As I close this semester of teaching college this year I would like to share something I have notice in the past ten years. I see more and more young adult that lack spacial skill, imagination, creativity, inquisitiveness, and basic background knowledge of the physical world around them.
My students seem to be disconnected with the world around them. They have never climbed a tree, played in a sandbox, watched bugs, played tag, gone fishing, or just been a kid away from a computer screen. I'm sure they did some of this as young children under the age of five, but do they remember what they learn doing these activities? I think not. Kids really need to experience the physical world and remember it. Build up that spacial knowledge and muscle memory they will take with them into college and science classes. They need more experience in the physical domain between the ages of 5-15, in stead of just the digital domain. Some of this should be in gym class and school activities but that is another post. This post is about toys every kid should have. List This has no particular order and is gender neutral. Some toys are expensive, other are less than a dollar.
1) Silly Putty - Teaches creativity, deformation of solids, states of matter, momentum, collisions and patience. Silly Putty is a great toy and cheap too. You can find it around Christmas time in Wal-mart or other large Stuff-mart. You can roll it into a ball, bounce it, stretch it, mold it, press it on newsprint and change the picture. If your child has the patience you can watch it flow when it's warm, because it is an amorphous solid. That particular trick you may need to have your child mold a shape then set it down for a couple of hour while the child does something else: Nap, Snack, Computer time, etc. You can make this go a little faster if you set the silly putty in a sunny warm spot.
Most parent shy away from Silly Putty because it's a bitch to clean up if it gets stuck in carpet, hair, or the family pet. For clean up, treat like bubble gum: freeze it and it will shatter when struck. Pick up the piece, set in a warm place and it will flow back together.
For extra fun, try kneading in iron powder or iron filings. Your new metallic grey silly putty will be magnetic.
2) Wood blocks - Teaches Construction, physics, statics, architecture, and spurs creativity and imagination. Building something bridges , houses, fort, and palaces. Build stuff and knock it down, and repeat. You can say this about any construction toy: K'nex, Legos, Lincoln Logs, mega Blocks, Erector sets... However I'm a purist and wooden blocks are a good starting set for young kids. Wood blocks can take a lot of punishment as well and will be around for a long time. The other sets work well when the child get older starting around 6 or 8. K'nex and Legos require more dexterity than wood blocks but the build patience as well as bigger, taller structures.
3) Magnifying Glass - Teaches exploration, observation, and optics. Leads to understanding the physical and biological world: Botany, Biology and Chemistry. True, you spend a lot looking at stuff, but a kid five minutes and she'll start burning dead leaves, and ants. This can be a precursor to a microscope gift but don't push it. Let the child run around a bit. She'll ask for a microscope if she is really interested. This goes for telescopes as well. No kid wants a telescope unless he asks for one, or you live in a crowded city with lots high rises nearby. Then the child get an education in biology.
4) Electric Train, or Slot Cars, or RC Vehicles - Teaches electricity, mechanics, physics, and self reliance. The big plus on all of these toys is that they breakdown. The train jumps the track, Slot cars need to be cleaned, RC vehicles usually need small repairs after crashing into something. The toys are great when they work, but the best part is fixing them when they break. Just the act of resetting the train on the track, or making sure the motor still works in a car, gives kids skill in problem solving, manipulation, and fixing things. Added plus the transformer is great fun for applying electricity to other things: Plants, spiders, ants, metal object, plastic toys, the list goes on.
5) A deck of Playing cards teaches strategy, interpersonal relationship, game theory, numbers, math, combinations, dexterity (Shuffling) winning and losing. A deck of cards can also be used in construction as well: a house of cards . You should play card games with your kids. War, Old Maid, Fish, Poker, 21 and crazy 8 all teach math and strategy. Added Plus: you can build houses of card and shoot them part with rubber bands.
6) Gyroscope - Teaches physics, angular momentum, mechanics, balance and equilibrium. A top will do, but you can do all kinds of tricks with a Gyroscope that teach the above topics better. Gyroscope, flywheels, wheels are used in the modern world. These are usually found in the stocking stuffer aisle around Christmas time and are usually 5 to 10 dollars. If you can find the metal version great, but the plastic ones will work too.
7) A push button pen - Teaches mechanics, problem solving, energy, and springs. Yeah, it sounds weird, but a click pen with lots of pieces is great for teaching problem solving and the joys of springs. Yes, you can use it for writing but it makes a great tool and plaything. You can take it apart and put it back together. Stretch the spring and see how far you can shoot the pen top or filler. If you put the pieces together wrong it doesn't work, but it doesn't have to be put together the same way it came from the story.
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