ChildTrek Blog

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.

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“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

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“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

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“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

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“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

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

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“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

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“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

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“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

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View more Best of Western Washington customer reviews.

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

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!

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

Old is New Again
There’s great satisfaction in giving old things new life. A bit of sanding here, a fresh coat of paint or stain there, (a lot of patience), and voila! Great pieces!

In the last few days, ChildTrek’s new storefront in Tacoma’s historic Freighthouse Square got a fresh coat of low VOC paint. (Make that several coats of paint.) New cabinets were made and staged. True to our green mission, we found old wooden bookcases, display units, and an iron baker’s rack. They were in great shape and worked well together. They received face lifts and look terrific! Two counters that look like they came from the ’80s were joined and recrafted by a master carpenter to become ChildTrek’s new checkout counter. Not much of the ’80s is left (that’s a good thing), and it looks absolutely wonderful!

New Baby & Toddler Toys & More
New natural and wooden toys also arrived. Some like Under the Nile organic toys are already on the site. You should see be able to view the rest soon.

By the end of this week, the storefront should have internet and working phones.

There are still about a buzzilion other things to check off the ever growing list before ChildTrek quietly opens its doors on July 1 or 2. At that time, we will do a dry run and work out the kinks that will doubtless come. ChildTrek’s grand opening will be later in the month or early in August.

Below are some shots from the last week:

Come back and see the finished store next week!

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

This Week’s Progress
Watching your dream come alive is a bit surreal. First it’s in your head. Then it’s on paper. Then it starts to take shape right before your eyes. If it were not for all the logistics that keep me firmly on the ground, I would be on cloud nine. Let there be no mistake about it: Opening a toy store is a lot of work. But seeing the pieces come together is really its own energy.

Below are pictures from earlier this week. Much has already happened since. The walls are no longer blue (at least most of them, and not this blue). As soon as more pictures are available, I’ll post them here.

More about this process will be in How ChildTrek Was Born: The 3rd Trimester - the last installation of the series (read 1st Trimester, 2nd Trimester). I promise, it’s coming.

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

One ship sails East,
And another West,
By the self-same winds that blow,
Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales,
That tells the way we go.
~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

The above quote is one of my favorites.  It reminds me that life’s direction is largely determined by one’s choices. It also reminds me that like sailing a good-sized boat, it often takes several knowledgeable hands on deck working together to reach a desired destination.

ChildTrek is fortunate to have the assistance of its very talented Advisory Team made up of parents, educators, child-specialists, business owners, and accomplished professionals. Advisory members review toys and advise ChildTrek on how best to serve its customers. They will soon write blogs and parenting tips.

My heartfelt thanks to each and every advisor for graciously giving time, head and heart to ChildTrek. They are beautiful human beings. I wish you could meet them personally. They exude kindness, lightness, and are, frankly, scary smart.

Also, my unbounded love to my husband Bart, who is a superb sailor and partner in the sea of life. Thank you for helping ChildTrek set sail.

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

From Virtual to Reality
ChildTrek will soon open a “real” store in Tacoma, Washington’s historic Freighthouse Square. In the next few weeks, I will chronicle the store’s transformation. For now, here are some before pictures. First thing: Goodbye to all that blue. Hello green!

Grand Opening
ChildTrek opens its doors on July 1 and holds its grand opening sometime after. ChildTrek is located just to the right of the Sound Transit ticket terminals and under what I fondly call “the little engine that could.” Go to ChildTrek.com to view a selection of high-quality, unique, natural toys for babies and toddlers.

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

This is the 2nd part of the series, “How ChildTrek was born.” Click here to read the “1st Trimester - A Seed Takes Root.”

Abstract: In the series, How ChildTrek Was Born, the founder, Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, recollects significant and ordinary events that led her to start an online store specializing in natural and eco-friendly toys for babies and toddlers. In 2nd Trimester: Out of the Dark, you will read how Miebeth draws parallels about the environment’s fragility and rebirth to her own personal loss and the need to return to nature.

How Nature Heals
Bart and I were in our late thirties when we met and married, which meant my eggs were in their late thirties, too. I tried not to worry about it, but my public pronouncement of “If it happens, it happens” was privately changing to “Oh, God, please, let there be at least one good egg left.”

