ChildTrek Blog

Contact: Annette Roth, Marketing Director

IR2 Media Group Inc.
Phone:  253-212-037
Email: aroth@ir2media.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Please join us for Green Play: A Toy Safety Fair
At ChildTrek, located in Tacoma’s historic Freighthouse Square
430 East 25th St., #3
Tacoma, WA 98421
December 6, 2008 from 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

On December 6, 2008 from 10 am – 6 pm, ChildTrek (www.childtrek.com) will be hosting Green Play: A Toy Safety Fair.  This informative safety fair is designed to provide parents and child-care providers information about various harmful elements and chemical in toys, and to help them become proactive consumers.

A number of activities are scheduled for the fair, including: 

–Test Your Toys:  Hosted by Essco Safety Check, our customers can bring their children’s toys to our store to test them for harmful elements and chemicals, with state of the art equipment.  You can use this FREE service to find out what, if any, toxic metals or chemicals are present in your kids’ toys, including lead, cadmium, or mercury.

–Green Initiatives:  Learn about current and prospective policies and initiatives designed to protect you and your family against toxic pollution.  Highly informative.

–School-Readiness Advice:  Talk with preschool and elementary teachers to get practical school-readiness advice for your child.

–Test for Lead:  Designed specifically for pregnant and breastfeeding women, we are offering a service that allows you to test for lead levels in your own body.

All of these activities are FREE to the public.  There will also be great toy giveaways and specials, available especially for this informative event. More at http://www.childtrek.com/toy-safety-fair-2008.html.

What is ChildTrek?

ChildTrek is South Sound’s newest eco-friendly toy store, located at Tacoma’s historic Freighthouse Square. In its very first year in business, ChildTrek was recently voted by King 5 Evening Magazine as a Top 5 Winner in the Children’s Gift category.   ChildTrek features unique, fun, green toys and books for children, babies and toddlers.  All toys sold at ChildTrek are child-safe and non-toxic, finished with beeswax, water- or vegetable-based dyes, or non-toxic paints.

For more information, please contact us, customercare@childtrek.com.  You can also visit the user-friendly and highly-informative website at www.childtrek.com.

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Green Play: A Toy Safety Fair sponsored by ChildTrek - Dec. 6, 2008, 10 am - 6 pm

• Are your children’s toys safe from harmful elements and chemicals?
• If you’re breastfeeding, do you know how much lead you may be passing on to your baby?
• What are the current laws around toy safety?
• What makes a toy educational?

Come to Green Play: A Toy Safety Fair to get answers!

Toy Safety Fair at ChildTrek’s Storefront

ChildTrek’s First Toy Safety Fair
ChildTrek invites you to join us at Green Play: A Toy Safety Fair. It will be on Dec. 6, 10 am - 6 pm at the ChlidTrek storefront located in Tacoma’s historic Freighthouse Square, off Exit 133, 2 blocks north of the Tacoma Dome.

Full address: 430 E. 25th St, #3, Tacoma, WA 98421. ChildTrek is right across the food court.

Meet toy safety experts, family advocates, and educators. 

• Free toy testing to detect harmful elements and chemical levels
• Learn about laws and initiatives designed to protect you and your family against toxic pollution
• Test for lead levels in your body (for breastfeeding and pregnant women)
• Get school readiness advice for your child from preschool and elementary teachers
• Take advantage of great toy specials at the storefront and especially for the fair!

Please join us for fun and facts!

Learn more…

ChildTrek specializes in safe, unique, natural toys.

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

ChildTrek Natural Toys - Voted Top 5 Winner
King 5’s Evening Magazine 2008 Best of Western Washington
Customers voted ChildTrek Natural Toys as Top 5 Winner of King 5’s Evening Magazine 2008 Best of Western Washington - Children’s Gifts category. Because of your votes, ChildTrek placed #2. Many thanks to all of our customers for honoring us with your business and vote. The ChildTrek team will continue to do our very best to win your loyalty and praise.

Check out our Top 5 Winner Best of Western Washington Special!

What Customers Are Saying
Below is a sample of the reviews customers posted at the official website for the King 5 Evening Magazine 2008 Best of Western Washington.

….

“I can not say enough positive things about this store! I love it so much and I refer it like crazy to all of my family, friends, and parents. The toys are my sons favorite and it feels good to be buying toys that are safe for him and the environment. Customer Service is outstanding also!” ~Kelly48

….

“One of my favorite places to shop in Tacoma. I love the store itself, but I keep coming back because the owner is so wonderfully helpful, and finds the greatest toys and books. Their online presence is great as well. I feel very lucky to have their retail shop nearby!” ~tanaf

….

