Homeschool Zoo Annex: The old wooden toy box

Thursday, October 04, 2012

The old wooden toy box

Toy boxes. No, this isn't a lesson. It's just something I thought of. A memory from the back of my head from many many years ago when my now grown children were still very young.

Over the years, we've had several kinds of toy boxes. But the best one, I think, was actually a machinery crate, bound together with steel strapping, that we had for our two older boys.

Let me tell you, if anything could be broken, taken apart, buried, painted, or demolished, those boys could do it. But that old crate held together until they completely outgrew it. It looked like new lumber when we got it. Their Daddy picked it up from a construction site when he worked for a construction company. By the time they were done with it, it had crayon art, chalk art, and stickers all over it. The top edge was worn smooth from them leaning into it to unearth some favorite toy. It looked like an antique, even though it was only a few years old.

But, that crate served a good purpose. When it came time to clean their room, all they really had to do was pick up toys and toss them into that sturdy crate. Nothing they threw at it made a difference. Sturdy, not very pretty, and free. What a great toy box!