After a failed pregnancy and deeply broken hearts, Bart and I left for Central America to hide our sadness from caring family and friends. We understood that not everything in nature bears fruit, but this did little to ease our pain.

As we swam with wildly beautiful sea creatures in the serenity of the Belize Barrier Reef, I felt the warm waters lift and console me. Had I not worn a snorkeling mask, the sea would have reclaimed my tears as its own.

In Guatemala, Bart and I saw the resilience of Mother Nature. Abandoned cities lay beneath her nurturing blanket. As I sat atop excavated Mayan pyramids, I marveled at the environment’s ability to begin again. I imagined that my loving husband and I were part of this rebirth, and that in us were still the seeds of life.

Bart and I returned to the United States by way of the Dallas International Airport. It was an arresting scene with the unnaturalness of the hurried life all around us. Just a day before, we were among lightening bugs and their nighttime dance on a lush, moonlit and ancient Mayan plaza. Now we were engulfed in concrete, fluorescent light, and post-industrial reality.

No matter, our natural escape lingered in the lightness of our steps long after that jarring welcome home. We thanked the earth and her creatures for giving us a way out of our painful darkness.

Another Chance
After we returned from Central America, Bart and I let months pass before we tried to get pregnant again. We took our time to fully recover emotionally and physically. Then we decided to begin again.

One evening, Bart brought home a bottle of wine. We saw little of each other that month due to my heavy work travel. So the chance of being pregnant was remote. Nevertheless, I took a home pregnancy test just to be sure.

Two bright pink lines appeared quickly across the window of the test stick. It happened so fast, I was not sure what I saw. I stared at it for a bit, squinting my eyes as if seeing double. Then I burst out of the bathroom, “Bart, look!” Even though I guarded my excitement, I believed that just as nature reclaimed abandoned Mayan cities as fertile ground, in us a seed was growing.

Back to Nature
The following months sharpened my awareness about things I took for granted – from the food I ate to the thoughts that filled my mind. I saw my body as a repository of all my choices - good, bad, and the only-time-will-tell. I regarded me as an incubator – a safe and nurturing haven for the life that grew within. Everything else had to fall in line.

The stresses of my work no longer had the weight they once did. They seemed trivial compared to the making of a human being. I focused on my health. I read labels more closely. I looked for natural ingredients. If the list consisted of unpronounceable, hyper-syllabic terms, I put the item down.

Bart and I wanted to return to a time when food was just food, not pumped up to be pretty or grown so fast as to lose nutritional value. We began to be selective. We ate more and more organic produce. We wanted what we ate to nourish us, not weaken us. Yes, it cost more. But, we knew this was the better choice for us, our baby, and the world she would inherit.

What Toys Teach
As my waist line disappeared, my perspective began to change to that of being a mother. As a former teacher, I experienced how good parenting can make up for the unfairness of life. Also as a public policy director for a large educators’ association, I was aware of the latest findings around early learning, brain research, and childhood development. In sum: Early experiences (from birth to five) significantly influence a child’s lifelong success.

It was with this knowledge that I began to see piles of toys corralled in corners or stuffed in closets of various homes. They had always been there. But this time, I saw them in a different light.

Most were plastic toys with some initial appeal. However, upon a closer look few had positive learning value. Few taught kids to expand their vocabulary, to problem solve, to cooperate, to empathize with others, or to be physically active.

The electronic toys were particularly troublesome. Some were loud and over-stimulating, leaving little to the imagination or the nerves. Some engaged two opposing thumbs and not much else. Other toys – particularly those for boys – taught violence as a way of solving problems. The first to destroy the other wins. Still others – certain dolls – distorted a girl’s sense of beauty and self.

Possibly what struck me the most was how quickly the children became bored with the toys. Their lack of sustained interest suggested that these toys did little to stimulate their mind or engage their creativity. I began to see these moments as lost opportunities to challenge bright children eager to learn. I did not blame their parents. Most of these toys claimed to be “educational” or at least “fun.”

Of course, there were good toys among them. What astonished me was how simple and basic they were. Among the noteworthy were wooden blocks, construction toys, memory games, puzzles, and pretend play toys like puppets. Children played with these repeatedly and longer than others. What’s more, these learning toys brought parent and child together – building a relationship through play!

I began to take note of the kinds of natural educational toys we would get our child.

