Are children given too many toys?

[klr]

My Lancaster was a foot long mass of black plastic covered in lumps of glue. I still hung it from the ceiling by a string, mind. One of my grandpas was a Lancaster bomb-aimer.

On Christmas Day 1978, I built 4 kits, and 3 more the following day - all very badly, as you might guess:

An RAF Phantom, a B-25 Mitchell, a Heinkel 111, a Mosquito, a Messerschmitt 410, a British Comet tank, and a German half-track.

How do I remember that?

Now, I do very well if I can complete a simple kit in a week.

[Clinton Huxley]

I think I had a Mosquito as well. Fond of a Mosquito.

[klr]

I think I had a Mosquito as well. Fond of a Mosquito.

So am I. I have 14.

Seriously: They cover a wide range of versions, markings, paint schemes etc. Getting back vaguely on topic: When I collect different versions or kits of a given aircraft, I do plan on building them at some point. A kid gets a lot of themed Lego, and they get bored with it after a while, and move on to the next corporate cash cow designed to ensnare them.

[Seth]

Unequivocal yes.

[Clinton Huxley]

When Nick got a bit older, wood-working tools, powered or otherwise, were the go...

These days, wine for David, money for Nick...

As Aussies, I presume they, when they were toddlers, they got Fosters.

[Warren Dew]

FWIW - and seeing my own nieces and nephews in particular - I would say " definitely yes". One of the reasons is very aggressive strategies by toy companies to produce, market and sell new lines of toys that kids don't really need, but make a lot of money.

That's part of the reason, but I think the main reason is that toys are so cheap these days. It's often worth the cost of an inexpensive toy to avoid a single tantrum. The problem is that they don't then get thrown out.

Incidentally, I don't think a month is long enough. I've pulled adult toys off the shelf after decades of disuse. My kids have done the same after a year, a comparable proportion of their life.

[JimC]

Warren Dew wrote:

I've pulled adult toys off the shelf after decades of disuse.

Bought at the Adult Toy shop down the road?

[rasetsu]

The first time through I read the thread title correctly. The second pass of the unread thread list it came out of my brain as, "Are children too many toys?"

[rainbow]

Unequivocal yes.

We in Africa can't afford toys.

[Warren Dew]

Warren Dew wrote:

I've pulled adult toys off the shelf after decades of disuse.

Bought at the Adult Toy shop down the road?

I meant wargames, actually, but I can see how that must have sounded. I might have some contraceptives left over from before we started trying to have kids, too, if that counts.

[fishie]

Yes, yes they are
Spoilt little shits.
When I was a kid we had a tin with rocks in it.
And we were bloody grateful!

[rainbow]

Yes, yes they are
Spoilt little shits.
When I was a kid we had a tin with rocks in it.
And we were bloody grateful!

You had rocks?

Luxury!

[FBM]

Unequivocal yes.

We in Africa can't afford toys.

Those poor children. Forced by poverty to interact with each other.

[fishie]

Yes, yes they are
Spoilt little shits.
When I was a kid we had a tin with rocks in it.
And we were bloody grateful!

You had rocks?

Luxury!

Ok, they weren't real rocks.
More like pebbles.
But softer.
Ok, bark, we had bark.
It was bark.

[rainbow]

How testing is done can have different effects in different cultural groups. This can happen for many reasons, including differential familiarity with the test materials themselves. Serpell (1979), for example, asked Zambian and English children to reproduce patterns in three media: wire models, clay models, or pencil and paper. The Zambian children excelled in the wire medium with which they were familiar, while the English children were best with pencil and paper. Both groups performed equally well with clay.

http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/iku.html

We sometimes used to get wire from the telegraph poles, which would upset the waZungu.