If I had a daughter, I would make this a mandatory toy for her toy box…
GoldieBlox and The Spinning Machine
GoldieBlox is a toy designed for girls age 5-9 with the aim to nurture a generation of girls who are more confident, courageous and tech-savvy. It contains a series of interactive books and construction toys featuring Goldie, a curious girl with a love for engineering. “Goldie’s stories encourage girls to build, developing the spatial skills that are fundamental to engineering. While the story unfolds, girls get to build what Goldie builds… GoldieBlox stories leverage girls’ advanced verbal skills to help develop and build self-confidence in their spatial skills.”
GoldieBlox designers spent a year researching what works for girls – they spoke to Harvard neuroscientists and they observe the differences in play patterns between boys and girls – to ensure the ability of their product to engage girls in the way that they envisage.
Why are toys like GoldieBlox so important?
Despite the efforts to draw more women to these professions, careers in engineering remain heavily male-dominated. The belief is that there exists cultural and social barriers that are inadequately addressed. It is evident that girls as young as 8 years old are losing interest in math and science and it is not hard to see why. In a typical toy store, the boys are encouraged to play with construction toys and chemistry sets, while the girls are directed towards princesses and dolls.
Whether we intend it or not, “girls are taught, directly and indirectly, to steer clear of studies and jobs typically pursued by boys and men.” – Live Science
We need to increase ” the awareness of science and technical subjects” for girls. – Top Engineering Jobs
If we can get the girls interested in math and science from an early age, it increases their likelihood of going into those fields as adults so isn’t it time we made our girls aware of the full range of career options available to them?
Based on the feedback from parents on the effect that GoldieBlox is having with their daughters, this product seems to be hitting its target pretty consistently:
“one little girl who was inspired to build a massive, multi-story dollhouse on her own out of materials around her room”
“a mom wrote in about being in a public restroom with her daughter where the toilet paper dispenser was broken. The girl said, ‘Mommy, it’s missing its axle!’”
What’s in GoldieBlock and the Spinning Machine?
- 1 storybook
- 5 animal figurines
- 1 pegboard
- 5 wheels
- 10 axles
- 5 blocks
- 5 washers
- 1 crank
- 1 ribbon
- 14 design templates
Read the inspiring story behind the development of Goldie Blox.
Nurture for the Future 