This summer Annalyn started saying the worst thing. I’m not referring to her sass-mouth that just about puts me over the edge in approximately 3.7 seconds. No, I’m talking about this phrase:
“I’m not good at this.”
She’s said this about dozens of different tasks, and it’s driving me up the wall. I’m sure she’s heard Mark or me say that – whether in complaint or humility – and is parroting us. Which makes me even MORE upset! I’ve tried to talk to her about it, and I’ve tried to encourage her in the moment (reminding her that yes, she CAN do whatever it is she’s trying to excuse her way out of).
I haven’t heard her use those words much recently, so hopefully my efforts are working. But I know this is just one stop in a long journey of teaching her that she is capable and clever and GOOD at a lot of things.
You know, she isn’t brilliant in every subject or gifted in every area. There are already things that Mark or I are good at that we can see she might not be. But that’s the beauty of discovering who this little girl is. Because there are LOTS of things she IS good at! And while singing on key is [so far] not her strength, inventing and building is something that captures her imagination and comes as naturally to her as singing along with the radio does for me.
I’ll never forget the time she cut up a bunch of scribbled on pieces of paper (coloring in the lines is also not her favorite activity), taped them together into a very convincing rocket ship. SHE MADE A ROCKET SHIP. Out of scraps. That blows my mind!
And over the weekend, I walked into the living room to find that she’d co-opted her baby sister’s toy box (a plastic crate from Walmart, because that’s how we roll) for a doll bed. But it was okay, she told me, because she’d scrounged up another basket for her sister’s toys. And now the stuffed elephant (THAT BELONGS TO HER SISTER, but whatever) has a home.
That kid’s mind is always working. And even though many of her inventions are unnecessary or impractical, I love that she thinks that way. I love that she wants to create, to build. And so GoldieBlox, construction toys made for girls, is the perfect toy for us!
I heard about GoldieBlox for the first time last year when the company made news with a super clever commercial. Very quickly, it went on to win awards – including Toy of the Year. It didn’t have to win awards for me, though. I was sold after watching the ad and reading a little bit about the company’s goal to get girls building. I bought Annalyn a GoldieBlox kit for Christmas last year – and yes, she loved it as much as I thought she would.
So, OF COURSE, when The Motherhood contacted me about learning more about GoldieBlox, reviewing their toys and (Hello!) giving away some toys to my readers, I jumped at the chance.
[Side note: I wouldn’t say that every webinar, conference call or Twitter party I participate in is FUN. Educational or interesting, yes, but fun? Not really. Getting the chance to talk with the founders of GoldieBlox, though, was AWESOME.]
I felt like this:
{Can you tell that acting is another one of her interests? Heh.}
Anyway.
I loved learning about the beginnings of the company AND its goals for the future. These moms saw something they didn’t like, saw a NEED – and did something about it. I love it!
Also, while I knew GoldieBlox was more than just a pink version of boys’ toys, what I didn’t realize was the amount of research that’s gone into finding out just how girls learn best. It turns out that the construction kits are centered around a character and a story for a reason; girls typically have strong verbal skills, so a story + construction set bolsters confidence in spatial skills while giving young inventors the tools they need to build and create amazing things.
Cool, right?
Goldie is a young engineer who likes to build things with her friends. Each set comes with a book that tells a story with instructions for building something related to the story. (So it’s problem solving plus engineering!) Plus it has extra blueprints in the back of the book for additional projects. (PLUS the GoldieBlox blog has more ideas, and you can buy a bag of parts for even more building fun!)
The company has three award-winning products on the market right now:
GoldieBlox and the Spinning Machine (3-6 years old)
GoldieBlox and the Parade Float (3-6 years old)
GoldieBlox and the Dunk Tank (5-8 years old)
At the beginning of every GoldieBlox story, some basic engineering vocabulary is introduced with a basic “Bill of Materials.” The pieces you get with GoldieBlox are based on the Seven Simple Machines (wheel and axis, lever, pulley, etc.) As I learned from GoldieBlox, these are the basic building blocks of every physical thing.
