#but also its making me wish i had a whole room made of mini yarn landscapes

[dailypokemoncrochet]

You know how there's a Yoshi and Kirby yarn game? I want a pokemon yarn game. I get a lot of enjoyment out of seeing all my little yarn pokemon and having them in a video game would be especially cool because they could have all the little extra details and effects I can't quite make in real life

[realityhelixcreates]

Lasabrjotr Chapter 8: Don’t Kick That One Out

Chapters: 8/? Fandom: Thor (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Teen And Up

Warnings:

Relationships: Loki x Reader (But not yet)

Characters: Loki (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), OFC, Andsvarr

Additional Tags: Post-Endgame: Best Possible Ending, Loki is Educational, Andsvarr is a Fanboy, Loki is Considerate, Brunnhilde Ships It

Summary: Loki is a Responsible Prince, who makes an effort to keep mistakes from repeating. Loki is a Responsible Prince who teaches Reader further in the the ways of history and magic. Thor and Brunnhilde have taken notice of how much of a Responsible Prince Loki is trying to be.

You awoke from dreams of other worlds to be faced with another tasty breakfast and a new set of clothing. You really hoped it was Saldis or Roskva bringing your clothes now, as there were various underthings among them that the men that were suddenly in your life simply did not need to know about. There were also some aspects of your new garments that you weren’t entirely sure on how to go about wearing, but you’d be hanged before you went to ask Loki to help you dress yourself. You were not a child; you didn’t need anyone’s help to put your own clothes on, least of all his.

The dark green dress was easy enough. It was somewhat shapeless, soft and comfortable, but clearly not new. There was wear in the shoulder and neck areas, and the hems and sleeves had clearly been shortened to fit your stature. They’d hidden the hasty alterations with a wide black ribbon, woven with a dark yellow braid pattern. Somehow, the fact that it wasn’t brand new made you more comfortable with wearing it. It would be so much easier and cheaper for these already busy people to simply recycle old clothes for you.

The loose drawstring trousers and thick socks that went under the skirt were very welcome. Your feet had been cold since yesterday, and there was no rug on the floor of your room.

You noticed with some surprise that your apron from work had been altered with decorative ribbon as well, and was clearly meant to be worn with the rest of the ensemble. You had seen some people out in the encampment who had been wearing overdresses that looked a bit like aprons. Maybe the Asgardian clothiers had though that’s what your apron was. You put it on like you always did. You’d grown so used to wearing it. Now it looked so lovely, with its simple ribbon addition, it was like you’d never seen it before.

Now you were confronted by the objects you weren’t as sure about. A braided yellow and green sash that you sincerely hoped was a belt, because that was how you were wearing it. A triangular piece of cloth that you thought might be some kind of mini cape. It looked warm and fluffy, and Loki had said he’d get you a coat. Maybe this was the best he could find? It draped over your shoulders easily enough.

There was a pair of oval pins, decorated with knotted snakes, a length of yarn braid strung between them. They were obviously meant to be worn as a connected whole, so you held them against various parts of your body, trying to guess where they looked best. You settled for pinning them to your sash belt. A pair of fingernail clippers and a tiny, cylindrical sewing kit with a single needle and spool of thread wrapped around a toothpick inside, both hung from short chains attached to hooks. You hooked them through the braided belt, tied the warm shawl around your shoulders, and stepped out into the library.

Loki was there, nibbling on some toast, leafing through a yellowed journal filled with odd-looking runes; like lines with tally marks on them. He seemed to be attempting to transliterate them into his own runes, in his notebook.

“What do they say?” You asked. Could you learn to read these things?

“They are descriptions of an artifact the writers were searching for. It had been used against them in war, and they believed it had been left behind when their enemies withdrew. They never found it.”

“Who were they?” You wondered. “I’ve never seen writing like this.”

“How many kinds of writing have you really seen?” Loki asked, slight mocking in his tone. You, who are poor and uneducated, how much could you know? Was that what he meant?

“Well, I’ve got the internet.” You pointed out. “I’ve at least seen words, even if I couldn’t read them.”

“Very well then, from where does this come?” He scribbled a few letters.

“I think that’s Greek? I can’t read it.” His pen moved again. “An Asian language. Probably Chinese? I can’t read that either, and I’m not good at telling them apart. I just know there’s a lot.”

“And these?”

