School Kit A 07

The SchoolKit is a very large kit of blocks, suitable for small kindergarten classes, pre-schools or day-care operations.  It includes a full range of pieces including twelve of the 22 inch rectangles, and over one hundred and sixty of the other basic rectangle blocks of other sizes.  This kit allows a bunch of children to make a whole city, and there are enough pieces to permit cooperative play without hoarding.  While bags are supplied, a system of shelves or cubbies are really required for adequate storage.    These should be sufficiently robust to support 250 pounds or more, and low enough for children to ritualize taking blocks out of storage and putting them away again.   

Teachers will find that these blocks work well with available lesson plans and projects as given by organizations like the Bank Street School and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). 

  With a kit this size, the sky is the limit.  Children will cantilevered structures and tall towers.  Boxes on top of boxes can make a structure that reaches nearly as high as the ceiling.  Construction projects may include projects with windows, doors, walkways, wheelchair ramps, etc.    Many of the smaller pieces become more fully integrated as decoration in battlements, fenestration, fancy entries, steps, and statuary.   Children vary in their interest in these things, but many of them become blockaholics, and will spend hours and days completing incredibly creative and complicated projects.  Additionally, this is a good set for cooperative play between four and five year old children and their younger siblings.  

The hand in the picture is a prop, adult, life size and is included to provide a sense of scale (doesn't come in the kit.   We invited PurrBagg the Cat to sit there, but it was a no-go.  The kit comes with a CD-ROM containing pictures of famous buildings and a mesh produce bag for storing the blocks. By clicking "List of Pieces" (above) you can see a list of the contents.  If there are particular shapes that you would like to add, you can find these on the "Open Stock" page.

 Our blocks are completely unfinished.  They are too large to pose a choking hazard and satisfy the CPSC rules for children under the age of three.  The blocks are sanded maple, and children can gum them without fear of chemical finishes or oils.  Germs are another matter.  Parents will be wise to keep them away from dogs as they enjoy chewing them.  They may be cleaned with a damp sponge or sanded with a fine sandpaper, but they shouldn't be allowed to soak as they will absorb water.