When the founders of GoldieBlox were asked about specific skills they hope to teach girls with their toys, they said:
“One of the most critical skills we are teaching around engineering is simply confidence. Research has shown us that girls are less likely to pursue an activity if they don’t know they will be amazing at it. So by giving girls confidence and exposure to words, when they see and hear these words later in life, they won’t be as intimidated, because they will already understand the concepts!
Another important message we’re sending girls through GoldieBlox is to not give up! Even Goldie, in the stories, will have something not turn out the way she wanted it to and will have to try again at making something.”
I COULD NOT LOVE THIS ANYMORE.
As Annalyn played with her Parade Float kit, she said, “I’m like a real builder, Mama!”
Now THAT is something I like to hear.
GoldieBlox GIVEAWAY
Do you know a little girl who likes to build? I’d love to give you a Parade Float and a Dunk Tank kit! Simply visit the GoldieBlox site and tell me in a comment what part of it you’re most excited about.
The winner must live in the U.S. and will be selected randomly after the giveaway closes on Friday, September 5.
This post is part of a compensated campaign with GoldieBlox and The Motherhood. All opinions (and over-acted reactions caught on camera) are my own. And Annalyn’s own. They’re ours. And they’re real.
I like the “More than Just a Princess” mentality. My daughter is way over the princess thing herself! She would love the hoodie on the GoldieBlox website!
Oh how Annalyn and my Cate would get along! :) GoldieBlox and the Spinning Machine looks really neat … really, everything does!
I love anything that encourages girls to embrace science so I think I love everything about this.
I love the way it encourages girls to find out what and how things work together, and to be able manipulate them. It’s a WIN! I’m hoping to send my girlie to a STEM academy, she loves science and math.
I love the dunk tank! This looks like something my daughter would love! I like how it encourages critical thinking through play.
The dunk tank is the best!
I love the age appropriate boxes. My girls would love to try this
I have to be honest, I didn’t expect to like these. The idea seemed too much like “girl Legos” which irritate me to no end. BUT after reading your blog and doing some research on my own (’cause I’m suspicious like that) I am impressed. I have watched my daughter at with building toys before and she does tend to have a story or characters to go along with whatever she’s making. These don’t seem to limit creativity, but really encourage it. Even if I’m not the lucky winner I’m thinking Princess Sassy Pants will find that Santa left her a GoldieBox kit this year.
I have been really wanting to get one of these sets for my daughter. She has always loved building things. I love that there is a story to go along with the sets to encourage imagination and creativity. Awesome!
I like that the parade has engineering and a tiera involved. My oldest is a “girly girl.” I am not. I also can’t sing worth a like, but am a biologist. So, I might be your opposite in one way? I’m not against princesses in moderation, but love how you wrote about the research on learning strategies that went into the toy. That is excellent. Honestly, I suspect if I don’t win, I’ll be heading back to the site (via your link) to buy a present for my three-year-old’s birthday.
Um YES please – my girl LOVES to build and keep up with her bros. Would love to give her something other than purple and pink Legos :)
I love that GoldieBlox are a strong female role model. My daughter likes her princesses too, but doesn’t understand why “the man always has to save her.” Weymouth GoldieBlox, the girl is the smart one and always the hero. :-)
SO FUN. Lydia loves to build. I’m diggin’ that movie machine but all of ’em are cute!
Our girlies would love the anticipation of the Dunk Tank exercise. I can here their giggles in my head already. I’ve had my eye on These from the get go. So fantastic!
I love that the story is an integral part of the building process. My daughter is SO verbal…loves to talk and discuss. If she can keep a conversation going, there’s no stopping her on what else she can do at the same time! GoldieBlox is high up on the Christmas wishlist this year! :-)
Our 8 year old daughter tells us that she wants to be an engineer when she grows up. I love that Goldie Blox encourages her pursuit of that knowledge!
Didn’t see this until this morning (and I know it’s after the fact), but I’m going to comment anyway because I just love this! I love the idea of innovation and problem solving wrapped up in a way that connects to what a girl might be strongest in (language skills). Even though my girl is just outside the age range at 10, I know she would just love this. Going to have to check it out for sure.
Sophie LOVES GoldieBlox and so do I! I really want to get her the Parade Float. The thing I’m most excited about on the site is BloxTown – my interest is VERY piqued!