“Those are the same runes you always use. So…Viking, I guess?”

“They are Asgardian in origin.” Loki explained. “Brought here and taught to the ancestors of your people, likely at about the same time this writing was.” He tapped the yellow page, with its strange, stick-like runes. “But these are not the same as what humans came to use. Humans did not learn Asgardian, they simply adapted our writing to their own purposes. Your kind is very good at doing things like that.

But this writing did not catch on as well as ours did. It seems to have disappeared and resurfaced several times over the centuries. That’s simply to be expected, I think, because the originators of this language, the Alfar, are a rather aloof people, and so their customs simply didn’t travel as far as ours did.”

He finally looked up at you, and another almost-smile tugged the corners of his mouth.

“You nearly got it right.” He said, almost praising. Then he casually reached out and unfastened the pair of pins from your belt. You made a startled sound, stepped back, but he bid you stay still while he re-pinned them in their proper place; at the shoulder straps of your apron. Your face burned at the closeness, and at the fact that you hadn’t known how to wear simple jewelry, and you looked away.

This sparked some amusement in him.  “You want to look proper when I parade you out in front of the guards, don’t you? You know, when I tell them all ‘hey, you know that obvious human that’s been following me around? Don’t kick that one out’.”

You brightened right up at that. You would get to meet some new people, and see more of the building. You had grown familiar with Loki’s rooms, and with the medical area, but other than that, you had no grasp of your surroundings.

How tiny your world had become.

Evidently there had been word of your coming. The yard outside the guardhouse was stuffed full of people in full armor and horned helmets. They were lined up in flawless order, each with a spear, and a beautiful round shield. They looked ready to take on anything.

“Gotta admit.” You whispered to Loki. “I’m super impressed.”

“It doesn’t take much, does it?” He quipped, then quickly raised his hand to shush you. “This is but a tiny remnant of the force we could once field. While it’s likely we won’t need a great army any time soon, it’s still a mere shadow of what we used to have. Almost half of them are new recruits as well. Not fully trained. It takes more than armor to make einherjar,  _____.”

“They didn’t…they didn’t come back? After you set the universe right?”

He shot you a quick glance.

“I mean all of you.” You amended. He hadn’t even been there. He’d been dead.

“They died before all that, I’m afraid, not because of Thanos. And this is all that’s left. They aren’t wasted though. Rather than battle, they are dedicated to the protection of the city and the people. And now you.”

People gathered in the street as Loki stood before the neat rows of guards, and addressed them in a ringing voice that filled the area. You couldn’t understand, but he placed his hand on your back and pushed you forward, and you heard your name among the flow of words. Knowing why you had come in the first place helped you get the gist of what he was saying.

Of course, he could be saying any kind of insulting thing, and you wouldn’t know. The guards-Einherjar-wore helmets that entirely covered their faces, and could betray no expression, and when you turned to the people gathered on the sidelines, you saw only a mix of adoration and distaste. It seemed Loki was a figure controversial even among his own people.

Or perhaps that disapproval was aimed toward you; a stranger, a human, standing at the side of their prince.

“Hold out your hand.” Loki ordered. “Let them see the mark, so they can recognize that, even if they do not remember your face.”

You held your hand up high over your head so they could all see.

“And if any of you were looking for an excuse to learn more Midgardian languages, may I suggest the challenge of English? For it is all she speaks, I’m afraid. You are all dismissed to your duties.”

With the dismissal, most of the guards left, either to their patrols, or back into the guardhouse. Some removed their helmets to converse with each other. The young guard from Loki’s rooms approached with a small smile.

“Yuu, stae?” He asked shyly.

“Yes.” You told him. “For some time, at least.”

“Guud. So I will…” He trailed off, looking for words, speaking to Loki with a searching tone.

“Ah. Andsvarr here wishes to convey to you his dedication to your personal protection.” Loki said, lips pursing in clear amusement. Andsvarr continued speaking. “He considers it an honor to see to the well-being of the first human resident of Asgard.”

“Oh. Uh, can you tell him that I appreciate his efforts?”

Loki obliged, and the young guard-Andsvarr, you would remember-beamed brighter than his armor. He was called away by another guard, whom you assumed must be his superior.

“No doubt you’ll be able to convey your appreciation without my help soon enough.” Loki said. “He’s proven to be a fast learner.”

