Glossary of Terms Used by Peanut Gallery

An explanation of many of the terms we have used when describing our childrens toys within the website. We hope you find them useful.

Rubberwood – a replenishable wood that is grown in plantations, offering an environmentally friendly alternative to wood felling in natural forests. Rubberwood trees were traditionally grown for latex, but have a limited lifespan in which latex is produced. Prior to wooden toys for children being made from rubberwood, when the trees no longer produced latex, they were burned and turned into charcoal. This contributed little economic value and no environmental value.

Hand-crafted – childrens toys that have been carefully constructed by people and not machinery.

Educational Toys – products that encourage the development of literacy, numeracy, and motor skills.

Traditional Toys – toys that have been entertaining children for generations. Parents and grandparents remember playing with the same type of product when they were children. Some examples include dolls houses, rocking horses and quoits.

Non-toxic – does not produce poison and is not poisonous, harmful or destructive.

Non-porous – water or moisture cannot be easily absorbed.

Sensory development – the use of touch, taste, sight, smell and sound to absorb information and attach meaning.

Cause and effect – a good example of this is when a baby shakes a wooden rattle and it makes a noise. When they stop, it stops making a noise. When the baby shakes it again, the rattle makes a noise again. The baby learns that they can “cause” the “effect” by shaking the rattle.

Motor skill development - falls into 2 categories. Gross Motor Skills, such as crawling, walking, running and jumping or Fine Motor Skills, such as grasping a toy between the thumb and forefinger or placing a wooden shape through the correct space in a shape sorter.
Online Toy Shop – a retailer that sells their products via a website, not in a regular "bricks and mortar" shop.

Baby Toys – products designed specifically for children aged from birth to 18 months.

Toddler Toys - products designed specifically for children aged from 18 months to 3 years. Some examples are blocks, wooden chopping sets and stacking boxes.

Preschooler Toys - products designed specifically for children aged from 3 years to 4 years.

Soft Toys – products made from material such as cotton, wool and velour. Soft toys make good friends for young children and are lovely to cuddle.