Growing up, I had a few very special dolls that I never let out of my sight. I also had a box of Barbie dolls and Cabbage Patch Kids and My Little Ponys that I played with until their hair was matted and their clothes tattered. I loved wearing dresses with lace, especially the kind that twirled and made me feel like a princess. I was a very classic little girl, but gender roles weren’t so divided back then. I had friends that were boys as well as girls, and I’d play in the mud with the boys without even thinking twice. One of my favorite things to do was build houses out of the primary colored Legos, the ones that came in a big blue case without pre-determined instructions for individual objects.
My six year old daughter is much like I was as child, though she doesn’t have many male friends and up until now, “building” was for boys unless the blocks came in pink and purple. I’ve tried to blend their toys as much as possible, but I really just want her to play with things that she likes. She draws and creates little projects all day, from her home made paper animals to full size bags and purses to carry her handmade paper makeup. She is incredibly inspired and creative, but up until being introduced to GoldieBlox, she didn’t have any interest in building with instructions whatsoever.
First grade has brought with it math and homework, two things her older brother excels at. He is goal oriented and competitive, so these things are easy and fun for him. Even with him as her main influencer, Zoe is hard pressed to enjoy either of those things, but when he sat down to build the GoldieBlox and the Zipline, with her I could see her interest had piqued. While the kits are geared towards girls, it’s not overwhelmingly pastel hued or cutesy in any form, and Jack-who is very aware of what is cool for him to like or not-loved every minute of it. At first they built together, and then Zoe attempted to put together the merry go round all on her own. She completed it and the sense of accomplishment and pride within her was just emanating. GoldieBlox has six products in it’s toy line, and all sets are compatible with each other, bringing in characters like cats and dogs that are each passionate about a different STEM field; mechanical engineering, coding, environmental science and electrical engineering. It’s really the first introduction to these things for my daughter, and via a medium that is intriguing and thought provoking for a six year old.
GoldieBlox and the Builders Survival Kit
I’m proud of the way that Zoe crossed over the lines of her comfort zone of stuffed animals, drawing and creating into the realm of building with instruction that taps into verbal and spatial skills with the GoldieBlox sets. I can see that it’s expanding her horizons and broadening her ability to think in different ways, with numbers and the beginning concepts of math and science. I wish there had been something like this when I was a child, and I couldn’t be more thrilled that she has gravitated so quickly to it, along with the help of her hero, her big brother.
Thank you to GoldieBlox for sponsoring this post, and thank you for reading!
I LOVE GoldieBlox! I so wish you could see their first two commercials, especially the one with Girls by the Beastie Boys. Such fun, and such great purpose – building, along with anything else in the STEAM category, is for those who like it – boy or girl! BTW – LOVE the pictures, they show so much!
Very cool! Kids have the coolest toys to play with now. I am jealous.
My daughter is much the same way but loves math and science. Our friends older son introduced our daughter to snap circuits when she was about 5(she’s now 9). She’s been using them since getting more kits every year or so. Sounds like your son would like them, and it is something they can do together. And later your younger two will be able to join. She loves goldieblox as well.