Our PlanToys Brand Representatives share how they incorporate nature into their everyday PLAY.

For Earth Day this year, we asked our community and partners to join us in celebrating Planet Earth by learning about food waste management and planting vegetable seeds in our special Planter Pots! If you couldn’t follow along with our #GetYourWonkyOn campaign, you can see a recap of April's Earth Day celebrations here.

To expand our Earth Day campaign even further, we invited our Brand Representatives to explore play with our new Orchard Collection and Planter Pots + to share feedback with us about the collection's ability to support their child's connection to nature. Our hope is that their answers to the questions below will inspire more PlanToys families across the world to live sustainably and intentionally!

We started by asking our Brand Representatives,

"How do you believe your new Orchard Collection item(s) are bringing your little one closer to nature?"

Here's what they had to say:

"One practical Montessori activity that my son does at home is water our plants. I notice that he loves to do it himself, so I want to teach him how to be gentle with plants while he also tries to perfect this specific motor skill (watering). The flowerpots from the Orchard Collection are a great tool to practice and develop respect and love for nature. It also brings us so many opportunities for language development!" April Matic, @aprilannee

"We are planning to add outside plants to our deck, and I think the small flowerpots will help our daughters grow closer to nature as they are able to help plant their own small flowers. Our family wants to continue finding ways to take care of our Earth together, even though Earth Day has passed; and caring for plants is a great way to do so." Tidy Dad, @tidydad

"We love to play outside, and I love that our Castle Blocks Set is durable enough to be brought outdoors with us! The blocks are easily wiped off with a wet towel if they inevitably get muddy while my rough and rowdy 2-year-old plays. Also, the colors of the blocks (wood grain, blue, red, yellow) are all colors we can find outside, so we like bringing a couple blocks on our walks in the morning to 1) keep my son entertained and 2) identify what colors we can see in nature. We point out the blue sky, our neighbor’s blue front door, red and yellow flowers, the tree stump at the park, and so much more! The possibilities of connecting PlanToys to nature are endless!" Abby Eller, @itsmeeabbyyy

"The colors of the new Orchard Collection are so calming and remind me of spring and new life. Our children have been enjoying learning about spring and everything that comes with the season. We were able to watch a butterfly grow and release it into the wild together recently, and we also planted flowers and watched a bird’s nest grow near our home. Nature is all around us." Emily Yang, @growingupyang

"My boys have become afraid of bees because they think that they’ll sting them (which is of course a possibility), but playing with their Beehives from the Orchard Collection has been such a great way to teach them about the importance of bees (and that they aren't so scary after all!). Now when they see bees, they question if they’re honeybees or bumblebees and wonder what flower they’ll land on. It’s the sweetest thing!" Thenedra, @raisingtherootsboys

"Our Orchard Collection Beehives brought us closer to nature by creating an opportunity to play after we learned and studied bees for World Bee Day. We have a few different kinds of bees around our home that we see often, and we discussed how important bees are for the Earth (even though they can be a bit scary when we see them!). I feel like our Orchard Collection Bees give my children the opportunity to explore a topic that they are interested in while also feeling safe to do so since they are typically scared of bees in the wild. They love playing with the bees and their hives!" Caitlin Wood, @tantrumsandrainbows

"Our Orchard Collection toys have encouraged us to extend our play from the playroom to the outdoors. Taking our Castle Blocks Set to the backyard has created a much more immersive playscape!" Hannah Hynson, @mamahynson

We also wanted to know how our representatives continue to celebrate Planet Earth year-round. We hope you'll find inspiration for sustainable living in their responses!

"Our family has been taking small steps toward sustainability for the past 2 years or so. We try our best to limit our consumption of products that will end up in landfills. We also try to make a conscious effort to instill the same values in our son so we make sure that the products he will use daily are coming from sustainable materials." April Matic, @aprilannee

"We do our best to be mindful of our planet every day! Buying sustainable toys and clothes and supporting small local businesses are big ways that we lead by example as parents. However, we are also teaching our 2-year-old about the planet! We want him to appreciate the beauty in our Earth every time he steps outside while also learning how to take care of it. When we are out on a walk and I find a safe piece of trash to pick up on the sidewalk, I always emphasize that it needs to go either into the garbage or recycling bin, and then I have him help me throw it out." Abby Eller, @itsmeeabbyyy

"We try to go outside often and collect nature items such as rocks. We have planted some flowers and herbs recently and we also like to use recycled items in play!" Emily Yang, @growingupyang

"Every day that we go outside, we celebrate Planet Earth. On our walks, we pick up trash and speak on the importance of not littering. We also are intentional about acknowledging the beauty that surrounds us, especially in these warmer months." Thenedra, @raisingtherootsboys

"Our family is continuing to celebrate Planet Earth by planting a garden. We had a small one last year, but this year we expanded and adjusted. We used our planters from PlanToys to plant flowers for bees and butterflies, and we are learning about how much work and dedication goes into keeping a small garden area! The kids are really enjoying it!" Caitlin Wood, @tantrumsandrainbows

"Our family continues to celebrate Earth beyond Earth Day by making conscious decisions when it comes to purchases. We try to buy secondhand when possible, and if we need to buy new, we focus on sustainable brands and materials. Our family has also committed to monthly trash clean up in our local hiking and recreational areas. We want our children to grow up knowing that these little things can make a big impact over time!" Hannah Hynson, @mamahynson