The Henna stamp toy collection!

 We pack light for our travels and I think these pictures show a good example of why… the joy and creativity of discovering local, unusual or natural objects for play is a learning and often cultural experience of it’s own. 

I am often asked the question on what to pack to entertain kids when international travelling, I leave the bulk of toys at home to free up space for my children to find new interests in the world and discover things they may not have had the chance to come across elsewhere. 

Generally it makes sense to start of light and pick up interesting inexpensive things along the way, my children have learnt the local games, they are simple, a few stones thrown and caught on the back of the hand, test skills of coordination, a chain of rubber bands becomes a thing to jump over and dance with and kids huddled around a game of cards on the concrete, to me is such raw fun. 

I have noticed in Asia and India the village children have very few personal toys but have a wealth of community games that needs little resources other then each other and what can be easily found around the town.

We do have some play objects that we take with us nice pencils, and some small pompom dolls, a favourite car, our books and sparkle stories kept on ipad, these are all back ups used most during the common case of rain.

It’s incredible how in just 4 months of being settled in one place, all the things that have accumulated, our toy basket graduated awhile ago to a larger metal box, but it’s ok, we have more adventures coming up in which we will feel lightened and for now I’m enjoying their in home creativity how wonderful is there henna stamp play.

These henna stamps have a little story… approached by Divine Henna to source some quality henna stamps for her beautiful business, I had my husband on his recent 1 day visit to Delhi, pick up some, but being Gandhi’s birthday most places where henna stamps are found, were closed and so he thought better then come home empty handed, bought a fair few from a small temple, but alas they in my opinion just don’t make the quality henna stamp grade, of which I now sell in my shop and we, especially the children are kind of pleased about that!