I am an engineer by education and career and even I think that most
science toys look pretty nerdy/geeky – especially by today’s standards. Even worse, they are especially unappealing
to girls. As a nation we are
finally realizing that we need to have more kids - boys and girls - want to grow up and have
STEM careers. That’s science, technology,
engineering and math in case you didn’t know.
And the starting point for interest among girls is particularly
poor. Why is this? There are lots of complicated reasons. But one of the things that can help is to
have toys that girls will be interested in as children that will encourage STEM
careers. And these are beginning to
appear on the market. Here’s a few:
 |
LEGO Friends Dolphin Cruiser - New This Year |
LEGO has made the biggest investment – with its Lego Friends
line. These are the same building blocks
that kids have always enjoyed but now they are made in colors attractive to girls with building set themes like a pool, vet office, bakery, cruise ship, high school and more. Legos are definitely not just for boys
anymore. If you will be buying a gift
for a girl in the 6-12 age bracket this holiday season, I suggest you check these out – even if they
are not on their list.
 |
| Nancy B's Science Club Sets |
There are science kits and then there are eye catching
science kits that will appeal to girls.
This line of Nancy B Science Club kits from Educational Insights have eye appeal and provide an
opportunity to develop interests that will be a stepping stone to a successful
career. This line of science kits was developed by Nancy Balter, science teacher and mother of two.
A small startup company, GoldieBlox, was founded by a female
engineer who wants to “disrupt the pink aisle” as she says. Her company is off to a quick start and you
can buy her Goldie Blox building sets at her website or at Amazon. Unfortunately, based on the reviews at Amazon
I would say there is still some quality issues to be resolved. I think the founder who is a graduate engineer from Stanford is committed to her product concept and is probably hard at work at improving GoldieBolx as we speak. I plan to keep an eye on them.
Findings in a new study report that grandparents today are very hands-on and like to get involved with play and projects with their grandchildren. When our grown children were young some of our favorite activities to do together were building with LEGOs and conducting science experiments. These are wonderful relationship building activities you can do with your grandchildren and I highly recommend them. These toys can provide a platform for working together - not just something that you give them.
I have not received any samples of these items and these are just my honest opinions. I saw these items - out of the box - at Toy Fair and Time to Play Showcase both held in NY. I took the pictures above at these events - they are not stock advertizing shots. At these shows there are literally thousands of new toys to see and representatives to explain how they work, their company philosophy, etc. I sift through all of this personally to identify toys that I think will appeal to and be understood by grandparents. I admire all the toys with apps and capabilities beyond my imagination but I seldom write about them. I mostly leave that stuff for parents to sort out.
I strongly believe in that special something that we as grandparents have to offer and I try to write about toys that may be overlooked by a parent that will be enjoyed by our grandchild and sometimes may spark an interest that otherwise would be missed.
Check out these items for your granddaughters......who know what spark you might ignite.
Findings in a new study report that grandparents today are very hands-on and like to get involved with play and projects with their grandchildren. When our grown children were young some of our favorite activities to do together were building with LEGOs and conducting science experiments. These are wonderful relationship building activities you can do with your grandchildren and I highly recommend them. These toys can provide a platform for working together - not just something that you give them.
I have not received any samples of these items and these are just my honest opinions. I saw these items - out of the box - at Toy Fair and Time to Play Showcase both held in NY. I took the pictures above at these events - they are not stock advertizing shots. At these shows there are literally thousands of new toys to see and representatives to explain how they work, their company philosophy, etc. I sift through all of this personally to identify toys that I think will appeal to and be understood by grandparents. I admire all the toys with apps and capabilities beyond my imagination but I seldom write about them. I mostly leave that stuff for parents to sort out.
I strongly believe in that special something that we as grandparents have to offer and I try to write about toys that may be overlooked by a parent that will be enjoyed by our grandchild and sometimes may spark an interest that otherwise would be missed.
Check out these items for your granddaughters......who know what spark you might ignite.
See my Toy Fair Highlights post here
