I was delighted to give this handcrafted Mee A Bee book bag to my son for Christmas, especially after featuring her Etsy shop a few months ago. I confess that I used it myself on our trip to the Ontario Science Centre over the holidays! I love the orange felt and the robot fabric is so cute. It’s obvious that Jacqui is a very detail-oriented person, and I was impressed with the quality of her work.

My son loves to “cook” so this handmade chef’s hat for kids is perfect. Plus he looks so adorable wearing it, though I’m a bit biased!

Sprig seems to be the “it” toy these days, and thanks to my brother and sister-in-law my boys now each have one of their own. They are battery-free (yay!!) and made in Canada from recycled and reclaimed plastic and wood (yes they really do smell good). My boys love the pump-action with its vroom noise to power up the light on the driver’s helmet. You can find Sprig online at Raspberry Kids in Canada.

I found this cable basket and pulley toy at Inquisitive Kid and it has been a hit with my boys. It is made in Germany by Kraul and takes about 10 minutes to put together. At this Canadian online shop, you’ll also find other cable car kits as well as lots of high quality toys that facilitate open-ended imaginative play.

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