It all started with a set of blocks to keep the little one entertained, but before I knew it, the little one was gone and I was the one being entertained by these simple, open ended toys.
My thinking was simple: try to construct a building. For this I had only two criteria: 1) Blocks must be placed on top of each other. 2) It must look like some sort of building.
Being someone who is seriously lacking imagination I was truly chuffed when I eventually ended up with an outer structure to my building. It was cube-ish shaped, and had an entrance. It was the closest thing to a building I’d ever constructed. But then I wondered about a roof, and realized that the rectangular blocks I had wouldn’t fit the size of my structure so I had to resize the building in order to add in my roof’s “beams”. Before adding the beams though, I needed to find adequate “pillars” for my building, on which to rest these beams. My go-to materials were running out. I needed to work my way around this.
So with only my wooden blocks, problem solving skills and lack of imagination I went on a mission; to mentally redesign my building and use only the blocks at my disposal to build the frame of a house, archway, balcony, roof and all.
I started by organizing my materials, so I could see what quantities I had of which items. Then I replaced the short rectangular blocks with two square blocks. This gave me the same height, but allowed for more room to play with as I could now use the rectangular pieces as beams for my roof. And since the squares were broader than the rectangular pieces, I could also use them as pillars to support the beams. Win-win.
I also had to make provision for the rain so that it wouldn’t pool on my roof and cause me unnecessary headaches. So I decided to heighten the middle of the building and lower the outer section so that rain would “naturally flow off” my roof.
When my building was almost complete, my toddler accidentally knocked part of it down, and I had to reconstruct it. Then, during the reconstruction phase, I accidentally knocked down most of my building and basically had to rebuild it from scratch. I was ready to blow a gasket.
By this time, I couldn’t remember the original layout of my entrance, and when I thought I figured it out, I somehow didn’t have enough parts to reconstruct it, so I had to adjust my building plans AGAIN and reconstruct accordingly.
I eventually completed my building and was absolutely chuffed at the result, not so much for the end product (though that too was pretty cool by my standards), but more so because of the lessons it taught me.
Through this activity I learnt, to appreciate those who build with very little; it takes some serious brain power and lots of trial and error. I was able to concentrate fully, and pour myself into what I was doing (a skill I usually lack in). I learnt patience, and problem solving skills. I learnt to adjust my expectations, and saw the importance of changing what doesn’t work for you, and working with what you have. I learnt that amazing things, start with simple ideas, that grow with trial and error. I saw how a smaller, sturdier foundation to my building created less frustration, and a better work experience than a bigger, weaker foundation.
I experienced the importance of organizing, and how just a little bit of planning and structure can make a world of difference. I learnt the value of improvising and the benefits of “catching yourself” before you blow your top. Best of all, I loved how relaxing this was despite all the challenges.
I loved the mental stimulation this activity provided, and now better understand why open ended toys have so much appeal, and also why play is in fact work for kids.
Initial structure 
Initial entrance design 
Grouping materials 
Final construction – front 
Final Construction – side 
Final construction – back