Xondra the Great
Bart and I chose not to know the gender of our child until delivery. At least, I didn’t want to know and Bart obliged me. It didn’t matter to me whether our child was a boy or a girl, only that our baby was healthy and happy. In preparation for the delivery, we came up with names for a boy and a girl. It was important to us that these were meaningful, reflecting how we would raise our child.

After swimming in the dark for over nine months, our child pushed out into the big, bright world rather hurriedly. As the nurses wrapped and gave our crying baby to me, I asked, “Well, what is it?” In the speed of the delivery, they had forgotten to look. So I unwrapped our newborn, lifted one leg, and announced, “It’s a girl!”

As I held her in my arms, all worldly boundaries dissipated. I looked into her eyes and gently said, “Hello Xondra Elizabeth. It’s so great to see you. We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.” At that very moment, it was just Bart, my daughter, and me.

Before we left the hospital, one of the nurses asked where our baby’s name came from. We told her that Xondra is a derivative of Alexandra, which means helper and defender of humankind. Elizabeth is the name of both of our mother’s. It means God’s promise.

When we considered how to spell her name, Bart said, “Well, you know, XOXO means hugs and kisses.” At that, it was settled: Xondra Elizabeth – God’s loving helper and defender of humankind.

What We Leave Behind
As the months passed, I came to see the world with Xondra growing in it. I saw her running on beaches, picking up starfish. I saw my family going back to Belize to swim with the green sea turtles and the gentle manatees who gave me back so much. I saw us trekking through the rainforests, watching out for colorful birds, looking for swinging monkeys and other wild creatures, and listening for the rustle of the green canopy above. I saw her hiking up the glaciers of Mount Rainier. And then it struck me. Which wild creatures? Which rainforests? What glaciers? Which ones would still be around?

I began to go recall the places I’ve been – to the threatened Belize Barrier Reef, to the crowded cities of Guatemala, Japan and Italy, to the parched islands of Greece, to the disappearing rainforests of the Philippines, to the cities across the United States where green hills and plains are now blanketed with concrete. Are we creating Mayan cities on a global scale?

As I sat through traffic in the parking lot that is I-5, I couldn’t help but notice the grey haze hanging above the horizon. I struggled to remember a song by Perry Como. How did it go? The bluest skies you’ll ever see are in Seattle. And the hills the greenest green, in Seattle. Like a beautiful child, growing up, free an’ wild? I raised the car window as if to keep the smog from reaching Xondra who slept soundly in the back seat.

What kind of world are we leaving behind for our children?

It was with this question that I returned to my work after three months of holding our baby every chance I could, praying that she grow up happy and healthy in a lush and vibrant world.

Coming in the near future: How ChildTrek Was Born: 3rd Trimester

Hello. I’m Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, the founder of ChildTrek – an online store specializing in natural and eco-friendly toys. How ChildTrek was born spans many years, beginning with my own childhood. I’ll tell you the full story another time. For now, let me share the parts that involve a trip to Central America, the birth of our daughter, and a prayer.

How an Island Disappears
The year before our daughter was born, my husband, Bart, and I went to Central America. In Belize, we stayed in Caye Caulker – a small tropical island getting smaller by the year.

The locals will tell you that the ocean is rising. They’ve seen it creep up the shore. The once expansive beachfronts are in some cases reduced to a few feet. The five-mile island is now two islands. In 1961, Hurricane Hattie filled the low lying area to the north and created what is now called “The Split.” What’s troubling though is that this watery passage is getting wider and deeper. The residents know it’s because of global warming. There’s no debate. They are witnessing their island slowly disappear.

What the Sea is Telling Us
While there, Bart and I snorkeled in the Belize Barrier Reef – one of the world’s largest coral eco-systems. Frankly, I did not know what to expect and I was a bit skittish sharing space with sharks and sting rays. But that day would rank as one of the most memorable and rejuvenating days of my life. The reef is lush with a spectacular sea garden unequaled by anyone’s imagination. The sea creatures are wildly beautiful, swimming freely in a serene and awe-inspiring seascape. Swimming there as if I were one with the fish gave me back lost years.

Yet, this unforgettable moment is tempered by what the guides said. This sea paradise is threatened by human activity nearby and thousands of miles away. Pollution is rampant and the water itself is changing. Parts of the reef are dying – some much faster than others.

