by Lewis GreenWhen Hans Eich turned 9, he moved to Africa with his parents and quickly became friends with local kids. They played with simple toys, usually outdoors. In the Zulu language, the word for toy is Ukoonto. Little did Hans know how important that word would become to him later in life. After returning to Germany and fresh out of high school, Hans worked in a daycare, with both disabled and non-disabled kids. His love for children was fostered at that daycare and remains a driving force in his life.

Today, Hans is married with an infant child. To support himself and his family he founded Ukoonto, a woodworking company based out of Canada’s Niagara Region. Hans’ passion for “old-school toys,” toys that inspire, stimulate children’s minds and help their development, is the foundation of his woodworking, as is his passion for preserving the planet’s beauty.

“I was inspired to make these toys,” Hans says, “because I like peaceful, valuable toys made from wood. I always loved working with my hands and building things out of wood. Everything I do with the wood is self-taught. I just got up one day and started building wooden blocks.

“I think that wooden toys, especially wooden blocks, inspire children,” Hans adds. “They can be anything. One day they can be a big castle, the next day a plane. Kids’ imagination is limitless.” Hans also believes that because the toys are made from wood, a natural and high-quality building material, the toys will be handed down for generations to come.

Some parents ask Hans if there is a manual. He smiles and replies “No. All kids need are the blocks and their imagination. And then parents give the children the handmade blocks, and before long the pieces of wood take shape as objects in children’s lives.

The toys also seem to calm kids down. One mother shared that her son had not given her a break all day long. Until she gave him the blocks. He suddenly became quiet as he built and invented.

One of Hans’ missions is to ensure that the toys are safe. They contain no toxic materials, a relief to any parent whose infant has great fun chewing on them. Parents also appreciate that the building blocks have educational value in that they develop fine and gross motor skills, spatial thinking and hand-eye coordination.

The toys are hand made, which also means it takes more time than creating a plastic toy. Since wood is a natural material, it’s not as predictable as plastic. It takes a lot of time to make a set of blocks. Every piece of wood goes through Hans’ hands. His hard work and passion live in every toy. In addition, his workshop is powered by alternative energy. The wood is local recycled Ontario lumber, from a large wood factory. The lumber has never been used but the pieces are cut offs. If not recycled, they would be composted. Ukoonto keeps the wood from being wasted and creates new toys out of them.

Healthy toys for kids. That’s Hans’ work.