waxman

    My classroom of two and three year olds is currently obsessed with anything we can use on the light table – building structures with translucent magnatiles and legos, exploring the texture of sand with light peeking through, creating designs and patterns with gems and tiles.

    p.s. I am a current follower of your facebook page, and just liked Imagine Childhood – what a wonderful resource!

  459. Alana S.

    This summer the kids’ play of choice has been fort building with blankets in the rec room! They have come up with lots of different configurations and they love to sleep in them!

  461. Michelle

    Right now, my three year old grandson loves his wooden train set! Its the kind that the track is made like puzzle pieces and goes together a million different ways!

  463. Anna

    Construction paper & scissors, every time 🙂 And maybe a toy phone comes in 2nd, last night my 4.5 yr old daughter was imaginary party planning with Jamie Oliver on the other line….she kept laughing 7 saying…. “but Jamie, I dont like zucchini!” So funny.

  468. Melyssa

    Right now anything sparks a full on scientific investigation….I love how nature piques her curiosity. 🙂

  469. Theresa sheffer

    Duct tape! It has created a whole world for my daughter. She makes wallets purses, doll clothes, houses, boats whatever you can think of she creates it then uses her creations in an imaginative wonderland!

  471. Arielle Hayes

    My 6 year old and 3 year old’s favorite toy at the moment is something I am proud to say I made them. They have heard about captain america through friends and wanted shields so I made them shields from poster weight silver paper and they are such a hit that it is one thing they will play together with for hours!

  472. rowena___.

    what a nice prize to give away! right now my child is into anything having to do with scientific inquiry–and she is fascinated by the periodic table of elements. LOL

    thank you for the opportunity to win!

    • Jennifer W

      We studied chemistry last year as part of our 3rd grade homeschool. My daughter was a flower girl and trying on a dress at David’s bridal where they had a sizing chart on the back of the changing room door. All of the sudden she says “Momma, why is the table of elements at the bridal store?” :0) Once she got a close up look she had a big giggle but I loved that it was the first thing that popped into her head when she saw all the squares!

  473. Christina

    that looks like a great resource, thanks! it’s fun to watch my toddler go through various phases in interests. it sounds a bit trite, but right now she is really playing with her stuffed animals for the first time, organizing them into families, putting them to sleep, lining them up, making them dance…

  476. Crystal Spry

    I have liked both you and imagine childhood on facebook and I would love to win this 🙂

  477. Karen Clark

    I have liked both sites on facebook. My daughter loves her sketch pad and crayons the most.

  479. Marya

    My girls like any kind of figurines- people, animals, whatever- and concoct all kinds of stories and situations for them to be in. It’s my most favorite thing to listen to. 🙂

  482. Tiffany Evans

    My kids currently love to play with…food! I give them rice, beans, noodles….whatever we have in the pantry and they “cook” up a storm. They even create a cooking show where we videotape them and watch it. Fun!

  488. ElizabethL

    My 5 year old and 2 year old spent the morning playing with pillowcases. They became bags, capes, sacks (for sack-races) but hiding in them became the favorite.

  495. EricaG

    My boys (ages 4 and 7) are currently loving their Play Mobile pirate ship, and they wear their capes (made by my sister) almost every day.

  497. Sarah

    I’m always amazed at how fresh crayons and an empty drawing pad spark such unbelievable creativity in my girls, even my smallest (age 2).

  498. Kristina Larson

    At three weeks old, my baby isn’t into toys yet, but he does like gazing at the face of whoever is holding him! My two-year-old niece can entertain herself for hours with a bucket and a water source.
    Kristina Larson’s latest post: Getting to Know You

  499. Melanie

    My girls love to play with small horses but mostly they like to be horses. They don’t need a toy to spark their imagination.

  504. TaiLeah

    My 4 yr old really likes his wrench and tool belt. My almost 2 year old, loves watercolors and drawing.

  509. Kelly Hollstrom

    For my son, it’s paper & pencil or paint and paintbrush that sparks his creativity the most.

  513. Kat

    My 3-month-old loves is handmade/painted gourd rattle. The splash of color and sounds of the seeds bumping around inside catch and captivate his attention and produce soft coos of delight.

  514. Tiffany

    Our 14-mo old LOVES animals – so he always enjoys playing with his Imaginarium wooden zoo activity tower.

