Camden Rose is a collective of designers, artists, teachers, musicians, craftspeople and parents who design and sell awesome products for children. From non-toxic rattles to wooden musical instruments to old-fashioned games and blocks, Camden Rose has almost everything you need to outfit a super playroom, including some 100% amazing play kitchen sets.

Camden Rose kitchen play sets cost more than other play kitchens, but it’s because these are high-quality, creatively designed, non-toxic toys that will last for generations. Plus, this company has many green and ethical practices in place.

Currently, Camden Rose sells three different play kitchen products:

Camden’s Play Kitchen – Flat Pack Kitchen: This wonderful eco-friendly play kitchen is crafted from solid ash wood, collected from the thousands of trees infected with the Emerald Ash Borer. Instead of burning or chipping this wood into mulch, Camden Rose saved it and created toys that will last generations.

This kitchen is made in the USA without any plywood, press board, or soft pine. It includes creative accessories such as functional knobs and doors, a swivel faucet and removable high-gage stainless steel sink. Parents will adore the flat-packed shipping to save on space and packaging, along with easy 5-minute snap together assembly.

• $249.99 Camden’s Play Kitchen – Flat Pack Kitchen

A Simple Hearth Play Kitchen with Hutch: This non-toxic play kitchen is recommended for children ages 3 and up and is made entirely of real cherry and walnut wood in the USA.  Designed for multi-generational play, A Simple Hearth is made with zero plywood, particleboard/press board or soft pine. The stove, burner and faucet knobs work flawlessly and smoothly without the use of any metal hardware. The brushed metal sink bowl is made from real heavy gage stainless steel and can be removed for easy cleaning.

Everything about this play kitchen is made for realistic imaginative play. There’s a sliding cutting board that really pulls out 12 inches to allow access for more children. Oven and sink doors operate on self-closing hinges and a partition divides the oven from the sink compartment. The back of the kitchen hutch is open, meaning, this play kitchen may be positioned against a wall or in the middle of a room.

The kitchen is shipped partially assembled so it’s easy for parents. Builders simply slide on the hutch and screw on the walnut handles and assemble the hutch (8 screws and 8 hole plugs) then it’s all ready for your child to cook.

This kitchen is also available as A Beautiful Hearth - same kitchen, minus the top hutch.

• $349.99 A Simple Hearth Play Kitchen with Hutch
• $289.99 A Beautiful Hearth play kitchen without hutch

A Simple Fridge – Play Refrigerator: This fridge is hand-made in the USA with real Cherry, Ash and Walnut wood. Ventilation openings are built in the back of the Simple Fridge and slow self-closing metal hinges are featured on the doors. The fridge arrive at your home fully assembled right out of the box. All parents need do is attach the door handles with the four provided screws (instructions included). This is a perfect add-on to either of the kitchens above.

• $299.00 A Simple Fridge – Play Refrigerator

Camden Rose eco-friendly and ethical standards:

• All Camden Rose products are meticulously hand-constructed by craftspeople, not mass-produced.
• High quality materials, all certified non-toxic, such as stainless steel, wood, pure wool, silk and more are used.
• Almost all Camden Rose products are made in the United States. They also employ Fair Trade workers from a women-owned cooporative near Lima, Peru.
• Products are finished in natural, non-toxic beeswax.
• Each item produced is self-tested for lead content and other harmful chemicals. All products contain levels of lead content far lower or non-existent than the minimum allowed. Also, each and every product is free from materials known to produce phthalates, namely PVC (found in soft plastic or vinyl).
• Camden Rose uses red recyclable plastic netting for many of their retail products.
• All products meet CPSIA requirements.

You don’t have to spend a lot of green on cool eco-friendly summer toys. You, along with your kids can make a whole slew of eco-friendly toys all on your own, with low-cost eco-friendly or recycled materials. Following are 20 eco-fun, summer toy projects.

• Really neat rock dominoes (shown above) – one of those I can’t believe I didn’t think of that ideas.
• Make a recycled Cardboard Playhouse like the one shown above from Make Baby Stuff, then break out the non-toxic art supplies and let your little one decorate to her heart’s content.
• If you’ve got some tools and are good with wood you can make a working wooden boom crane that little kids will love.
• Kool-Aid dyed play silks – kids love play silks. You can toss them up, use them as doll clothing, use them for dress up fun, or fly around the yard with them swooshing behind you. You can find inexpensive silks at thrift stores OR silk material which takes a little more work because you’ll have to cut the material and mend them, but no big. If you don’t want to use Kool-aid try dying the silks with some homemade juice dye (made from plants).
• Organic finger paint – not freakishly bright, but non-toxic subtle paints you can make with the kids.
• Flying fun with a super slick recycled cardboard origami hang glider.
• Build a Bubble-Powered Rocket – with recycled paper, TUMS and film canisters. This rocket actually lifts off.
• Nine amazing DIY play kitchens and one totally hip homemade oven!

