The Melissa & Doug See & Spell is one of a line of toys designed to foster early learning in children. The See & Spell in particular focuses on early language skills, and is a fun way to teach early letter recognition and sight vocabulary.

The toy is quite simple, containing a set of 64 colorful wooden letters and a set of 8 pictures paired with easy to spell words. The letters are set into the boards, making spelling the words as simple as solving a puzzle.

This product is suited for children aged 4-7, though children aged 4-5 may find it the most fun. However, the small pieces are easy to lose, and could be a choking hazard for children under 3.

One of the great things about the Melissa & Doug See and Spell, like many of their toys, is how sturdy it is, and how it’s literally designed to take a beating.  The wooden spelling boards and letters are durable enough to withstand whatever a child can dish out, making the See & Spell a purchase that can survive the tough love of multiple-child households.

The greatest benefit to a product like this is that it can grow with your children.  Once they master the simple wood block words, they can move on to form other simple everyday words. This product would be a great compliment to any household or classroom. The only complaint is that the box does not come with a lid… so be prepared for a bit of a mess!

Classic wood abacus by Melissa and Doug

Wooden toys have always been a favorite of mine.  There is something about the solid, lasting, made-of-the-earth quality of wood that satisfies a need I have as a toy-searching parent.

NPR’s All Things Considered recently had a report about a lumber company in Maine that has been refitted to work as a manufacturing plant for a new line of wooden toys made completely here in the United States.

The company had seen a lot of its manufacturing of house wares moved overseas, and an idea was sparked by the lead paint scares that revolved around toys coming from certain places in China.

The story got me thinking about all the toys we buy and how doing a little bit of research could end up saving jobs for people in our own country, whether that may be the US, Britain, or India.

Stimulating local economies is good for the whole world.  Any time a company is able to keep the entire production process on one continent there are environmental savings, but the added bonus of saving jobs in a time when jobs are scarce at best is wonderful.

Focus on American-Made Toys

For example, how does one find some wooden toys made in the USA?

A quick, simple search led me to a page called Maine Made – America’s Best, which lists all kinds of products, not just toys, that are built in the state of Maine.  Other online sites will have an index listing the toys they sell that are made in America.  Another way to find great handcrafted toys, and this is true no matter where you live in the world,  is to visit a local craft co-op or craft fair & talk to the artisans about their work.

The craftsmanship that goes into these items is undeniable and these toys will last generations.  My own daughter has a favorite toy that is a wooden craft toy I got a long time ago, and it is as much fun for her as it was for me at her age.

With just a little bit of thought–before we buy–we can support our neighbors and our own economy during these times where economic stimuli seem to be needed wherever possible.

Melissa and Doug have hundreds of toys, but most of their toys can be put into easy-to-remember categories.  To help you navigate their vast toy empire, here is a breakdown of my favorite toy categories from Melissa and Doug:

Arts & crafts:  While a necessity for any household, arts and craft items can be annoyingly difficult and messy.  With the M&D items I have found the instructions on the craft items easily understandable and the options include stamps, beads, and painting.  My favorite:  an art easel that adjusts as my kid grows (plus, it keeps her from coloring on the dining room table).

Classic toys:  These are wooden toys such as blocks, or that hammer and peg workbench you had as a kid, as well as lacing items (great for quiet car rides).  The items withstand the poundings of a three year old easily and still manage to look good after a beating.

Puzzles:  I LOVE these puzzles.  Once we moved beyond their wooden puzzles I was equally impressed with the floor puzzles, both the designs offered as well as the quality.  The variety in the number of puzzle pieces is also a great thing since the increased challenge keeps the kids occupied.

Puppets:  The variety offered from hand puppets to marionettes to “full size” puppets is going to allow us to grow into some of the larger, more coordination-challenging styles.  The detail on these items is often quite stunning.

Play food:  This is perhaps my daughter’s favorite item.  She will spend a good hour preparing dinner for people with the cutting food, bringing us our sandwiches and apple slices.  The food uses hook and loop fasteners to stick together and is put together in such a way that she could figure it out even at 2 years old.

The motto of Melissa and Doug is to create educational toys that are heirloom quality.  In my book, I would have to say that they’ve wildly succeeded.

Scare up a puppet that you design!

To warm up the appetite, check out Melissa and Doug’s Make Your Own Monster Puppet set. You can design your own monster by adding parts such as scary teeth, antennae, mysteriously thick eyebrows, and bizarre hair-dos.

There’s no glue or mess; just swap out the parts you like to create an original monster puppet.  Melissa and Doug have done it again, creating fun toys that are safe and easy to use for a wide range of ages.

This is a great way to get the younger kids involved in Halloween.  Who knows, maybe if you bring your monster puppet with you during Trick-or-Treat, the puppet will get its own share of the candy loot.

