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November 30, 2016 The Skanner Page 9 News Get Ready to Build! Hands-on Toys That Teach are Hot New toys work to teach children through tactile play, not screen time Some of the drive for tech in toys comes from parents who believe that the younger their kids are exposed to technology, the more prepared they will be for a lucrative career someday. But Sobel-Lojeski said Albert Ein- stein came up with breakthroughs without ever touching a computer, let alone tech toys at a young age. “We can easily be tricked into think- ing that all this stuff is going to make our kids more intelligent or better scientists and that’s just not true,” she said. NEW YORK — Toys that teach aren’t a new thing, but a growing number are calling for kids to build with blocks, cir- cuits or everyday items before reach- ing for a tablet screen. Play is how kids learn about the world around them, whether it’s a tod- dler throwing a ball or teens playing video games. It’s about seeing how things work and what happens when they do something. And over the years, toys have gotten more high tech to keep screen-obsessed children engaged with such play. But there’s growing worry among parents and educators that toys are moving too far in that direction. Educa- tional toys that have a math and science bent — marketed under the umbrella of STEM — are now trying to get back to the basics: less screen time, more hands-on activities. “When kids use their hands, your outcomes are much higher,” said Pra- mod Sharma, CEO of one such toy com- pany, Osmo. “It’s very different than if they’re just staring at a screen watch- ing TV.” This photo provided by Anki shows the Cozmo Memory Match game. Whether you’re looking for something educational or a toy that’s just for fun, there are a lot of choices for the holidays. New toys include little robot friends full of personality and magnetic blocks that snap together to teach the basics of computer programming. segments that each tells the caterpillar to do something different, such as “turn left” or “play sound.” “I’m not sure that kids are asking for it, or that their parents just want their ‘The way the world comes to us is actually through tactile activities, so tactile toys where we build stuff are incredible helpful’ it d ay ! • L i ke u s o n F ebo m • nts TheSkannerNews o k • learn • co in y o u r c o m m u n to y • ac lo c a l n e GOOD, BUT POPULAR? Sobel-Lojeski said toys are most ed- ucational when kids can learn how things work by building. But Juli Len- nett, a toy industry analyst at NPD, said such toys are rarely on kids’ wish lists. On the other hand, tech toys that have subtle educational value, but ar- en’t specifically marketed as such, can be strong sellers. Lennett cites Fish- er-Price’s Think & Learn Code-a-Pillar, which introduces basic coding con- cepts by letting preschoolers assemble TECH HAS ITS LIMITS Achinger’s 3-year-old son will be get- ting an iPad this year. She said she isn’t against screen time, but believes par- ents need to keep an eye on what their kids are watching and playing. She said her older son has been playing creative games such as “Minecraft” for a few years. “We try to keep it educational,” Ach- inger said. “I really think those kinds of games get their imaginations going as they create their own worlds.” The American Academy of Pediat- rics recently revised its guidelines to shift the emphasis away from banning screen time and toward balancing high-quality content with non-screen activities. That doesn’t mean every toy with a screen is educational. Barbie has her own smart home in the form of the voice-activated and Wi-Fi-connected Hello Dreamhouse. And new versions ews • ev LEARN BY BUILDING Educators agree that whether you’re talking about a toddler playing with blocks, or a teen building a computer from scratch, the act of putting some- thing together helps educational con- cepts sink in. “The way the world comes to us is actually through tactile activities, so tactile toys where we build stuff are incredible helpful,” said Karen So- bel-Lojeski, who studies the effects of technology on children’s brain devel- opment at Stony Brook University on Long Island, New York. Bloxels attempts to bridge the physi- cal and the digital. Kids build their own video games by putting plastic blocks in a special tray, instead of writing out code. Using a phone or tablet’s camera, an app transforms the shapes created with the blocks into digital characters and scenery. Makey Makey, a startup founded by a pair of MIT students, asks kids to come up with their own electronic creations by combining software, circuits and ev- eryday items like bananas and dough- nuts. kids to go to Harvard, but it’s definitely one of the top-selling toys this holiday,” Lennett said. Tracy Achinger, a former automotive engineer in Shelby Township, Michi- gan, said her 8-year-old son got inter- ested in coding after starting computer programing classes this year. So for Christmas, she’s buying him an Ozo- bot, a golf ball-sized robot that kids can program by drawing different colored lines or using a kid-friendly, block- based programing language. nt • With Osmo, kids learn everything from spelling to coding not by touch- ing a screen, but by snapping together magnetic blocks. A screen is still part of it; an image is beamed onto an iPad through its camera. But the idea is to have kids learn first with their hands, then see their creation move to the screen. me “ PHOTO BY ANKI VIA AP By BREE FOWLER AP Technology Writer of Elmo, Furby and the Cabbage Patch Kids have apps, which Lennett said are often more about branding than learn- ing. Sobel-Lojeski said slapping an app on a previously low-tech toy can backfire. Instead of letting the child imagine how a particular toy would talk or behave, the app fills in those holes. “It cuts the child off from play that is much more important for develop- ment,” she said. RESIST THE SCREEN Companies that make computers for kids also see the value in a construction element. Kano shows kids how to build their own computers in a kid-friendly story- book format. Kano co-founder Alex Klein said he had to resist suggestions to just put Kano into app form and skip the com- puter construction all together. He said the act of building a computer was key because it “created a huge sense of en- ergy and momentum for what followed on screen.” But Klein said screens aren’t going away anytime soon. “You can’t compete with screens with kids,” he said. “So, for us it’s not about trying to push against what this next generation thinks is good or likes. It’s about providing a new angle on it that’s more creative.” We honor the many accomplishments of African Americans. It is our primary goal as a labor union to better the lives of all people working in the building trades through advocacy, civil demonstration, and the long-held belief that workers deserve a “family wage” - fair pay for an honest day’s work. A family wage, and the benefits that go with it, not only strengthens families, but also allows our communities to become stronger, more cohesive, and more responsive to their citizens’ needs. Our family wage agenda reflects our commitment to people working in the building trades, and to workers everywhere. In this small way, we are doing our part to help people achieve the American Dream. This dream that workers can hold dear regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, creed, or religious beliefs. Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters Representing more than 5,000 construction workers in Oregon State. Do you want to know more about becoming a Union carpenter? Go to www.NWCarpenters.org PORTLAND OFFICE 1636 East Burnside, Portland, OR 97214 503.261.1862 | 800.974.9052 HEADQUARTERS 25120 Pacific Hwy S, Suite 200, Kent, WA 98032 253.954.8800 | 800.573.8333
