November 25, 2003
Newest Toys
Johann got an early Christmas present when his Grandma and Grandpa visisted recently, the Froebel Gifts. When they were in Chicago for my cousin Niki’s wedding, Mom & Dad visited the Frank Lloyd Wright properties in Oak Park. One of the toys that the 9 year old architect-to-be played with was the Froebel Gifts, which the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Society now sells in its store. The Froebel Gifts are basically high quality maple or beechwood building blocks. They are extremely well made, for instance there are 9 small cubes in each large cube–exactly, and include a variety of shapes in separate gift boxes. The set was originally designed by Friedrich Froebel (the father and founder of “Kindergarten” education) for his first Kindergartens.
Johann has really enjoyed these blocks and has spent hours exploring them in many different ways. We are starting to use the excellent guide book – yes a guide or instruction book comes with these “building blocks” – to suggest activities and new ideas of geometry to Johann, always letting him fully explore it and set the pace though. If you have a youngster I would definitely recommend these. They may be a little spendy for “building blocks” but they are actually an excellent value for the hours of fun and learning, especially when you use the suggestions in the book.