• Seriously amazing homemade baby blocks (shown above)! Use scrap wood or sustainable wood and non-toxic paint
• Start saving toilet paper tubes now and by mid summer you’ll have enough to build a toilet paper tube playhouse. Use non-toxic glue and duct tape to create your playhouse.
• Excellent collection of old-fashioned, handmade toys from Mother Earth News.
• The Perfect Dollhouse: A homemade miniature villa from Family Fun. It’s a tiny, completely custom, recycled dollhouse box. Tidy enough to slide right under the bed. So creative that it’ll be a hit all summer. The sky is really the limit with this project. You probably have tons of recycled bits around the house that will work for this cool project.
• Toy boats made with recycled blocks.
• Make a butterfly house.
• Future directors will adore making a homemade movie wheel – be sure to use recycled paper.
• 100% awesome recycled cereal box houses.
• For baby fun and learning make a beautiful soft book of colors with fabric scraps.
• Got summer pixies? Make some creative homemade fairy wings that your little one can decorate and fly with all summer long.
• Homemade puppet theater – then add some sock puppets.
• After hours and hours of Zelda, I’m pretty sure my son Cedar would faint dead away if I made him this sweet grappling hook – not for irresponsible kids though.

[images via Martha Stewart]

We were just looking at eco-friendly grilling here the other day, and then today (strangely) I came across this totally cute play BBQ set for the kiddos.

This looks like a really fun summer toy for the younger set. This realistic-looking My Backyard BBQ Set comes with a hood that really opens so chefs can check and recheck if their food is grilled to perfection. Also included are two flat burners, a grill surface and an upper rack for indirect roasting. Four knobs allow the grill master to control the temperature over the grill surfaces. A collapsible side table and wheels are added bonus features, while under grill storage allows for you to store all your supplies while not in use.

This wooden BBQ set is shipped flat for low emission travel, and is completely non-toxic with child-friendly paints and finishes. Some adult assembly required and this toy is intended for children 3 years and up.

Right now this BBQ set is pretty affordable at $119.99, but before you buy I’d check the Oompa home page because they often run sales, like 10% off all orders and such.

+ My Backyard BBQ Set

If your little one is a pretend food fan, you might also want to check out…

• Ultimate Eco-Friendly Play Kitchen Guide
• Eco-friendly Play Kitchen Food
• Nine DIY play kitchen options
• Eco-friendly play kitchen dishes & accessories

For the last post in our eco-friendly play kitchen guide we’re going to look at eco-friendly dishes, pots & pans, and a few other cool extras for a play kitchen. However, before you spend money on items for your child’s play kitchen, you should know that you can make many of these items yourself in an eco-friendly manner for practically free. Read DIY Play Kitchen Food & Dishes for ideas.

If you missed the other play kitchen posts you can catch up now…

• Green Holiday Gift – Ultimate Eco-Friendly Play Kitchen Guide
• Eco-friendly Play Kitchen Food
• Nine DIY play kitchen options

If you are going to buy play dishes and other accessories; following are some cute green choices.

DISHES:

1. Pottery Doll Dish Set
2. Green Toys Cookware and Dining Set
3. Plan Toy Tableware Set
4. Utensil Set

POTS & PANS:

1. White Wooden Pots & Pans Set
2. Non-stick Child’s Bakeware – 3 Piece
3. Green Toys Chef Set
4. Plan Toy Cooking Utensils
5. Cooking Pot

FUN COOKING EXTRAS:

1. Plan Toy Toaster
2. Cloth Napkins
3. Kids’ Kitchen & Grocery: Kids Wooden Toy Stir Fry Set
4. Kid’s Kitchen Toys: Kids Wooden Tea Kettle and Bags Toy Play Set

1. Wooden Kitchen Appliances
2. Kid’s Kitchen Toys: Kids Wooden Baking Mixer Toy Play Set
3. Felt Cupcake & Muffin Bake Set
4. Baking Utensils from Plan Toys

If a green play kitchen set is on your child’s wish list this holiday season it’s smart to snag some super cool play kitchen food to go along with it. If you missed the kitchen play set posts you can read the following:

• Green Holiday Gift – Ultimate Eco-Friendly Play Kitchen Guide
• Nine DIY play kitchen options

Before you buy items for your child’s play kitchen, you should see which items you can make yourself – a greener, less expensive option. Read DIY Play Kitchen Food & Dishes for more ideas.

