This morning we took our toys over to Stanford's Bing nursery school to see what some master block players thought. After playing with the same kids at Bing as those from the NPR story, we're confident we are on to something fun.
All the toys were well received by the teachers and children, but our silicone blocks were the biggest hit. The variety and materiality kept about ten different kids engaged in experiments for over an hour, bouncing, washing, building. There were so many wonderful interactions, but my favorite was the introduction of dramatic play with one of our newer prototypes. After assembling a rod/dowel and a block, a series of girls became the Statue of Liberty, to great enjoyment.
Overall, we had a great time playing with the wonderful people at Bing. It was another example of just why we are doing this: because nothing is more rewarding than seeing a little kid's face light up with delight when they discover something new and fun about themselves or the world.
