About Us
Our Story
As two moms with children the same age, we always shared a mutual love of quality toys. We frequently scouted out beautiful toys and daydreamed together about the simplicity and magic that these toys can bring to childhood. As we both had tight spaces to work with, we started to wonder if there was a way for families to enjoy the toys they loved without the space they require. It wasn’t long before the idea for The Mother Tree was born.
The Heart Behind the Name
As the idea came to provide a service for beautiful, quality wooden toys we began to dream about what we could provide for families, and the kind of presence we wanted to be in our community. In my training as a forest and nature school practitioner and research around this passion, I came across the concept of the mother tree. Research by Dr. Suzanne Simard found that trees in old growth forests didn’t compete for resources as previously thought, but rather they worked together to provide health to the forest as a whole. The older established trees, called mother trees, actually acted as hubs for younger or ailing trees by sending resources through complex systems underground. We found this concept inspiring, and gathered strength from the example of these trees and their presence and importance in the forest. At The Mother Tree we aspire to encourage growth, inspire magic and revel in the freedom and wild beauty that is childhood. We value childhood and the importance of play (the ECE in me could go on about this forever!) We take joy in providing families the opportunity for simple, open ended toys that can change the way they view childhood play.
What Matters to Us
We are here to provide wonderful toys to families for all kinds of needs and reasons. These reasons could be endless! We also have a passion for growing our community through what we offer. You may notice in some of our social media that we post a lot of our children out in nature, without toys. We believe that children are naturally connected to nature and that she is enough. Childhood thrives out in the wild, where there are adventures to be had and memories to be made. We believe in the value of children immersed in nature and their imaginations. We hope to always be a spark that moves our kids towards the outdoors and encourages them to trust and rely on the well of knowledge within themselves, their families, and their environment. For those times when we are not nestled into nature, we are proud to provide a space for families to access quality toys that add both variety and simplicity to play. Our desire is not to add more ‘stuff’ into your lives. Our goal is to help our community be less dependent on filling our homes with things to entertain them, and shift towards valuing discovery, connection, learning, and relationships. We believe in childhood and we believe in play!
About our Toys
We strive to choose high quality toys that will withstand play, however the durability will vary. Naturally as children play and explore there will be some wear and tear on our toys. We believe in being sustainable, and value toys for the duration of their usable lifespan. This means you can expect wonderful toys that may come with some scratches, dents, chips, marker or crayon marks, bite marks (yep!) and wear. These toys still maintain their value in play. If a toy becomes unsafe, loses too many parts, or loses its play value, it will be replaced.