“This is the only store that I’m aware of that has ONLY safe/natural toys. The owner was so helpful and generous with her information that I took home her little fliers and when folks come over to see my new baby, I make them take her flier home with them!!” ~courtneyloved

….

“It is so great to see this store in Tacoma. We can walk in and feel good about anything that we buy. The helpful suggestions have resulted in some new favorites for our 8 month old. We can’t wait until he is old enough to play with everything in the store. In the meantime, we will continue to visit to get age appropriate toys, and to “test” our favorites. We have also dropped lots of hints to all of those in the market for gifts–no more toxic toys!” ~greysma

….

“The best all around - prices, customer service - AMAZING SHOP!!! I LOVE THEM!” ~WynneF

….

“This is a wonderful earth friendly toy store for children! Great customer service. A store all parents must go to with their little ones to have a great experience and to encourage the healthy development of their children. HIghly recommended as the best toystore in Tacoma!” ~Melissa54

….

“This is the best toy store we have ever seen. As new grandparents, I’m sure we will be back many times. The owner and staff are knowlegable and creative and led us through the maze of available toys to make the best selection.” ~roncharley

….

“If you are looking for a green and one of a kind gift this is the store for you! I’ve been back several times for my son and for gifts. The shop owner is very helpful and she carries a wonderful selection of books. Currently my 1 year old’s favorite book is from ChildTrek!” ~yeldsy13

….

View more Best of Western Washington customer reviews.

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

Shape Sorters - Important Early Learning Toy
Shape sorters are important educational toys. They help strengthen your child’s fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, develop problem-solving skills, encourage color recognition, and begin to help your toddler understand cause and effect. It’s one of the best early learning toys around.

Plan Toys Shape & Sort It Out: Classic, Effective
If you are around children, you know that shape sorters can be very challenging for toddlers. Some are too gimmicky and complicated.

Plan Toys hits it on the spot with its Shape & Sort It Out. In order to encourage success, Plan Toys stuck with three basic shapes and familiar colors (red, blue, green, yellow). In doing so, it promotes success and confidence through recognition and repetition. It is classically designed and comes with all you need to help your child develop important foundational skills. No frills, no gimmicks. Just a sturdy wooden box, a lid, six wooden shapes (2 of each: square, circle, triangle), and your child sorting things out. It worked when you were a kid, it will work just as well with your little one.

A few features that are worth noting: There are rounded cut-out handles on the sides to help with storage and portability. Unlike its soft counterparts, the wooden cut-out shapes have no give. So there’s no cheating by squeezing or stuffing in the pieces. If your child gets too frustrated, he can lift the lid and put the pieces in that way. This is completely normal and gives the sense of progress. Of course, your toddler will try sorting again and with each satisfying clunk will eventually figure things out.

Plan Toys Shape & Sort It Out is well built. It will withstand years of play and will be ready for the next child’s attempts.

Simply good.

Review by Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

Here’s the basic issue: Kids like drums. Parents grow not to.  At first, it sounds like such a neat thing to give. Kids and drums. They just go together. But, most are just loud, loud, loud - eventually wearing parental nerves. So what to do? Deny your child the need to merrily pound! Wear earplugs! Seriously though, there are better alternatives, or at least drums that are much easier on the ear than others.

Take, for example, the Plan Toys Wooden Drum. The wooden drum is masterfully cut along the top to produce various notes. The rubberhead drumstick against the wood produces softened and pleasing tones much like dampened bell sounds. It is made of recycled, chemical-free rubberwood and colored with non-toxic water-based dyes. This simple wood toy is one of my personal favorites.

When I show the Plan Toys Drum to parents at the store, most cringe and say something like, “Oh, no. Not a drum!” Then I play along the base. Eyebrows rise and skepticism falls away. The overwhelming majority say something along the line of wow-that-really-does-sound-very-good. Most turn around and buy it. I’ve seen parents play with the drum as if they’ve slipped back to their own childhood.

I know it’s just a toy. But some toys send you back to childhood. This drum is like that. It gives you (err…your child) permission to just be a kid. Yeah, go ahead and pound, pound, pound!

Check out selection of other great wooden toys by Plan Toys.

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

ChildTrek carries a large selection of the multi-award winning Plan Toys at competitive prices. They are green, smart, and safe.

As a former teacher, I am impressed by the educational themes and thoughtfulness with which Plan Toys are designed to promote open-ended play, creative role playing, as well as stimulate intellectual and emotional development. These are truly amazing natural toys.

In upcoming blogs, I will review individual Plan Toys like the Solid Wooden Drum, Xylophone, Activity Clock, Shape & Sort it Out, Geometric Sorting Board, and others to explore benefits of specific toys. For now, let me begin by sharing adapted statements made by Plan Toys.