  515. Tiffany

    I already LOVE (“Like”) Simple Homeschool on FB and jut now “Like”d Imagine Childhood… So happy to find out about this company!

  518. Christine

    My kids still love crayons or markers and a new page in a drawing book. That’s always been one of their favorite things, and so far it still is.

  519. Kimberly R.

    My daughter loves her dollhouse. She will sit for hours playing and pretending with it. She has names for all the family of the house and uses different voices for them too. It’s really cute to watch and listen to and join in with her! 🙂

  522. Rochelle G

    Dress up clothes and a backyard obstacle course are currently fueling my kids’ imaginations!

  523. Megan

    My 2 year old loves to pretend he’s different animals through the day. A cat, a donkey, a monkey. Dog is currently my least favorite because he wants to lick us on the face! Yuck! But we’ll let it slide for now knowing that’s he’s just starting to learn to use his wonderful imagination!

  525. Barb

    I’m not sure it really counts as a “toy”, but the playset we have in the backyard is the biggest spark to creativity for all 4 of my kids.

  526. Deidre C.

    My 3.5 year old loves building all sorts of things with her wood blocks! Thanks for the giveaway and introducing me to Imagine Childhood!

  529. Amy Adams

    My daughter loves her kitchen and her baby doll….she can play for hours with those two things!

  535. Lindsey Avink

    Probably because he just got it, but my son’s pretend drill is used for all sorts of things – currently fixing a baby’s tummy ache! 🙂

  536. Mary

    Binoculars! Already like simple homeschool and adding imagine childhood now! Thanks for the great giveaways!

  540. Rachel

    The oldest – books. The middle – little dolls (ie little people), the smallest – the play kitchen

  541. Corinne Ryan

    My oldest is playing with an I coaster he bought at a garage sale & my toddler loves tools (mini hammer).

  542. Esther

    My kids love blocks. We have a stash of Little People and Little People animals. They spend so much time building all sorts of things and then the Little People and animals are incorporated. It’s always so much fun to watch them create with their imagination!

  546. Kelly

    Searching thru the stuff left on the property when we moved to our new house is how my son spends his day. He finds all kinds of things to use his imagination with!
    Kelly’s latest post: Produce

  552. Kyrie

    My sons’ favourite activity is to make mud food in the garden. It’s an imaginary game they can play together without argument, for the most part. they love to serve me in their ‘restaurant’!

  555. Jasie Desta

    Any sort of doll or stuffed animal currently sparks my five-year-old’s imagination the most.

  556. Shannon Hoorn

    My children’s imaginations get sparked by Legos and PlayMobil. We love them both!

  558. Christine Seymour

    I love imagine childhood and simple school …. And the new toy of interest this week is making sidewalk paint and slime…..

  559. Kristina Penn

    The favorite game around here lately is family. Today their family went for a car ride complete with little box for the boy who was the puppy to ride in. They had all the little jewels and tidbits surrounding them and some books stood on end as the windshield. The babies were safe in their cradles and the mommies has packed lot’s of snacks for the kiddos!

  562. Kelli

    We have colorful rocks keeps us busy at the moment. Plus the babies and pram are always nearby.

  563. Andrea

    My kids have been playing with building blocks, a card kit and dress ups from our winter hat box

  565. Becky

    My boys are loving a plastic box filled with water and rocks in the backyard. They are hoping it will be a frog habitat, but that hasn’t really panned out. 🙂

  566. Kim E

    A pile of cardboard. It’s leftovers from a friends move that my husband brought home and my kids have spent lots of time coming up with creative ways to use it before it gets recycled. A doll house, a root beer machine, a thingamagigger (cat in the hat). It’s fun to watch their minds at work.

  567. erika

    The favorite “toy” of three of my four kids right now is a small pile of bricks in the backyard. They’ve spent days building with these bricks and various nature finds – prehistoric landscapes for their toy dinosaurs, houses for dolls. . .

  571. Jamie

    I would say the dirt pile in our back yard! It’s provided many hours of digging and construction zone work!

