Our Favorites of 2008

In the spirit of the hurried holidays and all the fruitcake we’re currently eating, the reviewers of Props and Pans will be posting our favorite reviews of 2008 this week. We’ll be back next week with lots of opinions and giveaways, so as always stay tuned…

When I first discovered the Haba toy line I knew I was on to something. Not only are they lead free and non-toxic, but they are also educational, developmental and creative. Plus children are able to work through problem solving on their own.

I purchased this Marble Track for my son at Christmas and it is his favorite present. In fact, he asks to play with it everyday. My brother got the Ski Jump to add to the bottom of the track, and he loves to launch the marbles off onto the hardwood floor and chase them through the house.

My son is 4.5 years old and developmentally delayed with both fine motor skills and gross motor skills, and he has a visual processing disorder. This toy is perfect for him because he has to construct a three-dimensional track using his fine motor skills and visual perception (alright it’s my fine motor and visual perception…he just likes to zoom the marbles).

All of the Marble Track components are made from unfinished, solid wood and made in Germany. Haba’s large selection of toys are worth taking a glance at.

Written by Marcie, a full-time mom and wife, a part time writer, and a Chicago native. You can find Marcie at My Two Boys, A Child Chosen, Discussing Autism, and Chicago Moms Blog where she writes about adoption, special needs, and about living life in both worlds.