Plan Toys are Green
All Plan Toys are made with clean, natural rubberwood recycled from rubber trees that would otherwise be cut and burned. This process emits carbon emissions, creating carbon gasses that contribute to global warming. Plan Toys breaks this cycle by making high-quality toys with this beautiful hardwood. If that were not enough, Plan Toys takes the time to stabilize the wood using a chemical-free kiln-drying process instead of chemical preservatives.

Plan Toys is also one of the few toy companies that have gained environmental certifications. Here are examples:

1) Environmental Management (ISO 14001), which reflects the Plan Toys’ company’s commitment to environmental awareness and activities.

2) OHSAS 18001, which certifies Plan Toys as a company that provides a safe and healthy working environment.

3) Social Accountability Management (SA 8000), which recognizes the Plan Toys company’s policy to provide full and equal opportunity to all of its workers.

Plan Toys are Safe
Plan Toys assembles toys using a proprietary non-formaldehyde glue instead of traditional toxic wood glue. The glue emits no formaldehyde fumes and is rated E-Zero.

Plan Toys uses water-based dyes to color its toys. The colors are environmentally-friendly and non-toxic to children.

Plan Toys produces all of its toys in its own factory, which ensures complete control of materials and workmanship.

Plan Toys also has achieved the following safety certifications:

1) Quality Management (ISO 9001) for world-class product quality and service standards.

2) Toy Safety Standards (ASTM & EN71, — otherwise known as North American & European Safety Standards, respectively) for EXCEEDING international toy safety standards.

Plan Toys are Smart
Plan Toys makes toys with strong educational themes. From building blocks, to shape sorters, to games, puzzles and pounding toys, Plan Toys offers age-appropriate challenges for intellectual and physical development. Plan Toys offers open-ended play, creating a setting for hours of role-playing, creative play and emotional development. Plan Toys promotes the importance of play in a child’s development by combining design, age-appropriate challenges, and open-ended play to empower children, encourage social interaction, and reward discovery.

Check out our selection of Plan Toys.

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Annette Roth, Marketing Director
IR2 Media Group Inc.
Phone: 253-212-0379
Email: aroth@ir2media.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATURAL TOYS FOR A GREEN GENERATION
Introducing ChildTrek, Tacoma’s Newest Natural Toys Store
Grand Opening Celebration from August 17 to September 14, 2008

Are you looking for unique, natural and educational toys that are safe for your child? Then come visit ChildTrek, a new toy store located in Tacoma, Washington’s historic Freighthouse Square.

Good for Kids & Planet
Miebeth Bustillo-Booth created ChildTrek to marry her love for children, education, and the environment. As a former teacher, Bustillo-Booth understands the importance of toys that promote positive childhood development. As a parent, she understands that parents want toys that are safe, fun and educational as well as good for the environment and affordable. “I believe parents and grandparents are looking for quality, unique, open-ended toys that stimulate their children’s intelligence. When they come into ChildTrek or visit ChildTrek.com, they will find toys that provide this and more,” says Bustillo-Booth.

ChildTrek believes that the best toys are good for both kids and the planet, and actively promotes the idea of living in harmony with the environment. To support this belief, ChildTrek offers green toys. They are made with natural, biodegradable, recyclable or recycled materials under sustainable practices. Most are wooden toys. Very little new plastic is used. All toys are child-safe and non-toxic. They are finished with beeswax, water- or vegetable-based dyes, or non-toxic paints. Because the toys are made under stringent quality and safety specifications, few will end up in landfills anytime soon. They will become beloved toys that are passed down to siblings, friends’ children, and perhaps grandchildren.

Childhood Discovered Naturally
ChildTrek will soon offer fun, engaging, beautifully-illustrated children’s books. They are carefully selected to instill a love for reading — the foundation for a love of learning and lifelong success. The ChildTrek storefront is family and kid-friendly, where children can openly play with toys on display. “I love to see children play at the store. It also helps parents choose toys that are just right for their kids,” says Bustillo-Booth.

Come help celebrate ChildTrek’s Grand Opening celebration from Aug. 27 - Sept. 14, 2008. There will be door prizes, specials and daily promotions. For more information, please contact Annette Roth at 253-212-0379 or via email, aroth@ir2media.com. You can also visit the user-friendly and highly-informative website at http://www.childtrek.com.

ChildTrek Storefront Address
ChildTrek is located just two blocks north of the Tacoma Dome. Take Exit 133, right at the off ramp. Freighthouse Square is the green building just 2 blocks ahead. See you soon!