“Are humans considered exotic or something?” You wondered. “Because the whole world is full of us. We aren’t exactly rare.”

“Oh, that’s not exactly it. There are a set of Asgardian that isn’t terribly fond of humanity as a concept. And then there is a set that wishes to adapt to our new circumstances as quickly as possible and, perhaps hastily, has decided to welcome humans with open arms. Andsvarr is one of the latter, but he comes from a family that is the former. And so he has embraced this new life with extra vigor.”

“Oh. Is that why you don’t allow any other humans in? Because some of your people don’t like us?”

“There are several reasons.” He offered you his arm, which you slowly and hesitantly took. You’d only seen that gesture in fairy tale movies. “Most of the area is a construction site. You don’t just let random people onto construction sites, do you? Why?”

“It’s dangerous.” You answered obligingly as he led you away, carefully avoiding areas where large amounts of dust were being kicked up. “People who don’t know what they’re doing could get hurt. Okay, that’s fair.”

“And maybe not every human in that camp out there is what they say they are. We have enemies. I have enemies, for what I’ve done. Thor has enemies, among the less kind of your species. And of course, there are the humans who feel threatened by outsiders, or who are jealous, or who are violently opposed to the theological questions we represent. Any such person could prove dangerous to us. Harm our citizens, or sabotage our work.

Also, at the risk of sounding dismissive, worshippers and admirers are simply too much trouble for now. While the prospect of worship is gratifying, we have so much to do at this point in time that we simply cannot have unvetted people running around underfoot. This is all for their safety, as well as ours. And yours. Just because the guards know who you are now doesn’t mean you can go wandering off wherever you want. Most of us have no idea how fragile Midgardian bodies are, compared to our own. There is still too much potential for an accident.”

That was annoying. The prospect of being cooped up all the time was driving you nuts, and it hadn’t even happened yet!

“Maybe you should put me in some of that armor.” You joked. He pretended to be mulling it over.

“You couldn’t even put those brooches on correctly.” He teased. “I can’t expect you to even know what a ‘pauldron’ is, much less how to wear it.”

You huffed. “All right, fine. I don’t know what that is. But you could show me, and then I would.”

“How about I show you more magic instead?” He offered. Part of you was elated. Magic was amazing! But the other part remembered the day before just a bit too vividly. Magic was also frightening.

“Can we not do what we did yesterday?” You asked. “That kinda fried my brain.”

“We are going to have to continue with the experiments, I’m afraid. But you won’t come to harm.”

The courtyard he led you too was lovely, and would be even lovelier, once it was finished. Loki had blankets and bread brought out and sat you down with him, like you were having a nice picnic. He took your hand and spread out your fingers.

“Did it hurt yesterday?” He asked, fingertips brushing the brand. It tickled.

“Well, not exactly. Not pain. Or not what I call pain. It was just too much, that’s all. It was like all the things that come with pain, without the pain part?”

He nodded slowly. “The power is probably circumventing your pain receptors altogether. That might be an involuntary defense mechanism, allowing your body to redirect the magic through the least damaging channels. Possibly partially converting or absorbing it?” He was barely speaking to you at this point, more like he was simply thinking out loud. “Definitely using a portion of it somehow, to maintain health through our closeness.”

Closeness indeed. You were both out in the open, for all to see, sitting cross-legged together on a blanket, heads close, holding hands. Anyone who saw you would get the wrong impression. How could they not?

“Will you let me join with you again?” He asked. You flinched. Did everybody in this city need to work on their phrasing? It seemed he mistook your expression, quickly adding, “I will not let there be a repeat of yesterday, don’t worry. We will be careful.”

“Geez. I guess so. What is the goal though?”

“Like yesterday, I want you to try to push the energy back down. Try to push it into me, through the link. You won’t hurt me, so push as hard as you like.”

You spent several hours practicing and experimenting with moving the energy back and forth. It was truly exhausting, for all that you never even moved from that spot. Loki explained the fatigue as being like exercising a whole new set of muscles that you had never used before, and it certainly felt like it.