If however, you decide to buy some play food, following are some excellent ideas that can help round out a great kitchen play set. Starting with the pyramid food groups. All of the following play foods are made with eco-friendly, non-toxic, chemical and lead free materials. For a nice gift presentation, grab some nice kid-sized wooden crates and fill them with an assortment of goodies.

GRAINS:

1. Felt Bread
2. Biofino Toast
3. Bread Set
4. Ravioli Tin
5. Felt Pancakes

VEGGIES:

1. Kids Pretend Felt Vegetables
2. Potato
3. Knit Salad
4. Garlic Bundle
5. Vegetable Basket
6. Mushrooms in a Tin
7. Eggplant
8. Mashed Potatoes
9. Pumpkin
10. Vegetable Set
11. Veggie Cutting Set

FRUIT:

1. Slice of Kiwi
2. Lemon
3. Kids Pretend Felt Fruit
4. Felt Fruit Salad
5. Green Grapes
6. Pear
7. Cherries
8. Plum
9. Knit Watermelon

DAIRY:

1. Milk Carton
2. Biofino Store Sliced Cheese
3. Butter in a Tin

PROTEIN:

1. Biofino Grill Set
2. Egg Sunny Side Up
3. Biofino Grilled Chicken
4. Knitted Sushi Assortment
5. Wooden Eggs

SWEETS:

1. Felt Ice Cream Cone
2. Knitted Cupcake Assortment
3. Sugar Cube in a Tin
4. Christmas Cookies
5. Felt Cake Decorating Set
6. Soft Petit Fours
7. Gummi Bears

DRINKS AND CONDIMENTS:

1. Kids Wooden Toy Spice Rack
2. Salt and Pepper Shakers
3. Ketchup Bottle
4. Tea Time Tin
5. Food and Beverage Set
6. Kids Wooden Juice Carton Toy Play Set
7. Kids Wooden Jam Jar Toy Play Set

MIXED DISHES:

1. Turkey Holiday Dinner
2. Biofino: Bon Appetit Pizza
3. Doner Kebab from Haba
4. My PB&J
5. Plan Toy Breakfast Menu

Lately we’ve been looking at play kitchens as an ultimate holiday kid gift. They’re perfect for boys and girls, can be very eco-friendly, and are loads of fun. So far we’ve looked at…

• Green Holiday Gift – Ultimate Eco-Friendly Play Kitchen Guide
• Nine DIY play kitchen options

Now, if you’re giving a child a play kitchen, you’ll need some play food, dishes, and accessories to go along with it. You can buy all of these items, make some of them, or even make all of them. If you make play food and dishes, it’ll keep your costs down, plus it’s fun to be creative.

Pretend food holders for a play kitchen:

• If you’re going to make and gather play food, you will need a place to store it. Really any container will work but I’d stay clear of plastic. If you shouldn’t use it in your own kitchen, why have it in your child’s play kitchen? Any small wooden boxes, cardboard boxes, or even thrift store jewelry boxes will work.
• Get some cool dry goods holders (shown above) for a play kitchen – not too expensive and super cute. Glue a cute handmade or computer made food label on the outside of the jar.
• Gather old small canning jars, clean mayo and jelly jars, and so on.
• Make some small and inexpensive reusable cloth baggies with scrap fabric. You can even write on the baggie with a fabric pen. I.e. “Flour, beans, etc.”
• If you’re making some larger pretend food items you can put them in some small child-sized wooden crates.
• Cleaned out spice jars.

Great play kitchen food ideas that cost less:

Real food is actually the least expensive. It won’t work for all food items like eggs or fruit, but it does work for an amazing amount of dry goods. Head to your local grocer, hit the bulk section and look for…

• Nuts
• Dry pasta – get a thick shape that hold up, like pasta shells
• Hearty dry cereal that won’t crumble all at once
• Oats
• Dried beans of all colors
• Popcorn kernels
• Colorful spices – you’ll want to put these in tiny spice jars with the lid glued on tight. They’re for fun and pretend, don’t let your little one shake spices all over of course
• Dried peas

Kids love this kind of stuff. I’m sure you can think of lots more. Just be sure to use common sense. If you have a little one, don’t buy any small choking hazard items and stay away from anything too messy. Remember to also save stuff like old egg cartons and smaller cereal boxes – both look great in play kitchens.

