In the beginning, there was food and friendship, and the colonists were thankful -- a pretty simplistic explanation of the origins of Thanksgiving.  But what would they think if they saw Thanksgiving today?  At our house, the sight of the desserts alone might cause them to faint in disbelief.  With overflowing pantries and comfortable homes, gratitude does not always come naturally.  Teaching children gratitude can be especially important.

For this lesson, toys handmade by socially conscious companies and collectives offer an excellent teaching tool.  Their products are often durable toys with high artistic value that show great pride in workmanship.  Participating artisans and materials suppliers are often located in impoverished areas in places like India, Tibet, and Peru.  Although the stories behind the products vary somewhat from one to another, they illustrate the disparity between living conditions in different parts of the world.  They also show people’s gratitude for the opportunity to earn a living wage.

Shokay’s luxuriously soft, hand-knit toys are produced in conjunction with Tibetan yak herders from the Hei Ma He Village of Qinghai Province in Western China and a team of hand knitters on Chong Ming Island off Shanghai.  By working directly with these impoverished communities to source yak down and produce the products, Shokay is able to aid the people in earning a greater sustainable income.  Shokay also strives to preserve local Tibetan culture, reasoning that if they are able to increase the economic value of yak rearing, an important part of the local culture, villagers will be enabled to choose their traditional lifestyle over migrating to cities in search of jobs.

Similarly, Yellow Label Kids works with groups of artisans in different countries, mostly mothers themselves, who are paid living wages for the finely crafted toys they produce.  Women are often able to have their children with them while working, and are offered health and literacy programs in areas where many women cannot read and have never been treated by a doctor.  The Yellow Label Kids line is both socially conscious and creatively innovative, with hand-knit products including items from colorful cupcakes to flower-adorned tea sets.

The whimsically styled dolls, rattles, backpacks, and finger puppets of Blabla Kids are produced by skilled artisans in Peru.  The company was started after two long-time friends on a trip came across communities of expert knitters who had embraced the traditional skill for generations.  The inspired line is knit of Peruvian hand-picked cotton and stuffed with polyester fiberfill, creating soft and easy-to-care-for toys with a social conscience.  The company describes its relationship with the artisans as one based on mutual friendship, loyalty, and respect, and emphasizes its commitment to fair trade.

In addition to, or as an alternative to, using these special toys as teaching tools, encouraging children to donate some of their own toys to charity is an excellent way to teach children gratitude.  But be sure to check for recalls at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html before making donations.