The Belize government has taken measures to protect parts of the reef. But its jurisdiction and, therefore, its effectiveness go only so far. For now the green sea turtles and the manatees swim in the warm waters like they have since before humans. But their numbers are dwindling and their fate is tied to what’s happening around them. The oceans are rising and cooling as the icebergs melt.

The larger scientific community now largely agree: Sustained dramatic changes in weather patterns caused by global warming are altering ocean currents and eco-activity above and below sea level. Some of the known effects are depleted oxygen levels in areas of the Pacific where sea life has fled or died.

Did you know water could lose oxygen?

Go Slow or Else
On Caye Caulker, there’s a sign that’s at once command, plea, and reminder of the island’s way of life, “Go slow.” It’s quite ironic that many of us fly south for a chance to relax only to find that our fast-paced lifestyle is threatening the Edens of the world.

As much as possible, I took in the island’s stillness and wished the same in me. I stood quietly “at the still point of the turning world,” [1] praying for humanity to go really slow.

How Mother Nature Rebounds
From Belize, we traveled inland to Guatemala. It was a spontaneous, go-with-your-gut kind of trek into the country. Bart and I had not planned to venture there, but something drew us in. We traveled to Tikal and visited the ancient ruins of the Mayan civilization. We learned that this place now covered by a vast wilderness was once a wealthy and bustling metropolis of as many as 100,000 inhabitants. The city fell as it succumbed to overpopulation, warfare, and environmental degradation. The people soon left.

With the populace and its way of life gone, Mother Nature reclaimed the abandoned city by blanketing it with her nurturing seeds and soil carried by wind and rain. A lush and thriving eco-system grew over what was once a prosperous urban center. Its memory faded until nearly a thousand years passed when a group of archeologists realized that in the dense jungle were not hills, but the remains of a great Mayan city. They soon discovered that the once open plazas and sprawling pyramids were consumed by the rainforest, buried beneath dirt and trees. Only the tops of palaces and temples jutted above the canopy. A massive excavation of the past would follow.

The Irrefutable Truth
As I sat at the top of one of the pyramids, I marveled at the power of nature. What humans destroyed in short order, Mother Nature reclaimed at her own pace. But would we be so lucky this time around?

When Tikal fell and it could no longer nourish the people, the inhabitants simply moved to another place. Today, we demand more of our natural resources on a global scale. In our wake, we leave much less behind and return to the land unnatural manmade goods that clog the pores of the earth and poison our water for millennia, if not forever.

Even as I soaked in the massive beauty before me, this tranquility was interrupted by gnawing questions. Where would we all go if we use up our immediate environment? Do we ask more of our neighbor’s? Are we willing to go to war to secure what they have to meet our needs? And how will Mother Nature be able to reclaim the land as we demand more of her?

One thing rang true as I pondered the inconvertible truth: Humans must yield to nature’s way in order to survive. I was reminded by what the great Native American elders have said all along: We are part of the web of life. We are not conquerors of life. We will always lose when we try to overpower nature.

How the Earth Endures
American astronaut Mae Jamison once remarked that when she looked back at our planet, she came upon the realization that the Earth would endure no matter what we did to it. Give her time, thousands of years, and Mother Nature will repair or reclaim ruined landscapes. Jamison, however, deeply worried about humanity. Our average lifespan is measured in double-digits.

The Earth is over 4.5 billion years old. It will outlast us all. It’s been a ball of fire, alive with volcanic activity. It’s been covered with ice for ages. It’s survived powerful hurricanes, tsunamis, and meteoritic catastrophes; and, yet, it goes on. But life on Earth is more fragile. Even as Mother Nature adjusts to new conditions, much of the life we know may not. Raise the global temperature a few degrees and the climate change will wreck havoc in the narrow bandwidth we call our comfort zone. Plant and animal extinctions are happening at a rapid rate. We need the plants and the animals not only for their beauty, but also for the strength they bring to the eco-fabric that makes life on earth resilient.

As we left Guatemala and Belize, a deep excitement and anxiety began to set in: If we don’t start working with nature, we may not be around for the rebound. A seed took root that summer. Perhaps it’s been there for some time. But by the end of the trip, it stirred in me a need to be part of the work. I just didn’t know how yet.

[1] T.S. Eliot, “Four Quartets: Burnt Norton,” 1943.

Next Blog: How ChildTrek Was Born - 2nd Trimester: Out of the Dark