When it got too much, he would let you take a break, leaning your head against his shoulder so you could wolf down the bread, while he slowly stroked your shoulders and back. The familiarity of it put you on edge. You wanted the comfort very badly. The past few days had been very stressful, and all you’d been able to do was let it sweep you along. You wanted someone to hold you for a moment, but you weren’t really sure you wanted it to be him. You didn’t have anyone else in mind, but he was, in some part, the center of half a year of suffering, and responsible for uprooting you from everything you had ever known, and setting you adrift. Even though he had vowed to take responsibility for it all, you weren’t sure you wanted it to be him.

When you resumed, the energy was easier to handle, and you could work a bit longer before weariness took over. You thought it must be because you were less tense for the work of his hands. He worked you until you couldn’t do anymore, until you movements trembled and your words came slow and thick, then he lay you down on the blanket to sleep while he compiled his notes.

It was evening before you awoke to Andsvarr calling softly through the door that it was dinnertime. You rolled out of bed to brush your hair and smooth your clothes-which you were very glad to find still on. You grabbed the pad of paper Saldis had left for you and scribbled ‘English Language Books’ for her to find.

Dinner felt awkward. Loki was still being casually tactile, and everyone seemed to notice but him. You probably should have said something, but for all the sleeping, you were still tired, still letting yourself be swept along.

When you were escorted back to bed, you fell right back asleep, and found yourself dreaming of golden spires and flying ships.

                                                                            *****

“Loki, may I speak to you?” Thor asked. Loki could hear concern and confusion in his voice. What was it this time?

“And what have I done to perturb you now brother? I do believe I have behaved myself adequately, at least for a few hours or so.”

“You’re getting pretty handsy with that woman.” Brunnhilde pointed out, punching his arm lightly. “Good for you.”

“It’s not like that!” He insisted. “Touch stabilizes the energy within her. It allows her to push herself further, to remain strong for longer, and mitigates magic fatigue. Bjarkehild, you know, the head healer? We all found this out together.”

“Oh, and I’m sure you put up such a fight.” She teased. “Oh no, I’ve got to get all cuddly with the cute little mortal girl, whatever shall I do?”

Loki heaved a martyred sigh. “Not you too.”

“What?” Brunnhilde shrugged. “She’s cute. Whatever. You lucked out.”

“I am bound against my will to a magical dilemma, which has forced me to bring mayhem into an innocent woman’s life.” He said gravely. “Luck has not favored me for years. I just want to do it right this time. Do something right, anyway.”

“Loki.” Thor said. “However you want to do this-“

“Yes, I know. ‘Be careful’. Now if you will excuse me, I believe I will get some rest as well.”

He listened at your door for a few moments, just to make sure everything was all right, then retired to his own room.

He dreamt of home.

[cressthoughts-blog]

WWE UK Championship Tournament Thoughts

               WWE’s UK Championship Tournament provided what it promised: It was very UK, it had a championship, and a tournament. Thus, it is a success. FIVE STARS.

               Wait what? I should say more? That isn’t an acceptable standard of review? Well, shut up, Strawman. Let’s do this!

- God the facility is gorgeous. Definitely getting Hammerstein Ballroom vibes, which is always good. In general, it just makes the whole thing feel classy. It was like the whole tournament has its pinky up, slowing sipping Earl Grey and discussing the price of tea in China. It also makes for an excellent juxtaposition for the violence. I don’t know what it is, but the cinematic cacophony of the very nice ballroom and the brutal forearms made gave this event a sort of timeless quality.

 - The best part of overseas wrestlers is the stories of how young they started training. I swear they said something about Pete Dunne (ohmygod he’s amazing – more on him later) being 23 but having been a wrestler for 11 years. It’s like they live in Mad Max times and anything goes. If you had told me one of the competitors learned a suplex before he was potty trained, I’d believe you but secretly decide to Google it later, then forget and tell everyone about it even though I hadn’t verified it. It just sounds true, you know?

 - The first round had a ton of filler. A lot of these guys clearly aren’t ready for WWE. But someone had to get pinned, right? Good exposure for them too. In my head, I christened the first round “The Pay Me More Classic”. Someone’s going to catch up on some bills when they start getting booked again!

 - Every time a wrestler scowls at the crowd, drink.

 - You are dead.

 - I’m sorry.

 - Apparently, from this sample size, “I’m an angry lad from a tough family” is the UK’s most popular gimmick, narrowly beating out “Look at my weird ear” and “Moustaches are personality”.

