Art of Homeschooling Podcast

Discover the Joys of Making Toys by Hand: A Conversation with Jessica Bentson

• Jean Miller • Season 1 • Episode 231

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EP231: Jessica Bentson's journey into toymaking began with a heartfelt desire to provide her children with natural playthings she couldn't afford to buy. That spark of inspiration has grown into Toymaking Magic, her membership that helps parents create beautiful handmade toys regardless of their crafting experience. In this conversation, Jean and Jessica talk about the value of handmade toys and open-ended play. 

Jessica shares why simple projects like beanbags make the perfect starting point for beginners while offering tremendous play value for children from toddlerhood through the elementary years. "Making beanbags is so satisfying," she explains. "My kids loved them so much and played with them the most out of everything I've ever made." These open-ended toys inspire children to invent games, build structures, and incorporate them into imaginative play scenarios for years. 

For parents who feel intimidated by handwork, Jessica's step-by-step video tutorials show every detail of the process, making projects accessible even to complete beginners. Whether you're curious about needle felting, sewing, knitting, or woodwork, Toy Making Magic offers a treasure trove of Waldorf-inspired crafts that enhance both your homeschooling journey and your children's development. Discover the joys of making toys by hand and how this activity can transform your family's relationship with play and learning.

Find the Show Notes here  https://artofhomeschooling.com/episode231/

Learn more about Toymaking Magic here www.artofhomeschooling.com/toymakingmagic 

Send Jean a text message.

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Speaker 1:

You're listening to the Art of Homeschooling podcast, where we help parents cultivate creativity and connection at home. I'm your host, jean Miller, and here on this podcast you'll find stories and inspiration to bring you the confidence you need to make homeschooling work for your family. Let's begin. Hello and welcome to the Art of Homeschooling podcast, where we help you homeschool with confidence and joy. I'm your host, jean Miller, and today I have a special guest. I'm joined by Jessica Benson, the creator of Toy Making Magic, a beautiful membership that teaches parents how to make handmade toys, even if you don't think of yourself as crafty toys, even if you don't think of yourself as crafty. Jessica's story is wonderful because she didn't start out with any toy making experience herself, but she followed her curiosity and now helps families around the world bring more creativity, connection and magic into their homes through simple, beautiful handwork projects. So whether you're new to handwork or looking for ways to bring more handmade goodness into your homeschooling rhythm, this episode will warm your heart, spark your creativity and help you discover the joys of making toys.

Speaker 2:

Hello, jessica, and welcome to the show Hi Jean, Thank you so much. I'm so happy to be here.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, happy to have you and I can't wait for this conversation. So before we get started, I just want to introduce you, jessica, to my listeners. Jessica is a passionate toy maker and she loves teaching mamas and grandmas how to craft natural handmade toys. Her specialty is creating step-by-step video tutorials that show every single detail so you can confidently craft along while learning all the crafts Sewing, needle felting, wet felting, knitting, crochet, woodwork, doll making Everything from simple open-ended toys to dreamy felted mushroom houses and little gnomes. Oh my gosh, I love that. I had a friend who came to the Taproot teacher training for the first time and she told me that she pictured me that I lived in a little felted gnome house. That's how she pictured me. I just thought that was great. So, jessica, tell us what inspired you to start making handmade toys and then create Toy Making Magic.

Speaker 2:

Well, I was, as a young mother, really interested in Waldorf education and I was reading all the books and I was so excited about everything I was learning and the philosophies, and I was trying to do it all.

Speaker 2:

And what excited me the most was reading about natural toys and I really wanted to provide these to my kids, and it was a tough moment. I wasn't able to go out and buy all the toys that I was feeling inspired to buy and so I thought, well, I could make them, and also that is part of, you know, the Walder philosophy to do handwork and stuff. And so I got really excited about it and I looked for some books that were recommended and I went to the library. They didn't have them at the branch, so I had to ask for them to be ordered, and I remember so clearly that day I got notified and I went to the library and I picked them up and I couldn't wait to go home. I just sat down on the bench right outside and I started flipping through the pages and I had full body chills and I felt like my heart was just set on fire and I was like what's?

Speaker 2:

going on with me Like I'm looking at a book of toys, Like why am I so excited? And I couldn't really understand it. But that was really the big moment for me. I knew I had to do something with this feeling.

