The idea that local toys made out of wood can be fun, educational and tiny works of art is hardly ever entertained, but a quiet little operation called Play and Learn has been churning out incredible things for some time now.
After years of a fairly concealed existence as a moving force in early childhood development, Play and Learn is now a toy store; offering a wider range of products in a more spacious, noticeable spot opposite Austin’s bookstore on Church Street.
With a particular focus on playgroup and nursery school students, Play and Learn toy store stocks building blocks, pull toys, beads pull toys, picture puzzles, spelling sets, alphabet mobiles, phonics sets, geo boards, picture dominoes, abacus and logic blocks among a host of other things. There are also games with a greater degree of difficulty such as the tangrams; shutter puzzles and the tower of Hanoi in addition to Chinese checkers, ludo, snakes and ladders and kokers.
Sabine McIntosh, the brain and a share of the talent behind Play and Learn told The Scene in an interview on Wednesday that local woodworking has played a small yet important role in the early childhood development pointing out that a few schools, mostly public schools have been supporting Play and Learn since its initiation in 2000.
The Ministry of Education had awarded two contracts to Play and Learn which McIntosh said was good for morale and also for the business. She said the relationship that was formed with the ministry is important. In the coming weeks, she is planning an open day for teachers from public and private schools across the country to visit the store and get an idea of what is in stock and also for them to make suggestions or share any ideas they have.
She explained that all of the toys on sale offer children a learning experience whether it is with colours, numbers or shapes, adding that children from as young as one-year-old can begin playing with the pull toys. McIntosh said the toys are created in keeping with the school curriculum for young children but pointed out that while the focus is on young children many toys are in stock for older age groups.
Additionally, there are games in stock that poses a challenge to adults such as the Tower of Hanoi which is a mathematical game that consists of three pegs, and a number of disks of different sizes which can slide onto any rod.
The puzzle starts with the disks neatly stacked in order of size on one rod, the smallest at the top, thus making a conical shape and the objective of the puzzle is to move the entire stack to another rod, moving only one disk at a time and ensuring that no disk is placed on the top of a smaller one.
But even with the challenge the games are fun.
McIntosh said the toys though educational are fun and can bring much enjoyment to children. She said that wood is attractive and a great material to craft items out of but pointed out that it sometimes take days before several pieces are finished.
“We have to clean to the wood first, plane it, cut it, shape it sand it, and seal it before we have a finish product and this would take days before a batch is complete,” McIntosh explained. She added that acrylic paint is sometimes used to paint the wood in various colours.
Many of the toys were created with images from clipart which according to McIntosh was the original plan but is likely to change in time. She said they are hoping to find young Guyanese artists to create drawings that can be used for the puzzles among other items. They are also interested for good photography work.
Play and Learn has also teamed up with many young children who create regular artwork and are retailing their drawings at the store. McIntosh said children love art and she enjoys seeing them work and loves the passion they put into it. Some of the artwork is being sold on greeting cards at the toy store.
Currently McIntosh is working with a team of three persons to create toys for Play and Learn. She said the organization, which is registered, had a humble start as a bottom house operation working out of her home. Though it has now branched out the workshop remains at her home. According to her, the business is still very young and as they go along they are learning.
She noted that the teams have many ideas as to what toys to create but they are weighing them carefully before taking any onboard.
She said the decision to open a store was taken because Play and Learn has grown since 2000 and there was need for a larger home. Added to this, she said, many persons would find their way to her home when they are looking to buy gifts.
McIntosh who is German by birth revealed that her background was not in craft or anything closely related. She caught onto woodworking over time and got involved in earnest when Play and Learn was registered as an organization. Her background was in psychology and she also lectured at the University of Guyana.
Besides having a fun store of wonderful toys McIntosh managed to find the perfect Manager/employee for the Play and Learn toy store. One chat with Manager Lynda Gomes and it is difficult to leave the toy store without picking up anything.
Prices at the store range from $200 for a greeting card to $5,000 for a rocking horse. The majority of items are between $500 and $3,000. (ianaseales@yahoo.com)
