Grimm’s Rainbow Review – Best Eco Wooden Toy?

I know there’s a lot of hype surrounding Grimm’s Rainbows, however in my attempt to only buy sustainable Christmas gifts for my children this year I decided to buy one. I’m very much a newbie to the Grimm’s – mostly because as much as their products are beautiful, they’re also quite expensive.

I generally only buy second-hand toys for my children anyway. Even Lego I usually manage to pick up for my son second-hand on Ebay, at a fraction of the original price. For me it’s not just about saving money however, it’s about the carbon footprint of new items.

With this Grimm’s rainbow I made an exception to my usual rule of only buying secondhand toys and clothes. Mostly because I was unable to find one second-hand. My friend assured me that they do usually hold their value though so as long as we take good care of it we should be able to sell it on when we’re finished.

If you need some zero waste school supplies, check out this post with 20 eco friendly ideas.

This post contains affiliate links which means I make a small profit if you buy through my link. I would never recommend something I didn’t believe in or wouldn’t buy myself, thank you for your support.

History behind Waldorf and Montessori

Waldorf

The Waldorf education principles were founded in the 1920’s by a philosopher Rudolf Steiner. Famous for the Waldorf doll, Waldorf toys are made from natural materials and in the 1920’s it was materials such as wool, silk, cotton and wood.

Steiner was a big believer of incorporating art and imaginative play into education. He was an artist as well as a philosopher and I think these principles of teaching are still just as beneficial for children these days.

“The need for imagination, a sense of truth and a feeling of responsibility – these are the three forces which are the very nerve of education.” Rudolf Steiner.

The Montessori Method

The Montessori method of education was founded by Italian Physicial Maria Montessori and this one along with the Waldorf philosophy are very popular with Home schooling parents worldwide.

The method is basically to “follow the child” it’s all to do with working independently and self discovery.

Without going into too much detail Montessori schools and preschools allow the children access to materials and they then allow the children freedom to explore and follow their natural impulses. It’s all done with the environment set up in such a way that the materials (mostly natural) are accessible to all children and the teachers just guide them on their discovery.

What I thought was interesting as well, is that the Montessori school of Shanghai has multi-age grouping so they are not grouped together based on their age (like they are in traditional education). They state that this grouping builds social, learning and character skills. It encourages the children to take care of younger children, learn from older children and ultimately trust each other.

Is Grimm’s Rainbow Worth It

Grimm’s Spiel und Holz Design is a family owned business with their products manufactured in the Swabian Alb, Germany.

Grimm’s stunning, handcrafted Waldorf inspired toys are not something you see every day. Made in Europe from sustainable wood and naturally stained with every colour of the rainbow, these toys look incredible and will delight your children. From dainty rattles to building blocks, dazzling puzzles and nursing necklaces, Grimm’s have something magical for all the family. Beautiful earth friendly toys that encourage learning and imaginative play.

Grimm’s are passionate about producing safe, sustainably sourced and high quality wooden toys – that encourage creativity and imaginative play for any age.

They aren’t strictly Montessori toys but they have a similar ethos as they are for inspiring the child’s imagination with an open-ended style toy.

So for Christmas I bought the standard 12 piece rainbow, standard semi circles and a pack of 6 balls. You can buy the large rainbow tunnel as they call it in rainbow, natural, monochrome and pastel.

They do have smaller rainbows available but they are so much smaller that I’ve heard they’re really more of a decoration than anything else.

I do think the Grimm’s rainbow is worth buying because despite it’s price it is very well made and with good quality wood. If you bought an unbranded rainbow, you can’t guarantee that it will be quality wood, sustainable materials and non toxic like the Grimm’s. It’s a very versatile stacker as well making it ideal for a wide range of ages and it encourages imaginative play.

What Can You Do With Rainbow Stackers

I have to admit I haven’t had a lot of opportunity to build things with the rainbow as the baby mostly throws things around and naps have been a little unpredictable due to teething. However, we’ve had a lot of fun with what we have done so far.

Stacking

Flower

Ball Run

Shelves

Where To Buy A Grimm’s Rainbow

In the UK the best place to buy a genuine Grimm’s rainbow is Babipur.

If you are from elsewhere in the world on the Grimm’s website they do have a store locator where you can contact the retailer in your country and find out where you can buy products in person.

For buying online in the US The Wooden Wagon seems to be a great option.

Etsy

If you want to save a bit of money you can buy the equivalent of Grimm’s rainbow on Etsy. (I’m secretly wishing I’d researched a bit more and bought an alternative).

It’s worth noting that the issue with buying an alternative to Grimm’s is that you don’t know if it will behave exactly in the same way as the Grimm’s. Some people have reported that the cheaply made alternatives do not stack together in the same way. Some have also been painted with potentially toxic paint rather than a stain and they can also chip.

I liked the look of the above Grimm’s ‘style’ rainbow. I would probably be asking some more questions before buying to ensure it will still be good quality. That-being-said it’s only about £5 cheaper than the Grimm’s version and it does look exactly the same.

I hope you’ve found some useful information in my review of the Grimm’s Rainbow. Check out my sister site Rainbow Family Craft for crafting ideas.

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