Speaker 1:

Yes, oh, I love that. You know I have a Waldorf homeschool starter kit and I tell this little story in the intro to that about how I stitched this little tiny robin like it was so small, this little robin for our nature table, and it sat on a little nest and I was so proud of myself when I finished it. I had just this sense of real connection and pride at the same time about crafting this little, teeny tiny bird and at that time my inspiration was this robin's nest that was in the pine tree right outside our dining room window and we were watching it every day.

Speaker 1:

You could go upstairs from the second floor of our house and look out the window down into the nest, like directly into the nest. So we watched her lay the eggs and then the eggs hatched and she brought the papa and the mama brought worms and worms and worms and the babies grew up and so I actually felt a stronger kinship with this robin family by stitching out of felt this tiny little bird and it's so fascinating to me because I think it just attuned me more to their behavior.

Speaker 1:

And I remember it was March and here in Ohio in March it can be really like there was rain and sleet and it can be very windy and chilly, and I admired how this mama would just sit on that nest no matter what, and I wanted to be more like her. And every time I looked at the little bird that I stitched on our nature table, I just felt this kinship with her, but also an inspiration to be a better person. It's fascinating.

Speaker 2:

Yes, that is fascinating. It's a really powerful connection, yeah.

Speaker 1:

And that was one of the first project that I made when my kids were little was something for our nature table. So here's my next question. Many parents feel intimidated by the idea of handwork. They feel like they're not crafty enough. I hear this all the time. I'm not artistic. I don't know how to do it. So what would you say to somebody who wants to try to start making toys but feels overwhelmed or intimidated, like I?

Speaker 2:

did Well. I think that if you're feeling that little tug on your heartstrings to start making toys, I think a great project to start with is beanbags.

Speaker 1:

I always say, that too, that's so great.

Speaker 2:

It feels like kind of a like. It's not like an exciting sounding project, but for me it has been the most fulfilling toy that I've ever made, out of all the toys I've made in five years. And I'll tell you why. It's because my kids love them so much and they play with them the most out of everything I've ever made, and so it's so satisfying.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And I've seen how, you know, open-ended toys in general are so beneficial for kids and I think beanbags are a perfect open-ended toy to start making and they can be used for stacking or, you know, putting things in color order. I like to recommend making lots, like 24. You don't have to make 24 to get started. You know you can get started with five or six, but I love to recommend making a lot because kids get more and more ideas the more that they have, you know they might be able to build with them, create a little wall I mean not like a tall wall, but like a division of things or create their own games. My kids have come up with lots of games beyond the typical beanbag toss.

Speaker 2:

And another reason I like to recommend it is you can choose to sew it by hand with felt. So it's a great intro to sewing with felt. If you've never done that, it's a great first sewing machine project if you're curious to explore sewing on the sewing machine. And if you're not really into felt or working with wool, you can hand sew it with cotton fabric. So it's just so approachable. It's just two squares of fabric. Sew it together, put beans in there and you've got a toy that your kids will love from ages like one to 12.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Oh, my gosh Perfect so that's such a fun coincidence because I say to parents all the time when you start first grade as a homeschooling mentor from an educational perspective this goes so well with what you're saying Because I say, if you're starting first grade and you don't have beanbags yet, it's time to make them. That should be your first project, and start with at least one for each person, including yourself, because of bringing movement to math in particular, but also learning verses, poetry, by heart. It's so much easier to learn something by heart when you add movement to it and it makes it more fun and engaging. And then, like you said, my kids did that too. Kids just will make up games with the Beamer.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it blows my mind. I'm not good at coming up with games and they have game after game, after game and I'm like what's going on? Where do these?

Speaker 1:

ideas come from. Okay, so Kim John Payne, the first book he wrote before he wrote Simplicity Parenting, is called Games Children Play.

Speaker 1:

And he has this fabulous introduction in that book about how children in all cultures around the world make up games and they use whatever they have on hand, so if it's not beanbags, it's sometimes it sticks in the dirt. They make up games all the time and have since the beginning of time. I love that idea. It's so powerful and for us to be able to keep that going right, because it's in there, given the opportunities, yes, for sure, and I think we learn so much about ourselves as we craft.

Speaker 1:

I was having a conversation yesterday with some friends about the concept of creativity and I think when people say they don't feel creative because somebody said, well, I don't feel like I have that ability to be creative, it's really something I think we're all born with, but it can be sort of educated out of us or we unlearn it. But this idea of creative practice or creative expression, it's not just about the finished product, it's about actually creating something with your hands and we all long for that.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think it is just human nature to make things and I think it's true that we might not all identify as artistic or having an inclination to create beauty or you know some masterpiece, but it's so normal for us to just make with our hands.