Pretend food you and your kids can make:

Clay is an excellent play food medium because you can make detailed food that lasts a long time, in any color you like, and you can get non-toxic organic play dough or make some natural play dough yourself so it’s green and safe. In fact, even if you don’t make baked clay foods, it’s smart to keep some soft dough in your child’s play kitchen anyhow, then your little one can make any food item. Some good long-lasting clay food ideas include…

Easy ideas include  – small green peas, grapes, an apple, eggs, cookies (use cookie cutters), pancakes, and pretzels. For harder ideas, or to gather more inspiration visit The Clay Store. They have a ton of tutorials on making clay miniatures – many great looking realistic food items. Just make them bigger using your clay. Pizza, chicken, hot cocoa, sub sandwiches and more!

Felt is another excellent eco-friendly medium with which you can make every food item under the sun. It can be overwhelming to get started, so you can browse some pattern shops for ideas, or just gather inspiration to create your own food items. Good links for ideas include…

• Tea Set Felt Food PDF Pattern- Tray, Teapot, Teacup, Saucers, Sugar Cubes, Lemon Slices, Tea Bag, Napkins. PLUS a huge array of other felt food pattern goodies.
• Lots o’ felt food patterns – many are very unique.

Visit my pal Marye at Planet Green for more excellent ideas – Make Your Little Chef Homemade Play Food.

Dishes and extras:

• It’s less expensive to get real dishes than toy kitchen dishes. Go to the thrift store and look around. You can probably find all the small plates, cups, pots, bowls, wooden spoons, cookie cutters, rolling pins and silverware a play kitchen will need. Usually for under $20. Plus it’s green to go used.
• You can also use your clay again and make some simple dishes and pots or simply raid your own cupboards for extra dishes you have.
• Make some inexpensive tiny cloth napkins with scrap fabric.

Later we’ll see some eco-friendly food and dishes you can buy for your child’s play kitchen, but it’s so easy, fun and less expensive to DIY, that I like to share these ideas first.

• Read other popular Growing a Green Family posts!
• Subscribe to Growing a Green Family to get even more green family tips.

*UPDATED FOR THE 2011 HOLIDAY SEASON

Eco-friendly play kitchen sets are, in my opinion one of those must have childhood toys. Kids LOVE them and they serve multiple fun and educational purposes. When I was a kid I incorporated menu making, dolls, clay, and more into my play kitchen and used it for years.

Safety Update:

Each year, as I update this play kitchen guide and my ultimate green dollhouse guide I get tons of questions from readers surrounding materials used to make the products I share. Most readers say they want zero plywood and zero lead in products – even if the rest of the product is eco-friendly. Being that this is what readers are talking about, I made a guide about play kitchen safety – how to choose a safe and eco-friendly play kitchen set or dollhouse that discusses these issues.

Secondly, this year, I’m attempting to post only ply-wood free play kitchen sets in this guide, or sets that use eco-ply. If it has any eco-ply though, I’ll point it out, as some people don’t like it. Lastly, if you really want a play kitchen set that’s perfectly eco-friendly according to your standards, you may want to consider making one. Then you can include (or not) any materials you see fit.

• DIY Green Toy – Nine Affordable Play Kitchen Sets
• 12 More DIY Play Kitchen Sets

TIPS FOR CHOOSING AN ECO-FRIENDLY PLAY KITCHEN SET:

• Look for sustainable wood not plastic.

• Look for child-safe non-toxic, lead-free finishes.

• If you can buy local it’s better for your carbon footprint than having a very large kitchen set sent to you. You can check with companies to see how they package and ship as well. Many green companies will flat-ship.

• Most play kitchens will need to be assembled, so make sure you have some basic building skills and tools around.

• Play kitchens can be costly, but one you get what you pay for and two, kids can be tough on toys. Going with a cheap play kitchen set will cost you more in the long run. An heirloom quality kitchen can also be resold or passed down in the family.

• When considering your budget, also leave some space for goodies like play food and play dishes. Most play kitchen don’t come with this stuff, and your child will want accessories.

