Among of our favorite toys are building blocks. According to Karen Hewitt, a toy designer and founder of the Learning Materials Workshop of Burlington, Vermont, the timeless, simple shapes lend themselves to endless opportunities for education through play. We stack them up and knock them down, we build walls and bridges, we learn about shape and color, about building and rebuilding.
There’s a new toddler in our lives; our fourth grandchild. It’s been a while since the box of blocks was opened, so I decided they needed a bath. I filled up the kitchen sink with some mild soap and water and plunged in the brightly colored cuboids, cylinders and triangular prisms together with some classic Lincoln Logs. Did you know those interlocking logs were originally designed by John Lloyd Wright, son of the architect Frank Loyd Wright? I didn’t.
Anyway, the sight of those building blocks bobbing amid the bubbles inspired me to bring out the camera. And in that mysterious way that inspiration works, the next day I saw a link to the Life of B photo challenge A Month of Squares. So I decided to play along.
Liz McCafferty 