This post is presented in partnership with The Motherhood and GoldieBlox. No review was done of the post prior to publishing. All opinions and photos are my own.
It is perfectly OK that my girls want to be a Kindergarten teacher, a Doctor and a mommy when they grow up. I am totally OK with any profession, as long as they have one. But as a mom of three daughters who can see the world as a place of unending opportunity, I want them to know that they have more options than they think. Unfortunately, the ways to introduce them to more male dominated fields – like Engineering and construction – are limited. That is why I am so super excited about the brand new line of toys known as GoldieBlox!
GoldieBlox won the Intuit contest to create a Super Bowl commercial.
GoldieBlox are the brainchild of Debbie and Lindsey. Moms first, best pals second and modern innovators third! These two women are upbeat, confident and educated. Their dedication to teaching girls that they are more than just a princess is steady! Debbie, an ex engineer who was a female rarity in the field and Lindsey, her pal who believed that her friend has something truly unique and special, quit their jobs to create something that moms of girls everywhere will want! A ‘toy’ that helps girls understand their analytic side and makes them want to understand more about it.
At the beginning of every GoldieBlox story, we introduce some basic engineering vocabulary 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.) These are the basic building blocks of every physical thing!
We were so lucky to receive GoldieBlox’s first two toys on the market. GoldieBlox and the Parade Float and GoldieBlox and the Dunk Tank arrived a few weeks ago and the girls have been begging to play with them sense. Now, look, I am a busy mom and my initial thought was that I was going to have to carve out hours from work, school, laundry, dishes, and more to help the kids with these complicated, engineer based toys. I pictured patience waning, frustration building and a final product that would maybe, sort of, look like what it is supposed to. I am not engineer minded, I am a writer. What do I know about pully’s, levers and more. How could I even help my girls?
To my absolute excitement and joy, my kids did not need a single helping hand. My 5 year old needed to be read to as she is just learning but that was it! I opened the Parade Float and was instantly impressed with the organization of the pieces, the colorful durable material they were made of and the innovative shapes that were in the box. My 8 year old immediately grabbed the fully texted and illustrated book and began reading. My 6 year old began building and my 5 year old grabbed the characters that come with it and started playing.
Within minutes Katie (8) figured out that in the illustrated book were the super simple instructions on how to build the parade float. She read her sister’s the instructions as she read the story and together, they all created the Parade Float easily. Mom snapped pictures and smiled hugely as they taught me that my own limitations were only in my head! Their creativity, ability to analyze and understand and desire to think outside the box were not limited at all.
Right then I learned that my girls had taught me not to limit them based on my own gender specific thoughts!
The girls absolutely love these building sets. As they play with them day after day, I have noticed that they are thinking outside of the ‘blox’ and redesigning the float and the Dunk Tank to be more specific to what they want. As a mom, I LOVE this! This ‘toy’ enhances every skill I want them to have: reading, imagination and believing they can be more than they think girls can be.
I highly recommend these building sets. Not because I got them as part of this project, but because in all of the products I receive, I see real, life altering, benefits in GoldieBlox.
You can get all three sets now online! You can even put in your order for the pre-sale items! Check out the ‘More Then Just a Princess’ t-shirts too! These would make an awesome holiday gift!
Find out more about GoldieBlox and the reason they are one of my easy pics for top items I have ever received in my house online now!
Want to Introduce your Girls to Something really cool? Enter to WIN below! (1) Reader will WIN the GoldieBlox and the Parade Float and GoldieBlox and the Dunk Tank! Just enter below and GOOD LUCK!
Giveaway Open to US Residents, 18+. Giveaway Ends 9/16/2014
What a fun idea! I love that the book and the toys interact with each other. Great ways for them to use their brains in fun ways. :)
I have to say, I am so impressed with the entire thing!
Well now that looks like a whole lot of fun! I have a niece with a birthday coming up and I bet she would love this.
I hadn’t heard of this before, thanks for the introduction! I love that they are so creative and can think this through on their own – exceptional!!
These are really great. It’s also cool that they get to be creative with building and yet keep the girly vibe that they love.
I just love this! My daughtr would have such fun with this, a great way to be creative and have a great time.
I’ve heard a lot about GoldieBlox lately. I love how they inspire little kids!
Me too! I think it’s great that little girls are finally getting some building love.
That’s really cool! It’s about time girls got some building toys. Why do us guys get all the cool stuff?
What a great idea! This is so important for girls, no reason boys should have all the fun right!?
These are awesome! I don’t know what I love more, the blox or the books! Perfect Christmas gift, too!
Oh I love that… I love that they are showing that girls can do things instead of just being a princess… Totally checking these out for my girls
My girls would love these toys! I love that they empower girls!
Those toys look like a lot of fun, and I think there should be more that don’t just focus on beauty for girls, that’s not all there is!
What a great kit. I love the message that goes with it.
That is awesome! My daughter would love this. So educational and fun!
I love how it all ties together. This makes reading even more fun than it already is.
My girls would love these!! I love that this is directed at girls and that it is educational!!
My daughter would have loved this when she was younger. Such a great idea. I will be picking one up as a gift for sure. Thanks for sharing.
what a fantastic way to integrate projects into reading. Love this idea!