Speaker 1:

Yes, it's so normal and natural, useful, useful things and useful things and that is one of the things I love about the Waldorf approach in particular is that a lot of the idea behind handwork is to make something utilitarian. Yes, so that can be used in your day-to-day life, in your homeschool lessons in some fashion, homeschool lessons in some fashion. So Waldorf emphasizes the use of natural materials and handmade play things in a child's environment, in our home environment. So what do you see as the deeper value of this, of handmade toys in childhood?

Speaker 2:

Well, what I think about first is your children witnessing you being a maker I think that's becoming more, and Even if your kids don't end up like, let's say, you love handwork but your kids don't follow in your footsteps of loving handwork, just witnessing you having an idea, bringing it to life, working through mistakes, you know, not giving up is so powerful and has a really deep impact on what a child can believe about themselves, what they're capable of.

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

And I didn't really think that much about it at the beginning when I started Toy Making Magic. But five years in, that's what I think about the most and that's sort of like my number one motivator right now for spreading the love of toy making is inspiring the next generation of makers.

Speaker 1:

Yes, oh my gosh, I love that so much. Okay, I have a quote that I want to share, and it's going to be amazing the coincidence of how well it goes with what you just said. So when my kiddos were little, there was one book. There was one book called Toy Making with Children, right?

Speaker 2:

Oh yes.

Speaker 1:

And this book. I remember being really inspired by it because the toys in here are so simple and just that idea of really simple, handmade toys can actually be more powerful for children's play than something more elaborate Absolutely.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and so there are all kinds of things like little standing puppets or knotted dolls made just from one piece of fabric or something like that. But even with this wonderful book, I still wished for, longed for, being able to sit with someone and watch while they were making something, and then I would feel like I could go and make it. So that's why I love so much about that the fact that you've created this Toy Making Magic membership because being able to see step-by-step tutorials, I think it's just so exactly what parents need to be inspired and to feel like they can do it, to have enough confidence to really give it a try. So we're going to talk about more more about toy making magic in just a second, but I wanted to share a little quote from the forward of this book, Toy Making with Children, and this is from the author Freya Jafke, and it's so much exactly what you just mentioned.

Speaker 1:

So here we go. She says I have frequently experienced the following when a father or mother creates toys in the presence of children, quite new relationships to the toys, as well as to their producer, are found, and such an experience is another bit of life experience won by the growing human being. It is a great gift to facilitate the creative play of children and to arouse in exchange unconscious but deeply experienced gratitude. I know it's so lovely.

Speaker 1:

And so I do think it's wonderful for children to just have us be making something in their presence. It's such a powerful thing and it's actually a really great activity to do when you want your children to be playing independently, but you want to be nearby is to sit and be working on a handwork project. So how has the practice of toy making impacted your family? I know you were homeschooling for a while, and so if you want to mention anything from those years, from that journey, but I just am curious to know if you have any little stories to share about your own toy making.

Speaker 2:

I feel like I'll just share that my kids have not followed in my footsteps. We did so many crafts and knitting and they went along with it and were proud of their creations at the time, but now that they're a bit older they've lost interest in that. However, I see so clearly the confidence that they have about making things their own ideas, and my eldest in particular. I probably did the most handwork with him and he is like an idea guy, an inventor, and he just makes stuff all the time and I really believe that that early childhood, waldorf upbringing and making all those projects played a big role in that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and my kids are now in their 20s and 30s. I have three, and all three of them do so much with their hands. Two boys and a girl. They all three love to cook. They all three can get really curious about fixing something and completely feel comfortable learning how to do it. And doing it themselves just amazes me, you know. I don't know that I would have had that sense of oh, I can do this when I was a kid.

Speaker 1:

Oh, I was yeah, a teenager, even in my 20s. Yeah, yeah, and I'm fascinated by that. Like they, all three are very hands-on learners and they love to do things with their hands. Yeah, really, that's so interesting. So have there been any unexpected joys or lessons along your journey from beginner teacher in this craft to where you are now that you want to?

Speaker 2:

share, so I'll share. When I had the inspiration to start Toy Making Magic, it was just from this, like fire, like I need to learn how to make this, and I think other people want to learn too, and I want to learn and pass it on, learn and pass it on. And so I was constantly learning, like I had to learn so much just to make my first tutorial. I was like researching and practicing and it's sort of a weird, unusual thing. I think too Usually people want to be an expert before they start teaching. But I was like I can't wait, I need to share this now, I need to figure it out. And so I started out with such little knowledge. I'd never even held wool roving or felting needles in my hand. I don't think I'd ever even seen them.