For more great toys by this toy maker, check out our Melissa and Doug toy round up.

Their Chunky Puzzles are perfect for babies. They come with large, colorful pieces that fit neatly into the board and can also standalone for imagination play. The big, chunky pieces are perfect for small hands and developing motor skills. Aside from every variety of animal puzzle, Melissa & Doug also offers puzzles that are great for teaching children counting and the alphabet.

They’ve also got puzzles with themes of shapes, vehicles, instruments, and even states. A number of M&D puzzles even have talking boards, such as USA Map Sound Puzzle, which speaks the name of the state and its capital when the puzzle piece is lifted. Melissa & Doug puzzles are beautifully designed and excellently crafted, and are sure to become a favorite in any child’s toy box.

Check out, for instance, the Melissa and Doug Fireman puppet. Perfect for kids over three years old, this contemporary take on the ancient art of puppetry is made traditionally, with a wood rod inside for guiding hand movements.

Other fun puppets include: a chef, a surgeon, a construction worker, and the ever popular Melissa and Doug Cheerleader Puppet.

Melissa and Doug have been rewarded by the toy community for their impeccable values too. They have been honored as Vendor of the Year by retailers such as Toys R Us and FAO Schwarz. Their toys and games have also been named “Toys of the Year” by Child Magazine, FamilyFun Magazine and Parenting Magazine.

Now it’s time to point out our personal favorites!

Melissa and Doug Puzzles

Melissa and Doug’s Puzzles are the heart of their toy empire, and for good reason. These puzzles are their original toys, still made with high quality wooden pieces for the toddler puzzles, and extra thick cardboard for the more advanced puzzles. Wooden toys like puzzles for toddlers are a great choice for gifts because they are sure to be a hit with babies and parents. Remember that wood is a naturally bacteria-free material, so even if the puzzles just get chewed on, everyone is happy.

Melissa and Doug puzzles for older children are just as fabulous. Ranging from 50 to 500 piece jigsaw pieces, these are perfect as floor puzzles or on a table. Spilled the orange juice at snack time? No worries, all these puzzles are easily washable with a damp cloth to keep them looking bright and glossy.

Melissa and Doug Baby Toys

We are excited to see Melissa and Doug’s new collections of premium baby toys. Their toddler collection is a great spin on all the classic discovery toys, using hand-crafted fun designs. These baby toys are all made from select hardwood and finished with non-toxic dyes.

Rattles, walkers, clutching toys, teethers, and ring sets by Melissa and Doug are classy editions of these traditional baby favorites.

Melissa and Doug Arts and Crafts

This is where Melissa and Doug’s core message of safe fun for kids really takes off. Packaged into fun kits are dozens of great rainy-day activities. Coloring, etching and making fun scrap books have never been more easily organized.

We fell in love with Melissa and Doug Alphabet Stamp Set. Crafted with wood stamps with both lower and upper case letters, children can start their own printing press of stamps by selecting their favorite words and phrases. What a creative educational toy! Kids are enthusiastic to learn their alphabet so they can make original stamp art.

Our hint for less motivated children: set this kit out with the sparkle and glue kit too. Just wait, their stamps and messages will be the finest the neighborhood has ever seen.

But our all-time favorite is the Melissa and Doug Deluxe Easel and Art Set. This is one of the most convenient art kits on the market, coming complete with a roll of easel paper, 4 spill proof paint cups, 4 jumbo easy-grip paint brushes, 10 colors of poster paint, 10 giant chalk sticks, and a felt eraser that works on both chalk and dry-erase surfaces.

Our advice: lay down some newspaper or an art tarp first! This art easel with its multi-media bonanza will get any child’s creative juices flowing.

Melissa and Doug Dollhouses and Miniatures

For children aged 6 and up, a dollhouse by Melissa and Doug can be the perfect gift. Their dollhouses are like all of their toys: hand-crafted, made with quality materials, and guaranteed long lasting fun. We tested them ourselves, and came away mightily impressed.

The details are exquisite. For instance, the Melissa and Doug Dollhouse living room set includes two real upholstered chairs and a couch with tiny pillows. (their 1/12 scale pillow is almost too adorable for words!) A complete Victorian Dollhouse is available too, with hand crafted period furniture ready for play.

For boys, we recommend the Melissa and Doug Fold and Go Barn. This easy-to-carry model set comes with seven durable animals for an imaginative play of farm life. We love the simplicity of this set, which makes it appropriate for 3 years and up.

With 600 toys and growing, Melissa and Doug’s toy collection is much bigger than we could outline here. This guide hopefully has helped by illustrating the major toy groups that this up and coming toy maker has set its sights on.