Raising blockheads
May 05 '01
The Bottom Line Unit blocks can increase brain development. Used by Fröbel and Frank Lloyd Wright and recommended by teachers, they are fun and educational.
True confession time: I don't buy my kids toys. I hear
you gasping. You either don't believe me or have seen
the toys my children have and know I'm lying. Fact is,
most of the toys they have come from Grandparents or
from friends who outgrew them. People tend to feel sorry
for kids whose parents don't buy them toys and are
generous with them. Our oldest son buys Legos and other
necessities with his Grandma cash stash.
Plus, the truth is, someone in this house is behind the
Santa Claus and Easter Bunny gifts. OK, as long as I'm
in a confessional mood, I was just at ToysRUs. I bought
my sons a red playground ball. I admit this just in case
one of you saw me at the store.
What got me thinking about this was when a friend asked
me what my monthly budget was for toys. I realized the
answer was:
April $50 (Easter)
May $50 (bubbles, goggles for pool)
August $50 (birthday)
November $100 (older birthday)
December $200 (Christmas)
Hmm... works out to slightly less than $20/mth/kid. Not
bad, and my kids don't lack anything. Matter of fact,
after having an extra 3 year old here yesterday, I
think we may have too many toys!
Then, I remembered my big splurge. Around 3 years ago,
after reading about child development brain research, I
set off to buy a set of unit blocks. My first question
was, "What are unit blocks?" They are blocks, generally
made of wood, where the larger sized blocks are built
to be multiples of the smaller sized blocks. For
instance, a large block may be 4 times the size of the
smallest block, 2 times it's size or 8 times it's size.
Why buy unit blocks? Reggio Emilia is an area in
Italy that is reknowned for it's early childhood
development programs. My sons' teachers had
sabbaticals there and came back with wonderful ideas.
I started reading an email list* comprised mostly of
teachers who were inspired by Reggio Emilia.
Fascinating to me were articles posted about early
childhood brain development. There were tantalizing
clues that playing with unit blocks stimulates certain
brain functions.
Frank Lloyd Wright was purported to be a block addict in
his early years. Here is a quote of his about blocks:
"The smooth shapely maple blocks with which to build, the
sense of which never afterwards leaves the fingers:
so form became feeling."
Friedrich Fröbel, founder of kindergarten programs, had
a series of "gifts" for children. One of them was a set
of unit blocks for exploration and building. He believed
that children using geometric bodies to play helped them
develop perspectives in the perception of reality. Fröbel
had a strong interest in geometry. Want to know more?
Enter Fröbel's name in search engines and read away. I
highly recommend learning about Fröbel and his theories.
Okay, I was convinced. Unit blocks were a must have toy
in my household. Where to buy them? If you search under
"unit blocks" on the Reggio email archives, you'll see that
I asked that question. Two great answers came shooting
back. One teacher recommended "Community Playthings", a
coop dedicated to social justice. Website is
http://www.communityproducts.com/cp/cpframes.htm
Another teacher recommended "Discount School Supply",
found at http://www.earlychildhood.com/Store
At the same time, I got a Pottery Barn Kids catalog with
a block set pictured. It had 4 layers of blocks, stored
in a beautiful wood cart with wheels and a pull handle.
There are more than 150 blocks in it. I purchased
the Pottery Barn set, largely due to the ease of storage.
This box exactly fits under my family room coffee table.
Big question of course is, "Do the children use the blocks?"
The answer is a resounding "YES!". No matter how many
colorful, beeping, talking toys they get, they always
go back to the block cart. The creations built are
often captured on digital film, to email to Grandparents.
Sometimes, we do a Poloroid snap, glue it to paper and
write down thoughts about the invention or building.
Bottom line on unit blocks as construction toys is that
they are a great investment. Spendier at first than
many toys, remember that they have a life span from
age 2-12 and need no batteries. The added bonus is
the not totally known benefits of increased brain
development during the critical first few years.
*The email list, hosted by University of Illinois, has
an archive of messages at
http://www.askeric.org/Virtual/Listserv_Archives/REGGIO-L.shtml
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nwinston
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Loving my boys and the summer weather in Oregon!
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