  575. Kristie

    My 3 year old loves her Legos! What an imagination she has… I see cars and houses and roads, oh my! I can’t wait to see how she will continue to build as she grows 🙂

  576. Kristie

    I’ve “liked” Imagine Childhood, and have been a Simple Homeschool follower for some time. What a wonderful find Imagine Childhood is for us! Thank you…

  577. Dana

    My son enjoys creating with legos while my daughter is currently creating art with a pile of cardboard and her bucket of markers!

  583. Laura

    my four year and two year old play in our backyard together, in the playhouse, picking and eating raspberries, digging in the dirt. i can’t pick ONE thing that most sparks imaginative play… they do it endlessly.

  587. Tammi Shaffer

    I already “liked” Simple Homeschool, and just “liked” Imagine Childhood! My son is currently obsessed with building things, and his latest fav. are Lincoln Logs.

  591. Hallie

    Right now, anything fairy related. They have a fairy house in their school room and they are always making fairy shelters and fairies made of sticks outside! I love to watch them at work! 🙂

  594. Sara

    Amazingly, my kids (7 and almost 5) play almost daily with the wooden blocks we bought for my son’s first birthday! It’s amazing what they come up with. Most recently, they built an Olympic gymnastic pavilion with enough “equipment” for boys and girls to perform at the same time. 🙂

  600. Jessica

    Currently, my kids are into setting up school for their dolls where THEY get to be the teachers!

  603. Anna

    My kids don’t have much interest for toys…but they love to get creative with anything outside.

  606. Amy O.

    My 23 month old has discovered Legos (her older brother’s) so we bought her some Duplos of her own. She loves just putting them together and taking them apart. A dream toy.

  608. Sara

    The most played with itmes in our home right now is our dress up box. There is not a day that goes by without getting it out and role playing, putting on shows, and plays, pretending , pretending, pretending!

  614. Penny

    My girls have been outside “cooking” up a storm with some bowls from the dollar bin at Target.

  615. Amber

    My 27 month old girl loves to (pretend to) make music with just about anything. Lots of things around the house wind up being used as drumsticks or, if she doesn’t have anything in her hands, her fingers are playing an imaginary piano while she sings “pee-nan-oh.”

  617. Rachel

    The toy that currently sparks my daughter’s imagination is a set of coloring pencils. They’re used for artwork, all the items one needs for a doctor exam [light for looking in ears and down throat, tongue depressor, needle, etc] and building components.

  625. Pamela R

    I love Imagine Childhood (and their customer service is OUTSTANDING!). Currently my littlest (3) is facinated with her tea set. My middle (7) is ALWAYS playing with his lego collection (most of it my husband’s as a boy) and my oldest is drawing in blank books and reading (10). We don’t have many toys either and I’m blown away reading the new book LIFE AT HOME IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. I’m surprised by the norm. Thanks Imagine Childhood!

  626. Stephanie

    Little Jack is obsessed with rubber sharks and lizards. My middle-schooler loves Kawaii characters (Japanese).

  629. Laura

    My son’s current favorite toy is the bow & arrow he made from fallen tree limbs & some kitchen twine.

    My daughter’s favorite toy is her life size newborn baby doll, which she takes with us everywhere (even a carseat in the car!).

    They both have awesome imaginations! 🙂

  631. Pamela

    The favorite toys right now are probably buckets and shovels for the lake (and backyard) and they have been playing with their dolls this week. (Putting them to bed in our mega blocks bin as we don’t have a doll’s bed.) I am considering purging a lot of toys as they tend to clutter and not get played with and we have a very small house so there isn’t anywhere to store them really. I would love to win, Imagine Childhood is a beautiful store and we could replace some of our plastic toys with some cloth or wooden ones. Thank you!
    Pamela’s latest post: Menu Plan hiatus + 5 easy summer meals

  633. Jeni

    My little boy loves his cars, and daily has races with them over the kitchen floor; my middle daughter loves her baby dolls ; my older daughter spends most of her time outdoors finding bugs and plants to investigate, so she loves jars and her butterfly net!

  634. laura S.

    dirt. i’m not kidding. all of my kids could dig in the dirt and in the grass for hours. they build “worm houses”, fashion gigantic people-sized birds’ nests, cart bucketfuls of dirt to the driveway, covering every inch of the concrete and then sweep it off again. it constantly blows my mind that *dirt* holds their attention longer than any toy money can buy!