 - It feels like there’s way more heels than faces here but that might just be because even some of the faces look angry. I’ve never seen more pissy looking people in one room since I was hanging out with Trump in that Russian hotel. Good times….good times…

 - I enjoyed the story told through the tournament. Inevitably every tournament tells some variation of the early injury story but I thought they did a nice play on it here. Bate didn’t sell it very well at first but he came out for the final match like he was about to tell some death bed secrets. And if you aren’t using wrestling tournaments as a format to tell stories, then what’s the point? Every wrestling tournament should be what we wish actual sports tournaments were. It should have the crazy upsets of every March Madness and the through-line of stories every good Superbowl matchup does (basically, anyone with Kurt Warner). In real sports, we don’t always get the best opponents because real life is a thing and some teams, no matter how fascinating, suck, but when you pick the winners? Wrestling tournaments should always be some variation of Cavs/Warriors or Indians/Cubs.

 - What caught my eye was the way they established Dunne as a threat night one. Every single match he wrestled after, the crowd was on their feet. Not because he was a good wrestler (but ohmygod he is) but because he had a character. The villain makes the story. By creating the mystique of Pete Dunne, every battle versus him was a mini-morality play, pitting the scrappy underdog who believes in not just himself but the tournament as an idea against a man so vicious he will destroy the very tournament he wants to win because he rather take everyone with him than die alone. Dunne is self-destructive, and therefore, more dangerous than anyone. A man who doesn’t even care for his own welfare is a hazard to everyone else’s. That gave the spectacular Mark Andrews and the underrated Tyler Bate (underrated because I don’t think he showed everything he was capable of until the last two bouts) someone to define THEM. Defining a babyface’s motivation is tricky because it’s so cliché and honestly, vague (“I wanna be the best!” “I just want to follow my dreams!”), but heels are inherently more complex, and thus, are useful for filling in the blanks of the hero; anything the villains stands FOR, we can presume the hero stands AGAINST. Dunne executed his role with vigor and gave the viewer the impression Andrews and Dunne were folk heroes. Just incredible.

 - God, Devlin is a mess. I mean, let’s just start with the fucking hilarious fact he DOESN’T want to be compared to Balor. YOU DON’T WANT TO BE COMPARED TO HIM?! THEN WHY DO YOU LOOK LIKE HIS STUNT DOUBLE?! Why would you even come out in that jacket with his stupid 90’s comic book character haircut (I’m lying, I love the Undercut) and walk down to the ring like you’re mo-capping him for a video game?! My theory is he doesn’t speak English, and thus his contradictory word salad is null and void. This is what I have to tell myself.

 - But it’s not just that. He was just average to be honest. I think WWE unfairly created expectations that he couldn’t live up to with an average but not exciting moveset (yes, this is somewhat required from heels, but it doesn’t mean he has to be boring either) and a lack of charisma his counterpart possesses in spades. His heel work came off like he was doing a bit, it never felt authentic for me. His face didn’t sell it and ugh, he never stopped smiling. If you’re going to smile, at least do a creepy one, you know? My number one problem with wrestlers is when you can tell they don’t believe what they’re saying/doing. Conviction is so important for this, more important that it is for a traditional actor, even, because wresting carries with it the uncertain expectation that it could be real. No one suspects Girl Meets World is real. But Raw is up in the air to a certain segment of fans, by nature of wrestling’s…well, nature. Devlin didn’t make me believe. He just seemed like he was having a lot of fun pretending to be a bad guy.

 - Though I’m working on the theory that WWE purposely oversaturated us with Devlin’s obnoxious backstory knowing we’d turn on him, like an intended Roman Reigns/Old Cena situation (aka NXT Bo Dallas, who was too beautiful for this world). This is dangerous: a self-aware WWE is the first sign of the apocalypse.

 - Whenever Michael Cole doesn’t have Vince McMahon in his ear, he’s startlingly competent. He did a great job calling the moves, setting up Nigel, and generally sounding like he cared. This is a recurring pattern (remember how great he was during Beast in the East?) and makes you wonder if they’re being overproduced. Or maybe Cole is just bored by Raw at this point. Yelling at Byron Saxton for three hours would tire me out too.

