Maui Whole Child (MWC) Play and Learn will celebrate the half year anniversary on November 15th and  on November 18th from 4-9 p.m.

MWC will be open for business in conjunction with the “Makawao Town Party”. As a “Thank You” to the community if you bring a non-perishable donation you will receive 20% off your entire purchase that evening.  It would be a great way to get started on early Holiday shopping, support the transition of a longstanding small local business and give a helping hand to those in need in our community.

Former owners, Shay Chan Hodges and Madelyn D’Enbeau (and family) had owned and operated this local toy and book store for 27 years until Yvonne and Glen Fickbohm purchased the business in May of 2011.  Yvonne’s background in Waldorf education and homeschooling provides experience and expertise in choosing appropriate toys, books and art supplies. From the foundation that “play” is the child’s work in which they “learn”, Maui Whole Child Play and Learn will continue to offer toys that are free from needing to plug in, use batteries or are made of plastic parts.

One will find hardwood cherry teethers, aloha print receiving blankets and classic toys for all ages made fromf wood, wool, or silk. There is an assortment of cooperative and traditional games, Amercian made dress-ups and many beautiful naturally derived toys that foster the child’s imagination and open ended learning- all brought to Maui from the USA, European Nations well as Hawaiian made children’s items from local designers, artisans and authors. The item that seems to appeal to both visitors and locals are the kites that come from Molokai’s Big Wind Kite Factory.  Tropical colors and iconic images of gecko’s, honu’s and dolphins, mermaids and iwa birds are among the favorites.  The Big Wind Kite Factory is another longtime small business and they have celebrated 3 decades of producing kites that stand up to the Makawao makani.

New products offered are “earth art” kits from Artterro that are in the form of wool, felt, wire, wood and beads with a theme or project to ignite the imagination.  These kits are for ages 7+ but really even adults find them a joy because the materials are so fine to work with. Other essential art items available are colored modeling beeswax, liquid watercolor paints, block and stick beeswax crayons, triangular and hexagonal colored pencils and art journals. Kits for calligraphy, candlerolling, dreamcatchers and basketmaking are fun for the older child.

While many of these products might be familiar to the Waldorf community, any child that picks up a stick of modeling wax can tell that this substance becomes alive from the warmth of human hands and is derived from a friend from the natural world.  It’s hues are jeweled toned, the scent is like honey and the ease with which the fairy form appears and spark the child’s imagination is pure magic. Bonus if that these wax forms do not dry up and break apart when left out.  Small villages will appear and stories unfold with feathers, shells and other tidbits from nature to become the place of childhood treasures.

Find your way to Maui Whole Child and you will find treasure to nurture childhood one toy at a time.