Thinking toys
If you read this blog, it’s likely you have some level of interest in science.
And since it’s the holiday season, it’s possible you are looking for gifts.
Among the children receiving gifts this year will be some future neuroscientists, healthcare professionals, and engineers. These will be the people behind the science, medicine, and technology needed to maintain and improve our quality of life.
Hopefully these children’s interest in science careers will be sustained through primary and secondary education until they can embark on higher education or training towards their goal. A set of toy researchers, featuring a palaeontologist, a chemist, and an astrophysicist in a working environment, might be the perfect way to keep them engaged and encouraged.
Pleasingly, the scientist mini-figures are all female, an improvement on previous gender imbalance in presentation and marketing of LEGO toys. Read geochemist and designer Ellen Kooijman’s blog about her inspiration for her female characters.
Sadly, production of the research institute sets was so limited that they have entirely sold out.
It’s still worth considering construction blocks as a holiday gift, though. Research suggests that regular play with toys that involve putting things together and taking them apart improves cognitive development – in areas like spatial awareness and even mathematical ability.
So follow the great concept of No Gender December and consider a building toy for the small people in your life this year.