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Goldie Blox
Working at an elementary engineering magnet school gave me great insight into what children think of when they hear the word "engineer". When the school initially started the engineering curriculum we had students draw a picture of what they thought of when they heard the word "engineer". There were a wide array of drawings but what stood out the most is that the majority of them depicted an engineer as a man.
The reality is that the students were very perceptive because almost 90% of engineers are men. This fact in itself doesn't concern me as much as the idea that only men can be engineers. Engineers portrayed on television, movies and in book are usually men and toys that develop engineering skills are traditionally geared toward boys. So, what's a girl to do?
Debbie Sterling, a female engineer from Stanford University, has developed a unique product that encourages engineering skills in girls. Her invention, GoldieBlox, offers a unique spin on traditional building toys. GoldieBlox and the Spinning Machine combines a fun story with building components and cute characters. Goldie, the main character in the story, is an excellent role model for girls. She is an engineer that is smart, curious and easy to understand. Through reading the story of Goldie and following the well written examples in the book, children can build a spinning machine for all of Goldie's friends. After they have accomplished this task, they are encouraged to develop alternative designs for the spinning machine.
Although the packaging states that the toy is intended for children 6 and older, I decided to give the toy a test drive with my daughter who is almost 5. She loves animals so she was initially attracted to the toy because of the fun animal figurines. She also loved the pink ribbon. As soon as I began to read the story to her she was very excited to help build the spinning machines. She needed some help with positioning pegs and winding the ribbon. Through each step in the building process I allowed her to attempt to make the machine work. If it didn't, I encouraged her to try a new way. Engineering is all about learning through mistakes and I think it is important to instill perseverance in young children.
Overall, my daughter and I really enjoyed GoldieBlox and the Spinning Machine. I think it would make a great gift for girls and also a nice toy to be featured in centers in any elementary classroom.
The GoldieBlox set is $29.99 and can be purchased through Amazon or at http://www.goldieblox.com