  638. Bethany

    Two step stools from Ikea and a stack of sheets and blankets are currently sparking the imaginations of my 4 1/2-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. They’ve been spending hours building all sorts of things!

  640. Dharma Blue

    Nature, nature, anything messy or sandy. They are also very into watercolor painting right now!!

  643. Syl

    Currently the favorite toys are our square play silks and felt masks. And, anything that makes a mark on paper (paint, markers, pencils, crayons). And the delightful thing is that all the children from 7 to 2 will play with all of those!

  651. Jonathan

    Our kids love paper…paper to make crafts with, paper to make comic strips or stories on, paper to cut up and turn into tickets or money or puzzles. They are thrilled with a gift of a ream of paper.

  653. Kiersten

    I love this post! I am checking out their store and falling in love right now!

    My little 15-month-old gem has her imagination transfixed by a clipboard that I set up for her. It’s not a real toy, but I have a clipboard that I keep all of my home org on, and she is just starting to show signs of wanting to be like mama, so I set her up with a blank sheet of paper and she’ll draw on it, then bring it to me, and I’ll put check marks on it for her and write her name out, just so that she gets used to seeing it. So adorable! And she does this for about an hour every morning while I’m working on my daily planning and getting some of my contract work done <3 Love it!!

  655. Koki

    Oh I am on the same page as you about toys. I dont buy a lot but what I buy is usually open ended and creative kinda toys . I alreadylike u on fb and i have added imagine childhood now

  656. Emily V

    I’d say for one kiddo it’s dolls, for the other our play kitchen. I love those life-like stuffed animals–they look great.

  662. Martha

    My son likes to wear his superhero cape wherever he goes and it turns any time into an adventure.

  666. Melissa V.

    My boys can entertain themselves with swords for hours at a time. They prefer the carved wooden ones. Btw, I was quite shocked to learn that kids average 70 new toys per year! Not in our house!

  670. Tesa

    Legos have been the timeless toy in our home…from my 2yr old all the way up to my 11 yr old. Trains, buildings, Olympic sports representations, book reports…Legos have done it all.
    I have enjoyed browsing the Imagine Childhood website~ thanks for hosting the giveaway!

  671. Emma

    For my daughter it’s a little house for her toy bunnies – she can play games for hours. For my son it’s a table full of random recycling, craft supplies and away he creates! He makes the most amazing things!

  672. Nanette

    My son’s favorite thing right now is a winch he took off of a toy – discarded the toy but loves the winch. My daughter, however, loves her dolls. She feeds them, bathes them, covers them with blankets and shushes everyone. And they both love any and all art supplies.

  675. alex

    My son, age 7, loves anything that sparks his imagination. Costumes, stuffed , toy cars, or even a sandbox or just a dirt pile can occupy him for hours.

  676. Mary Beth

    For my little girls, it’s a toss-up between plain white paper with colored pencils/crayons and dress-up clothes. Lots of imagination in our house!!

  679. Christine Chaluisan

    My son is sooooo interested in balls, any shape or size. He asks for a new one at EVERY store we go to. Would love to win the $100 and maybe spark his interest in something else. I have never heard of this store but think I could be a regular customer. Thanks Christine

  680. lisa

    The toy that most encourages my children to use their imaginations is their capes. We made them from old sweat shirts and they get the most use of all their toys!

  681. Ellen

    My daughters are currently inspired by their simple wooden playhouse in the backyard… hours of play together, ‘cooking’ in the dirt!

  684. Cassie

    My 5 yr old daughter could sit with paper and colored pencils all day, and my 4 yr old son absolutely loves building new structures with Magnatiles.

  686. Michelle

    I think my son’s (who is 4) favorite toy right now is probably his play kitchen. It is probably the “toy” that has gotten the most play over the years. I love the toys at Imagine Childhood- thank you for the giveaway!

  688. Karen

    My kids like to play with their castle and fire canons back and forth. It keeps them occupied for a long time!

  689. Jennifer Huber

    My kids favorite thing right now is the big blanket chest in our family room. One minute it’s a boat, the next- a fort and then a place to play with cars.

  691. JenRay

    Currently the hula hoop is seeing lots of play – both kids get inside and play train with one as the engine and one as the coal car. Sometimes they are an airplane flying around. Sometimes it is the wheel of their pirate ship, and sometimes it is their row boat. it is fun to see what they come up with!