Speaker 2:

I was a total beginner in the world of Waldorf crafts, and so it's been such a joy for me to learn all these crafts and to witness my growth as I got more confident in creating things. For example, I would ask for feedback from my early members and a few people said, oh, I would really like some more advanced projects. And I was like that's funny, because I can't provide that right now and someday and I would get these requests for, like, play food. I got that so many times and I it made me grumpy. I was like I'm so tired of being asked for play food, I don't know how to do that. And then I finally was like you know what? I'm just gonna try. I need to try. And so I did trial and error. Trial and error I made some ugly play food. And then I kept trying and I made some play food that I was really proud of and I was like whoa Wow.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that feeling of whoa, I did this. I know that is really a fun story there, because I remember reading once like an expert quote unquote is just somebody who's one tiny little step ahead, I think, in a way that brings you or at least in the early years, like brought you closer to where people were on their own journeys, right, like you could relate so much to it because that's where you were.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I think that that's been sort of my secret sauce all these years, because when I make a tutorial, I've just finished learning it and I know what questions people are going to have, I know where they're going to get stuck and I try to, you know, anticipate all that and answer everything.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's so helpful. I just want to interject here a little bit about because this is what I was thinking about before we hopped on or started recording is just this concept of open-ended play for children and how important that is, and I don't think I really understood. Even I went to grad school through a teacher education program and I still didn't understand this concept of the importance of play for younger children. I don't think until I found Waldorf and started really reading and observing my own children. So I wonder if you have anything that you want to say about the idea of open-ended play or that the toys are open-ended, right and can be used. Like when you were describing the beanbags, there's so many different things children can do with them.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I love encouraging people to make open-ended toys. I think those are like top priority toys to make and I love how they hold a child's interest for a decade oh my gosh, they don't think, oh, I'm tired of playing with this. They just find something new to do it or something useful. That's the best part is when you notice them using it as a tool. It's just so beautiful to witness that and you know I have tutorials for gnomes and mushroom houses and dragons and it's like so fun to make a beautiful creative expression. You know, a gift of love to make for your kids. But it's sort of a short window in their life that they're going to be really into playing with those. But cords, beanbags, heavy rice bags it's just like a big. It's basically like a really big beanbag but it's filled with rice Like finger knit cords or wet felted ropes. All these toys provide hours of creative play and I also love so much how they help, for example, my eldest.

Speaker 2:

I used to be frustrated for a while that he didn't do independent play. It was before he had a little brother, so I think that played a part too. But I was like I don't get it. Like why isn't he entertained and playing by himself. Why is he like needing me so much? And when I started making open-ended toys, I noticed like hey wait, he's really entertained. He's having all these ideas. And I was like this is so good.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and that concept in Waldorf, the development of the child and those early years that children learn through imitation. And I remember this huge aha moment when I read a description of the developing child and how the way you'll know that they are really taking in a story or taking in an experience is that it comes out in their play. And so for them to be even the dragon and the gnome house right for them to be able to use toys to act out a story they've heard or even a scene.

Speaker 1:

You know you are on your walk and there's some construction going on, and then the next day you see them being the you know, making the little construction activity going on, and I just think that's.

Speaker 1:

I remember when I saw it and my mind was blown when I saw my own kids doing that and I was fascinated that it's like they observed something and it goes in and then it comes back out in their play and it's such a beautiful thing. And I think when we give them simple play things that can be you know, the beanbag could be a construction worker or a house or a wall yeah, there's a building, there's so many different things and that they can replay scenes from our daily lives or from stories that they've heard. And I was reminded of this quote from educational psychologist Jean Piaget and this is something that I learned in my grad school program but who said that play is the work of childhood. Yeah, and I love that Waldorf Education makes space for that. So tell us more about Toy Making Magic. I would love to hear your description of what's inside the membership.

Speaker 2:

It is a treasure trove of step-by-step video tutorials for all the Waldorf-y crafts. So there's sewing with felt, needle felting, wet felting, woodwork, paper craft. It's everything that I wanted to provide my children and I felt like surely other moms are wanting to make these same projects. So every project is really carefully selected and all of my tutorials are made for beginners in mind, so anyone could just come in and choose any project.

Speaker 1:

Sometimes people say where should I start?