 - Pete Dunne is Kevin Owens by way of Daniel Bryan, and thus, shouldn’t exist and is a threat to tear a hole in spacetime. I can’t praise him enough, from his stiff looking work to his surprising willingness to both take and sell for smaller guys to his preternatural skill leering at people like they stole his birthday cake. I don’t want to fall into hyperbole here and make him out to be the second coming of Jesus (our savior lost in the first round, per the crowd) but with a little more training – cameras, presentation and the usual stuff almost finished grapplers polish up on – he’s Intercontinental Champion. Big fan.

 - Special space here to praise Danny Burch as well. Just polished to an insane degree, he had everything you look for in a television wrestler. The expertise of the Performance Center continues to just blow me away. Put this man back on NXT or promote him. But do something with him. If Pete Dunne is almost finished, Danny Burch is a complete product. Oh, and I’d be remised if I didn’t mention Wolfgang too. He comes off (along with Trent Seven) as the wrestler who is most themselves. Wolfy possesses that innate ability to endear himself because he’s clearly just a guy who loves this so much. That kind of thing goes far. It’s a natural relationship with the crowd, the kind of thing guys like Ziggler would kill for.

 -  All in all, it didn’t reach the highs of the CWC’s Ring of Honor Lite (same great taste, fewer calories!) meets WWE, but it on a whole, it told a better yarn and I’m so biased toward three act stories, so I’m inclined to favor the UK Tournament.- It was better than that new old-timey Pepsi but not as good as glass bottle Coke.

- It was better than that new old-timey Pepsi but not as good as glass bottle Coke.

[thegloober]

The Best Developmental Toy For Kids Isn’t What You Think

Shopping for toys can be overwhelming. There are STEM sets and Surprise toys, coding tools and crafting kits, interactive pets and Augmented Reality apps. It’s hard to know what toys be fun for your kids, let alone what might actually help them develop worthwhile skills. What are some must haves? What should be avoided? For those answers we turned to Alexandra Lange. The author of The Design of Childhood: How The Material World Shapes Independent Kids, Lange is an architecture critic for Curb, 2014 Loeb Fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Art and Design, and an all-around design expert in play as well as what toys help build better kids. We spoke to her about the state of the toy industry, what parents should be sure to add to their kids’ collection, and why nothing beats a good old set of building blocks. 

Why is it important for parents to be thoughtful about the toys they buy their kids?

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The first way that children learn is through their hands and through manipulating objects. That’s why the first play sets that most kids get are building blocks. Educators and parents have understood from the end of the 18th century through today that there are a number of cognitive connections that can be made through manipulating blocks. The psychologist, Piaget, talks about ‘object permanence,’ which is a stage of cognitive development where kids understand that if you put a block underneath a piece of fabric, the object is still there, even though they can’t see it.

Building blocks also teach a number of other skills, too. 

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There are larger concepts like gravity, which kids learn by stacking things up, and size, like physically comparing two blocks and seeing that one is bigger than the other. Kids can figure out stability: put the bigger block on the bottom, and the smaller block on top. Going forward, as kids get older, kids learn to share blocks with other kids. Blocks are the first thing a kid can grasp and they become an entry to Lego sets and the larger building blocks, like the Imagination Playground blocks. They are a lifetime toy.

What do you think about play sets which constrain kids to a certain end goal? For instance, the Lego Millennium Falcon set compared to those which are more like building blocks, which is play with no specific end result?

Lego is an interesting case. You can still build in an open way with Lego. They sell those Lego studio bricks, which is a box full of white bricks that come with no instructions. In The Design of Childhood, I actually write about how unconstrained Lego play has become the province of artists rather than children. A contemporary artist, Olafur Eliasson, has a piece called “The Collectivity Project,” where he sets up bins and bins of white legos and basically invites everyone to play with them. It was a really beautiful thing. But it also made me a little sad.

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Why sad?

Lego is not packaged in that open-ended way now. It tends to be packaged as branded sets and single use sets. Parents and children have to overcome that sense of constraint. However, I do think that a lot of children end up building freely. I have to say that I struggled with it as a kid; I’m a bit of a completist. My son is the same way. We love to build the sets. I think it’s a positive thing. It’s about following directions, building the set, and accomplishing a task over time. That is a really different form of play than open-ended play, though.

What are your thoughts about STEM and coding toys that are so in-demand right now? 

I don’t really think they’re necessary. I especially don’t really think they’re necessary for three year olds. They exist — there’s a whole set of toys that basically look like little wooden blocks and they’re intended to teach your kids to code. That is not what three-year-olds need to focus on. Three-year-olds need to think about building, space, gravity, and the basics of life. They do not need to think about coding yet.

