batteries not included

When I was pregnant with Eleanor I actually wrote a letter to my mother and mother-in-law outlining the things that we wanted for our "Little Chef." These things included (or excluded as the case may be) clothes that were NOT pink, organic soaps, shampoos and clothes, cloth and wooden rattles (not plastic), and nothing "Made in China." Of course it seems a little silly to me now, but what can I say. I was overly idealistic.

My little "wish list" has seemed especially indulgent and privileged since I arrived in Africa and bore witness to the children and their toys. These kids don't have organic stuffed animals and non-toxic earth friendly painted wooden blocks. But this does not mean they don't have toys.

Since there is no formal recycling, everything that can be is given new life; and childrens' toys are particularly well suited to this end. Last month children all over our village (we live in a village within the Arusha city limits) were running down the streets with pinwheels- made from plastic water bottles torn into 5 or 6 strips bent just so to catch the wind as they were held with one finger using the indent at the bottom of the bottle. I have seen every kind of automobile imaginable (from little race cars to big tankers) constructed from scrap wood, old plastic bottles and tin cans, nails and bottle caps. And these cars actually move- and move well.

By far one of the most ubiquitous is also one of the most simple, and after coveting the neighborhood kids' toy Eleanor finally has her own. Usually it's made using a large plastic top (which is easier to push, and turns more easily on its axle), but Godwin (the gardener) had to make due with what he had hiding behind the askari hut. Eleanor loves it.