I mentioned in my Montessori continent box post that Safari makes some Toobs that are perfect.  Let me tell you a little bit about Safari Toobs.

Safari, Ltd. makes little figures.  I’m not exactly sure how to describe them — they’re just small, semi-rubbery figures.  Sort of like those little green “Army men,” but much, much nicer.  And 2-3 times as big.  And full-color.  Okay, maybe they’re not much like “Army men,” after all.  But they’re little, stationary figures, available in a wide variety of themes.  Some of these are available grouped together in “Toobs.”

Safari sent us the “Land Down Under” Toob to review.  You can see it and its contents (well, one just like it) over there to your left.  It is mostly animals — an emu, koala, platypus, dingo, kangaroo, and other Australian animals — with one aboriginal dude.  (At least, I think it’s supposed to be an aborigine, judging from the skin tone.  It rather looks like Crocodile Dundee or something to me, though.  I don’t like it quite as much as the rest of the Toob.)

These are high-quality toys, and there are other animal Toobs that make great additions to continent boxes: the Wild Toob, North American Wildlife, etc.  Another fantastic set for continent boxes is the Around the World Toob, which is landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, and the Taj Mahal.

There are literally dozens of sets, though, on a wide variety of subjects.  Oceans, Coral Reefs, Ancient Egypt, Insects, Powhatan Indians — these are just a few examples.  Not all of them are educational.  There are, for instance, “mythical creature” sets.  But many of them are (educational).

You can often find these at Michael’s, and I assume that they are available in toy stores.  (I wouldn’t know, as I almost never set foot in a toy store.)  Obviously, you can order most of them through Amazon, as well.  What other studies can you imagine using these in?

Disclosure: Safari, Ltd. provided me with the Toob shown above, to facilitate this review.  As always, all opinions are entirely my own.