Guest Author - Paula Petrie

I have to say that as a child, one of my all time favorite toys and toy picks for my own children, remains Lego. From the time my first child was two, till now at fourteen, he has loved Lego. In fact part of my kids Lego building set are my own original blocks. And there is a great chance that my grandchildren will have my son’s and my Lego blocks in their collections. Lego can be so many different games and toys; it is as amazing as it is versatile. Lego also benefits hand-eye coordination and selective attention.

The Lego Group philosophy stresses that “open-ended, imaginative playtime for kids is a treasure that should be prioritized.” Stats show that, unstructured playtime has dropped by 15% to 25% in one generation. The folks at Lego believe imaginative playtime can be more valuable to a child’s development than any structured activities he’s signed up for. The staff at Lego understand imagination needs time to “breathe.” And believe that it is important to slow your, and your child’s, pace down and enjoy life. With childhood stress issues at an all time high, there is also a growing realization that when TV and video gaming systems are turned off that kids fight less, feel less stressed, and play better. I believe you can continue to expect quality toys from a company like this.

Easily one of the best choices on the market for the 10 and up crowd, is the Lego Mindstorms robotics collection. This is an awesome way for a parent to share time with an older child, and offers the opportunity to create robots and other functioning gadgets by including computer programming through drag-and-drop software, and built-in Bluetooth technology. Helping to keep older kids imaginations active and opening children’s minds to potential and possibilities they may otherwise feel incapable of achieving.

The Lego group held an open discussion this past spring to emphasize the importance of maintaining creative thinking and free play in the classroom. Panelists included Meri Cummings, curriculum designer with the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future; actor Matthew Broderick; clothing entrepreneur Eileen Fisher; Mitch Resnick, director of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab; and Heather Reider and Mary Goulet of "MomsTown," an Internet radio show for moms. This event marked the beginning of "Builders of Tomorrow." An initiative aimed at parents, to remind them to take an hour every week to spend "creative" time with their children.

A podcast and transcript of the panel discussion are available at www.legobuildersoftomorrow.com This is a wonderful site offering practical tips to foster unstructured, creative play – drawing, building, storytelling, and includes inspirational stories about entrepreneurs, teachers, parents and children who are the “builders of tomorrow.”