The 12 Nins® Wizards (with hats) become a material which can be used as a symbolic play, to create stories and small worlds. However, combined with other elements, they can be part of mathematical, language and sensorial games, among others. Moreover, this material is not structured, which allows for it to be used in a broad number of ways. They don’t have eyes, or a gender. This way, it’s the children who can develop their own stories and it’s them who decide which character they are going to play with (a pirate, a vampire, etc.)
It can be combined with the classic Nins® (Ref 15-109), the Nins® babies (Ref 18-180) & Adult Nins (Ref 18-181/18-181B) to give shape to a unity of family structures.
12 Nins® Wizards in the colours of the rainbow and a cloth bag. Combine with other Grapat sets for more learning possibilities. It will encourage children to develop a more adventurous and complex activity with it.
Country of production: Spain
Materials: wood, non-toxic water-based color stain, cloth bag
Recommended age: 10 months
Care instructions: If you clean Grapat wood products only use a damp cloth. Do not submerge in water and do not use disinfectant or hot water.
Certifications: Toy EN / 71-3: 2014 + A1: 2014 / 2013
GRAPAT unique handmade toys/crafts encourage, invite and stimulate open-ended and autonomous play. Grapat is made following traditional processes, in the old way, with thick soft raw materials, natural dyes which let the wood veins be seen and vibrant coloured waxes and oils that slightly shine.
The wood used comes from sustainable forests. Grapat uses beech and birch. Wood is robust, soft and hard, it is warm, it sounds good and it smells good.
The dyes are based on water and are non-toxic thus complying with the European safety regulations of the Toy EN / 71-3: 2014 + A1: 2014 / 2013. Working with dyes and not with acrylic paints allows Grapat to continue having contact with the wood. The dye does not chip from the wood when it falls to the ground or when time passes because it penetrates deep inside the piece. Sometimes it can happen that by an excess of pigments some piece loses some colour when coming in contact with the saliva, no problem, they are absolutely safe and non-toxic.
Grapat workshop is located in the countryside, and being close to nature can make some tones and colours have variations. Depending on the humidity or if there is wind, the dye can impregnate one way or another in the wood. The finishes are made with waxes and oils of vegetable origin. The oils can have a strong aroma at first, but it fades away with the course of time. We love it!
Since Grapat defends the value of nature, they accept imperfection. It is beautiful and makes the material even more valuable. The cloth bags that are included in some of the products come from big companies that discard material when they have a small defect. As Grapat produces the bags by hand they can take advantage of them by removing those defects and giving them a second life.
If you’re like us and researching preschools, you have probably heard that play is the best way for kids to learn. But why is play so critical to learning? And how do we build the right play environment at home?
As part of our quest to answer this and learn more about intentional play spaces, we are interviewing folks across the world who have thoughtful perspectives. Here, we share the insights from our exchange with Casiana Monczar of Joguines Grapat – a Spanish artisan and maker of the beloved open-ended wooden Nins, Rings, and more – discussing the critical role of freedom in play. Freedom enables kids to self-direct, become self-aware, and learn self-efficacy, even at the youngest of ages.
Free play is a child’s self-dialogue
What does free play teach? If you watch a child enter a play space, you will find her choosing from multiple play options. And, as Monczar points out, if you watch closely enough, you will observe that she is really entering a dialogue with herself.
While she is literally asking herself, “What do I want to do? What do I like? What do I prefer? Where do I start?” what she is really asking herself through these questions is, “Who am I? What are my limits? Who do I choose as a traveling companion? Do I feel part of the group? What does it mean to share and give?”
This may seem ordinary and commonplace, but that mindset – allowing *her* to choose what she wants to play with – gives her the opportunity to learn more about herself, connect with her needs and interests and ultimately drive her own development.
3 Steps to Building Your Free-Play Space
How do we as adults and parents facilitate this free play? Monczar suggests starting with three simple steps:
1. Place – Set aside a space that is theirs for play. This space will become one they recognize as their own turf – a space where they choose, they drive and they lead.
2. Materials – Pick a few materials they can choose from that are safe and that you are comfortable with.
3. Observe – Watch how your little one reacts to the freedom and materials you have granted. Is she interested? Can she manage them? With her leading and you observing, adapt the space (toy rotations, more or fewer materials) to her needs.
None of these three steps requires specific toys, lots of money or special training. What they do require is a mindset – to trust that our children can play freely in the space that we have safely constructed – and that this exploration, creativity and independence ultimately creates an environment where play is learning and learning is play.
Authors: Casiana Monczar & Jordi Soler, Hannah Chiou & Anne-Louise Nieto