ChildTrek Toys, Books & Gifts
430 East 25th St., Suite #3
Freighthouse Square
Tacoma, WA 98421

800-406-8735 (Customer service available M-F (10 am - 5 pm PST)

Store Hours
Monday - Saturday: 10 am - 7 pm
Sunday: 12 noon - 5 pm

Come see us soon!

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

Really Cool Cars
ChildTrek is proud to carry heirloom-quality construction vehicles by Automoblox. Designed by world-class industrial designer Patrick Callelo, Automoblox cars fuse the durability and character of classic wooden cars with the sophistication of modern design. Check out the 2008 X9X Sports Utility. It is the perfext mix of style and utility. Take a look at value packed Automoblox Minis. They are scaled-down versions of the C9 Sports Car, S9 Sedan and T9. Both the full-sized and mini vehicles are designed with interchangeable parts for customized, three-dimensional play.

Create Custom Vehicles
The Automoblox line of interchangeable car parts truly inspires building and playing out of the box. The removable connectors, interchangeable roofs, and changeable wheels, tires and body blocks among the different Automoblox cars allow for plenty of exciting custom designs. The patented removable connectors offer a level of complexity to the play experience. Each car comes with a 17 digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) just like real cars. It identifies the year and model of your car.

Green and Safe Vehicles
Each body block is made of sustainable beech wood and finished with clear, non-toxic lacquer for durability. The colorful and aggressive tires are made of rubber. The dynamically styled roof and stylish wheels are made of polycarbonate to make them virtually indestructible. Automoblox cars are designed and engineered in the United States. They are assembled in China under stringent quality and safety controls. They meet or exceed both North American (ASTM) and European (EN-71) safety standards.

Check out our growing selection today at ChildTrek.com.

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

Natural & Wood Teethers
The best teething toys are made of natural materials like wood. Wood is naturally anti-bacterial. (That’s why there are wooden cutting boards.) So it is self-cleaning. Wood is hard and will help ease teeth in. But not all wood toys are ideal. The best wooden teething toys are either unfinished or lightly finished with beeswax, water-based stains, or other non-toxic paints. It’s best to gain the manufacturer statements to this effect. At ChildTrek, only toys that have met or exceeded safety standards are available.

Great Teething Toys
Consider the Infant Grabbing Toy Mah or Giraffe by Kathe Kruse. They are made out of non-porous beech wood, lightly finished with beeswax, and made using non-toxic dyes. There are no harmful chemicals to leach out while your baby gnaws on the hard wood. The wooden ring is extra large for easy handling by small hands. The lamb and the giraffe can be removed for machine or hand wash. And they are completely adorable!

The Grabbing Star Red or Blue also by Kathe Kruse has a wooden teething ring and interesting textures for early learning stimulation. A special feature is a velcro loop at one of the star ends so that it can be fastened as a stroller toy. This achieves a couple of things: the teether is always nearby and it doubles as a grabbing toy. Smart!

The Girali Rattle by Selecta, aside from being a practical teething toy, is uniquely beautiful. It is made of native woods from Germany and finished with beeswax and non-toxic paints - completely safe for your baby.

Also, it’s hard to beat the Cherry Rattle by Camden Rose. It is lightly finished with beeswax. Its contoured design makes for interesting tactile stimulation. Its gentle rattle is soothing. As a teether - it is naturally hard to facilitate teething. Watch as your baby gnaws on this beautiful toy for hours.

Cold and Soothing
One of my personal favorites for the summer are the organic teethers by miYim and Under the Nile. Take the Bunny, Elephant, or Bear teether. Dampen, not soak it. Put it in the freezer. Then let your baby gnaw on this cool toy to help soothe tender gums. Do the same for the Fruits or the Vegetables by Under the Nile. Besides gently soothing for your baby, you are teaching your baby to “eat” his or her fruits and veggies!

Vary Teethers
It’s best to keep a few different teethers around that have varying textures and hardness. Some teeth come in easier than others. The molars, for example, are especially hard on infants.

Check out ChildTrek’s selection of ideal teething toys.

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

On July 1, ChildTrek quietly opened its first storefront in the City of Destiny - Tacoma, Washington - at historic Freighthouse Square. We were pleased to see many come in and check out the unique, natural and educational toys.

There are still some design refinements to attend to and more wooden toys to come!

Also, I want to personally thank all of ChildTrek’s online customers for your patience as we shifted shipping from Missouri to Washington. I truly appreciate honoring us with your business during this transition period. I am glad to say that shipping and customer phone service are now back to normal.

Below are pictures of the store after hours.

If you are in the area, please come by and visit us soon!