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Why not?

It’s not going to set them up to be billionaires. It’s just not. The idea that I think that is embedded in these toys, that I hate, is that playing with blocks isn’t good enough anymore. Playing with blocks is always going to be good enough. We’re not going to leave the physical world behind. Children, more than anyone else, need to experience the physical world to grow their minds and bodies.

Are you saying that you disagree with coding toys in general?

It’s perfectly fine for older kids to learn how to code. My son goes to public school, and in third or fourth grade they were introduced to Scratch and Scratch Jr. Those are free online programs developed by the MIT Idealab, and those are, in fact, block-based early coding programs that are on screen. You snap together Lego-like pieces to build command sequences to do simple animation. That’s free. Kids can do it at a pretty young age. It doesn’t require all of this parental investment and it doesn’t necessarily require a physical toy.

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So for you, coding toys are fine as long as it’s not toddlers who are playing with them.

Some of the older connected toys, like the Lego Mindstorm, have an online component and are part of the larger Lego universe. Those are great. Kids can code so they can move a Lego spider around the room. That’s part of a larger system aimed at older children. Those are kids that have already had a chance to play with building blocks, have already played with Lego, and now they are adding coding to a system they already understand. I think that makes more sense developmentally, because it builds on systems they know.

In your opinion, what should always be “must-have” toys for kids?

I love basic building blocks, the unit blocks, which were invented by this amazing educator, Caroline Kratt, in 1913. Those are the classic blocks and a great thing to have.

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I also really love Magnatiles. They say they’re only for three-and-up, but really, the magnet is very safely encased in plastic, so I don’t think they’re that big of a swallowing hazard, which is generally why there are certain restrictions on a lot of magnetic toys. Those are either opaque or translucent colored plastic tiles with magnets around the edge. You can build big structures really quickly. My kids have played with those for about 10 years. They’re a little bit expensive, but they’re a great investment.

I also love Zoob. You can build animal structures and textile structures. They click together with ball and socket joints. They were created by this great artist, Michael Joaquin Grey, and are in the collection at the Museum of Modern Art. But they’re also a really inexpensive and readily available toy.

What are some toys you don’t like? 

I already mentioned toys that teach your kids how to code when they’re three-years-old and they often cost $70. Those are pretty dumb.

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There are also a lot of block sets where they try to “add” something to the basic building block. It’s a marketing ploy. Blocks that teach your kid the alphabet or colors can be confusing for the child. It’s important, with blocks, to allow kids to focus on one quality of the block: just the shape or just the color. But once they start layering on colors and numbers and the alphabet, it’s actually not helpful, cognitively, because the child doesn’t know what to focus on.

With Montessori toys, they are very careful to only introduce one new concept at a time with each new toy. Or all the consonants will be one color and all the vowels will be another color. If the toy hasn’t been designed thoughtfully, and there’s no system as to why its colorful, it can actually be detrimental and a bad toy, because the child tries to make a system out of what they see.

What do you think of the “surprise” toys out right now, where the whole gambit is you don’t know what you’re going to get until you get it?

My seven year old loves them. I feel like we already have a fair amount of experience with surprise toys: both Lego and Playmobil make these surprise baggies with a mini-figure in them, and people have been giving those out at birthday parties that my kids have gone to for several years. They’re pretty fun but tend to have a bit of a gender problem. They are very gender distinct. I wish that the makers of those figures would think harder about how to make all of the figures, equally heroic or equally scary across gender.

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Play is essential for kids. But what about adults? After your research, how important is it for adults to let loose their inner child?

I’ve always done a lot of crafting. I feel like having children actually brought me back to crafts, because as a busy adult you don’t always prioritize that. But we all need to do things with our hands. That’s one of the things that our very digital society separates us from.

You can get the same satisfaction building a tower of blocks as you do cooking a meal or sewing. That’s the niche that the coloring book craze was also tapping into. People just wanted to be able to feel okay taking a moment and thinking about colors and structure. When you’re a kid, your options are managed by your parents. But as an adult, you can do the crafting you want to do. Do you want it to be with yarn? Do you want it to be with food? Do you want to just color?

Source: https://bloghyped.com/the-best-developmental-toy-for-kids-isnt-what-you-think/