If a green kitchen play set is on your child’s wish list this holiday season, following are the best of the best green and safe options. *Note – I’ll be adding to this list as companies get back to me about their materials.

Camden Rose Play Kitchen Set with Accessories

Camden Rose Eco-friendly Wooden Play Kitchen Sets $249 – $575

Camden Rose is king when it comes to gorgeous green play kitchen sets. All of their sets are eco-friendly, safe and full of fun features kids love.

One good deal, if you’ve got the cash to spare is the kitchen plus accessory set (shown above) offered by Rosie Hippo. This kitchen set comes with a bunch of goodies, including Sweet Set, Linen Bag, Apples, Pears, Cucumbers, Eggs, Tangerines in a Mesh Bag, Carrots, Grapes, Cherries, Cooking Utensils, Tableware Set, Assorting Cutting Fruits and Veggies on a Tray, Canned Food Set, Towel Set and Wooden Bowl.

• Learn more about Camden Rose kitchen sets and their green values.

+ $575 – Kitchen with Full Accessories

Camden Rose Affordable Little Stove

Camden Rose Affordable Sets $100 – $210

Camden Rose makes the bling kitchen sets above, but now they also have a few more affordable options as well, such as the little stove (shown above) and the table top kitchen (shown below), that are just as safe and beautiful, but smaller and more budget-friendly. The Little Stove is made with cherry and ash wood, with birch knobs.

Camden Rose Table Top Kitchen

The Table Top Kitchen features a counter top walnut sink bowl, faucet and stove-top burners packed into a simple, contemporary modular design, available in Curly Maple w/Walnut accents or Cherry w/Walnut accents

+ $210 – Little Stove

+ $99.99 – Table Top Kitchen Cherry w/Walnut

+ $99.99 – Table Top Kitchen Curly Maple w/Walnut

Colorful & Affordable PlanToys Play Kitchen Set

Affordable Green Play Kitchen Sets by PlanToy $40 – $550

I recently wrote a post about all the cute and affordable play kitchen sets offered by PlanToys. They have so many options to choose from and they’re a great green company.

+ $40 – $550 PlanToys Play Kitchens Set Options

Squirrel Kitchen

Tree Blocks Adorable Squirrel Kitchen & Bunny Fridge $200 – $210

Tree Blocks told me that this cute kitchen set is usually made with, “Neem or Cinnamon wood.” They note that the wood used changes from time to time but wood used at Tree Blocks is “Always taken from sustainable sources.” Overall, Tree Blocks uses 95% sustainable materials and non-toxic, child safe finishes. Plus, how adorable are these sets!?

Bunny Fridge - available in pink or blue bunny

The Rabbit Refrigerator has a roomy interior with 2 shelves. The Squirrel Sink/Stove Combo features “tree branch” burners and knobs, a round stainless steel “sink,” a spacious storage cabinet below and curio shelf above for dishes or knickknacks. Both appliances have bungee-cord safety hinges for your child’s protection. Both are terribly cute and affordable, plus eco-friendly, so what more could you ask for?

+ $210 – Rabbit Refrigerator

+ $200 – Squirrel Kitchen

Recycled Cocorico Cooker

Recycled Cocorico Cooker $25.99

This is a great little test kitchen – meaning, if your child like this kitchen you’ll know it’s fine to spend more on a longer-lasting play kitchen set. Eco-friendly, inexpensive and cute! Learn more.

Chef's Kitchen by Natural Pod

Chef’s Kitchen by Natural Pod $630

While expensive, this is truly a wonderful play kitchen, made locally and safely with real materials and awesome features. I wrote all about this kitchen a while back so check out the link below to learn more.

+ $630 – Chef’s Kitchen by Natural Pod

Haba Play Cooker

Haba Play Cooker $40

Made with real beach wood and child safe paints in Germany, this little table top kitchen is easy on space and your budget. The kitchen top can be set on a table edges or steps or taken to a play date.

+ $40.49 – Haba Play Cooker

Less Expensive Green Play Kitchens

You’ve got some various options for less expensive play kitchens. Look on Craigslist or eBay for sellers or check out child consignment shops and thrift store. Consider looking in your local newspaper. This time of year it’s easier to find folks who are selling an item like this. If you’re buying used, make sure the kitchen is in good working order. Painting a kitchen to freshen it up is easy, but if doors aren’t working, the wood is splintered, or it’s unsteady, it can be an unsafe purchase.