  692. Tracy

    Liked on FB. We spent the day at the beach today and the toy my son played with the most was…..SAND! He discovered sculpting on his own and created a whole fleet of ships. Awesome!

  694. Kelly T.

    Great giveaway!

    When I found out I was pregnant with baby #2, I bought a beautiful handmade doll for my 2-year old daughter in anticipation of having a baby in the house. Now that baby brother has arrived, my daughter LOVES caring for her “baby”– burping, feeding, rocking, changing, and dressing her!

  696. Lori

    Liked both on FB! My kids are loving their radio flyer red wagon…they take turns pulling each other in it and their stuffed animals.

  700. Jenny

    My daughters have been loving this one plant that grows in our yards. When it dries up they take the pods and break them oen to spill out the seeds. The seeds have been medicine, food and fairy dust. They also love using our stroller for everything! Don’t you just love childhood?

  709. Dara Huber

    A piece of paper and colored pencils sparks my daughter’s creativity. My son gets excited by a cape=:)

  710. Jenna

    a childrens show we have here in Australia called Playschool has sparked mine and my 4 year olds imagination, we have been making toilet roll dolls today after seeing it on the show:)

  716. meredith

    to be honest, i find that when my child’s imagination is really sparked, she isn’t playing with toys at all. a broom, a stick, a spoon from the kitchen–simple props from her world are all she needs to enter a rich world of imagination. that said, she does really love her duck from imagine childhood, and she has spent many an hour imagining its world.

  722. corinna szymoniak

    Since it is summer a couple of old pans are my childrens favorite at the moment. They cook up all kind of delicious things in them 😉

  724. Shortermama

    My soon to be 2 year old loves hitting a large bouncy ball with flyswatters. Not sure if it’s his version of hockey or what we’ll see at the Olympics in a few years 🙂

  727. M. Mingo

    My son’s favorite toy right now are LEGOS. I know they’re not your rocks and acorns although he has a nature box filled with those and he plays with them from time to time. But he could spend hours at his LEGO table creating new characters, vehicles and structures. I love how they spark his imagination!

  728. Maiesha M.

    Anything that we can create with is tons of fun. Legos, lincoln logs, blocks and homemade playdough. I’m trying hard to move away from the bells and gizmos of toys but they are in my house 🙁

  732. Amber Walters

    The hose! Both of my kids right now are loving playing with the hose for all sorts of things. LEGO waterslides, tsunamis that destroy rock villages, water art on the fence, you name it they are doing it with the hose! Now if I could just get them to reliably roll it back up and put it away.

  738. Dony

    My daughter loves playing with pinecones, feathers, leaves, smooth pebbles and other such ‘treasures’ she finds outdoors.

  740. Tara

    Right now paper airplanes are capturing our boys’ imaginations. They are being flown all over the place! Thank you for the opportunity-I love ImagineChildhood!

  742. Alex Bedard

    Right now she is playing with play silks a lot! They are transformed from capes to baby-covers and carriers, tents, castles and houses, ballerina skirts and of course – fairy and princess’ dresses 🙂

  744. Lorinda Davis

    Toys that spark imagination? For my eldest, there’s the circuitry set. He’s an inventor at heart, so he likedscoming up with all sorts of new configurations. My daughter just needs paper and colored pencils. She loves drawing animals with giant, sparkly eyes. And my youngest son has a plastic sword with which he can entertain himself for hours in the back yard, fighting monsters and having adventures. Sometimes the dogs even get in on the action and act as horses for him!
    Lorinda Davis’s latest post: A Morning in the Garden

  759. Sarah C

    My son loves his magnatiles. He’s constantly amazing me with the combinations he puts together, the things that he builds, and the stories he tells about them.

  765. Nicole

    My boys have an obsession with Legos! We love the open ended nature that they provide, and my 5 and 3 year olds are so proud of each creation they make. My 1 year old loves Duplos as well.

  766. natalie

    definitely drawing. my son loves to draw mazes (which are pretty good, i might add..) & my daughter is crazy about drawing mermaids & princesses. play dough time is a close second.