Speaker 2:

Or like I'm a beginner, what should I make first? And I've made every project with a beginner in mind and I've had people come in with no sewing experience ever and made my dragon pattern, which is one of my most complex patterns, but they're able to make it because I show literally every single little detail.

Speaker 1:

Oh my gosh, I love that. When we first connected, I was sharing with you that a couple of years ago, a member inside my Inspired at Home community, which is where I mentor homeschooling parents, posted a photo of a dragon made from your pattern in our Facebook group because she was so proud of herself for making this and it was fall season and she was talking about how she had wanted to make one of these for years and she finally found a tutorial that she was able to follow. So I love that.

Speaker 1:

I know, yeah. So I just want to share with all of you listeners that you can learn more about Jessica's work and explore her wonderful tutorials and membership at artofhomeschoolingcom slash ToyMakingMagic. That's my referral link and I want you to remember that if you're listening to this episode in real time, like as it airs, that Toy Making Magic membership is open June 16th through the 20th, so be sure to go have a look. So is there anything else that you want to share about getting started or specific projects that you're excited about, or anything?

Speaker 2:

Sure, the projects that I do think are great to start with inside Toy Making Magic are like bean bags, like I said, heavy rice bags. Also, this project called Nuggets it's these simple little felt shapes. If you visit my website you'll see it sort of all over the place. I have these little rainbow colored nuggets and those are fun open-ended toy that even children can help make. I've heard so many moms say that their kids like to help make those, and also the felt strawberries are a great first project.

Speaker 1:

And I know that my community is going to be really excited that you are coming out with a knitting course. Yes, I am asked all the time. I don't know how to knit. I want to teach this to my children. Where do I learn?

Speaker 2:

Yes, I'm really excited about my upcoming knitting course and it's three projects and it's created for people who have either never knit before or they used to know and they've forgotten. And it's, just like all my other tutorials super detailed and shows you every little tip that you need to become a confident beginner.

Speaker 1:

That's so great. Well, I'm really excited to make the little knitted ball for our six-month-old granddaughter. I can't wait because she's just now sitting up and reaching for things and that will be a really fun gift to make for her. Yeah, oh well, thank you. This has been such a great conversation. Is there anything else you want to add before we wrap up?

Speaker 2:

I don't think so. It's been an absolute joy. I've really enjoyed chatting with you today.

Speaker 1:

That's so great and I know so many people in my community in my world are going to be really excited to hear about Toy Making Magic and you were part of Inspired at Home for a while. So that's really good.

Speaker 2:

I was, I was. Yeah, your work helped me so much. That's great.

Speaker 1:

Well, listeners, I hope that you are feeling inspired after hearing Jessica's story. It's such a beautiful reminder that we don't have to be experts to begin something new right, and we just want to have a willingness a willingness to give it a try. How did you describe it? If it's tugging on your heartstrings, if you're getting a little pull toward, I want to craft something with my hands and handwork is such a powerful part of Waldorf-inspired homeschooling, the whole Waldorf approach, and I love how your toy-making magic makes it accessible, doable and joyful, especially for those who don't think of themselves as naturally crafty. So just a reminder to everybody you can learn more about Jessica's work and explore her wonderful tutorials at this link. It's my referral link, but it takes you directly to her website. It's artofhomeschoolingcom slash Toymakingmagic. And remember, if you're listening, that the Toy Making Magic membership is open for joining from June 16th through the 20th and you can join for three months. I think summer is a fabulous time for making toys. Yes, and your kids help.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and the kids can help. I remember doing some stitching by the pool and at the park when they would play and all of that. It's a good time.

Speaker 2:

Oh, I do want to mention that as a bonus, there is a library of handwork for kids, tutorials as well, oh, thank you for mentioning that, because I know that parents really enjoy doing that.

Speaker 1:

So name a couple of those projects.

Speaker 2:

Tell us a couple of those projects, well my favorite one is how to make handmade felt. So just with some wool, roving and soap and water, you can make a beautiful, unique, one-of-a-kind piece of felt and you can turn it into a bag or a little zipper pouch or a flute case.

Speaker 1:

Oh, what fun. Oh, that's great. Thank you, I'm glad you remembered to mention that. So all of you listeners go check out Toy Making Magic and Jessica, thank you so much. This has been really wonderful. Thank you, jean. Yeah, and until next time, remember everyone, you are the magic in your homeschool. Thanks for listening today. See you next time. That's all for today, my friend, but here's what I want you to remember Rather than perfection, let's focus on connection. Thanks so much for listening and I'll see you on the next episode of the Art of Homeschooling podcast.