Some of our favourite things

Hand-knitted rattles from Bangladesh, art and craft smocks from Australia, pretty party dresses from Ecuador, ruffle skirts and denim shorts inspired by the 70s and 80s – these are a few of our favourite things.

The Gypsy Caravan

It's Casey here... thought I would share with you a few snapshots of the bedroom my two young daughters share – the colourful and eclectic Gypsy Caravan!

Yes there is a lot of Little Gypsies pieces in the girls room, along with an array of collected bits and pieces from vintage markets and travels abroad. I adore their room, it's warm, fun and playful, a sweet little sanctuary. This gives you a good idea of what can be done for an alternative children's bedroom.

The girls love their Little Gypsies tepee, we are lucky enough to have the space in the room to have it set up permanently, but on cool days we fold it up and move it to the backyard for tea parties.

Old-school toys for our kids

Sorry it's been a while since I logged on – juggling a five year old and a 12-month old is very consuming! I have also been doing some research into what kind of toys to feature on my website, Little Gypsies, especially those that have a strong educational component.

You see, I tend to steer away from computer-based toys and instead opt for classic, old-school alternatives for my kids. Aside from the fact that they tend to last longer, I have also found that they stimulate the kind of foundation skills that develop into more complex learning skills.

A friend of mine, Samantha Daley*, who just happens to be a Paediatric Occupational Therapist, believes that an overuse of technological-based toys like Game Boy and Nintendo, can delay a child’s developmental skills and even contribute to conditions such as ADD and ADHD.

“Old-school toys like yoyos and lacing toys help integrate our sensory systems, refine motor skills, and develop eye-hand coordination,” Samantha explains. “These are really important tools that help kids with self-maintenance skills such as tying up their own shoelaces and doing the zippers on their jackets and jeans,” she says.

“For example, Little Gypsies’ lacing games not only help kids develop fine motor and hand-eye coordination skills but also help improve their sequencing skills. These are really important in pre-literacy and pre-numeracy tasks such as seeing patterns in words when learning to spell, copying from blackboards, and understanding the multiplication table.”

In fact, none of the toys or educational games featured on Little Gypsies require batteries and they are all made to last so you can hand them down to younger brother, sisters and cousins. To see the full collection, check out the Play and Learn sections at www.littlegypsies.com


* For more information about Samantha Daley's work, visit www.spot4kids.com.au

Gifts that keep on giving on...

My other little baby, Little Gypsies, actively supports organisations that have a public mission to help communities and their local environment. We’re particularly interested in grass-roots neighbourhood projects that help create a better life for underprivileged people in areas such as Vietnam, Laos and Australia.

The Green Gecko Project, a Cambodian-based orphanage that aims to improve the lives of street children living in Siem Reap, is one of the charitable organisations we are proud to work with. In fact, every time you purchase something from the Little Gypsies Shop, 3% goes straight to this inspiring project.

Launched in 2005 by an Australian woman with a big heart and a determined spirit, The Green Gecko Project started with a simple mission to feed malnourished, abandoned kids has now evolved into a thriving community scheme.

“What started as a token gesture to get the kids off the streets for an hour or two turned out to be more successful than ever imagined,” says co-founder Tania Palmer, who moved from her home in Byron Bay to dedicate her life to this cause.

Some of the initiatives that have been launched from donations from businesses like Little Gypsies include a huge assembly area, two open-air classrooms, solar panels to power the buildings, and much-needed medical care for the kids. (Check out www.greengeckoproject.org for more information if you like.)

Through the ongoing support of Little Gypsies, we are able to continue our work with this valued children’s program.

Casey Arnaud

www.littlegypsies.com

Introducing Gypsy Peru Arnaud-Gower

Here is my gorgeous girl Gypsy
Born on October 11, 2008
along with my other darling,
her big sister Sequoia

Travel bug

I think she inherited her wanderlust from me...

My Little Gypsy