  767. Fran

    My youngest’s favorite toy right now is an old Ball canning jar. Some days she brings it to me with a moth or grasshopper inside, other days it is filled with her imaginary fairy friends. Either way, it’s lovely. 🙂
    Fran’s latest post: A Summer Module

  770. pricklyporcupine

    My boys love their backpacks- they go on “adventures”- hiking, camping, boat captains, etc. Every morning is a new place to go, with new things packed along in their backpacks.

  771. Jenny goodman

    I’d say playing in the barn with the new kittens is the favorite activity at the moment…..creatively it’s probably the art station I created for my 9 year as a birthday gift one year… It has drawers with paper, all sorts of writing and drawing items, Popsicle sticks, straws, pipe cleaners, beads and much more….

  772. Jessica

    Right now it is hats. Whenever they put a hat on, they become a different person! It is really fun!

  773. mimi

    my 6-year-old son is really into his notebook where he keeps track of anything from drawings at the park to questions he is going to ask a pet store owner. my 4-year-old love to play with her kitchen and imagine she is running a restaurant.

  775. Rhonda S.

    I liked both Simple Homeschool on FB (although it’s been in my reader for a couple of years I think)

    I also liked Imagine Childhood on FB.

  782. Abby

    My kids ( 4 boys ages 8, 4 and twin 2.5 yo) love legos and making their own books. My daughter is really into dress up, dolls and makeup (face painting). but we don’t watch TV and Thursday is movie day so they have a lot of time for creative pursuits. We live a creative life:)

  783. Kathy

    We’re getting a lot of imagination sparks these days from our garden and the many things that come to mind when climbing trees.

  784. Kate E.

    RIght now, bugs and blocks inspire the most creativity from my kids. (Although those are preferably not played with at the same time….)

  786. Jennifer Keime

    Paper and any drawing utensil…crayons, pen, markers…it doesn’t matter. She writes me stories and draws pictures constantly. I try to make sure she has a never ending supply of scratch paper!

  787. Jennifer Keime

    I’ve ‘liked’ both sites on facebook. I am so glad I found yours too! What an inspiration!

  788. Rene

    My daughter is so inspired by the books we read – I just LOVE it. She seems to have taken a long time to really enjoy a book read aloud (she enjoyed the time, and could tell me about the stories, but they rarely entered her creative play). Now she *begs* me to read to her, and then takes the characters into every aspect of the remainder of her day – her artwork, journaling and creative play all reflect the characters from the morning’s story time.

    My son, on the other hand, is very much into natural science and the world around him.

  789. Rene

    I fb like both Simple Homeschool and imagine childhood! I’m so looking forward to our next birthdays and christmas this year – what LOVELY toys! <3

  790. Debbie

    water table + dirt=pie (7 years), legos=flying machines of all sorts (5 years), empty file box=puppy basket…he’s the puppy=robot helmet…beautiful eyes peeking through the handle hole (2 years) is lately around here. loved reading through a few of these responses…some good reminders and ideas!!

  794. Julie

    6 year old son – legos and magnatiles
    3 year old son – legos and fuzzy blanket for forts, nests and cocoons

  795. Tanya Hulbert

    At this very moment my daughter is making a desk (pencil included) for her American Girl dolls. I’m so proud of the every day things we use that she turns into something for her dolls. Lots of tape, colored pencils and fabric!

  799. Theresa O'Bryant

    right now my kids are really into the geo track train system… they have taken over the living room with train track creations…. every day is a new design….
    i have liked both facebook pages.

  800. Stacey E

    My 8 yo – Legos
    my 5 yo – anything she can draw with
    my 2 yo – any toy animal, especially her FP animals

  810. WhyAmySmiles

    My youngest is really into “teaching” right now–not surprising with three older siblings being homeschooled right in front of her each day! If she finds any kind of flashcards, books, visual aids of any sort, or even playing cards, she’ll hold them up and start “teaching” the rest of us. SO, so fun to watch!
    WhyAmySmiles’s latest post: So that’s why

  814. LisaW

    My 6 yr old daughter loves animals, right now she is into littlest pet shop. They are really cute, inexpensive and she uses her imagination!

  815. Suzanne wofford

    I did it too! I like(d) both! And commented that my girls were currently and very imaginatively into their dollhouse and treehouse!

  817. Sara

    I’m so stoked about this contest! I like both of you, have for a long while now. This book is exactly what I’m looking for and I will buy it even if I don’t win. Thanks!