Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, November 17, 1995 TAG: 9511170015
SECTION: HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE PAGE: HGG-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SARAH COX
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The reasons are many, according to both Williams and Imagination Station toy store owner Shirley Hammond.
Hammond refers to toys that can be used in a construction, building mode as opened-ended toys because, "they're providing basic tools the child can create from,'' she said, as opposed to a toy that already works on its own.
The latter toys don't stretch the imagination in the way that manipulatives do, they don't present many possibilities, and as a result, often a child will get bored with them much faster than construction toys, Hammond said.
You get the most for your money from simpler toys that you can create with year after year, and as the mind grows, they will be used in new ways, said Hammond.
This is particularly true of add-on toys such as Brio Mec, the Kinder Blocks, Erector and Junior Erector sets, or the K'Nex. Even the Lego Technics line, which comes in individual sets, can be used to make wonderful and wild things that go bump in the night (if your child forgets to turn off the battery pack).
Williams said both boys and girls love construction, or manipulative, toys, as do educators. An added bonus, she said, is that children "don't seem to find a way to make it violent.''
Williams said educators appreciate the toy's ability to teach pre-math skills and spatial relationships as well as exercise a child's fine motor skills. Unfortunately, said Williams, she has a hard time convincing mothers to buy these kind of toys for their daughters, although boys and girls approach construction toys similarly and both love them.
Williams' two daughters, who are 8 and 9 years old, have become fascinated with the motorized Capsela line of scientific toys. This series has different size sets, interlocking parts, gears and motors, all to teach a few basic scientific principles.
Another advantage of the construction toys is that often fathers enjoy playing with them together with their children. The K'Nex, said Williams, is particularly well known for this. Its pivotal movement and motor accessory add interest to the three-dimensional design element. As with most of the construction toys, K'Nex is available in progressive age-appropriate sets, so that as children become more sophisticated and need greater challenges, the toys will meet those needs.
Janice Wymer, a first-grade teacher and V-Quest (Virginia Quality Education of Science and Technology) math lead teacher at Roanoke County's Herman L. Horn Elementary School, says she believes in manipulative construction toys, and even goes so far as to say she notices a difference in children who spend the majority of their time watching television, and those who use math-challenging games and toys. Not only do the latter toys have academic benefits, she said, but children who use them have a closer connection between school and home pursuits.
Wymer says she believes it is important to teach children strategies and ways to solve problems by methods that are different than the usual solutions. Many times, she said, there is only one correct answer, but different ways to get to that answer.
"We need thinking skills, beyond rote answers,'' said Wymer. Wymer said the old way was to teach, and to learn, by memorization, "which is the first thing to go.'' Now, parents will find manipulatives in classrooms.
"The focus on math is on understanding. Our children will begin learning conceptual skills and build on what they learn. The most important thing is not just to explore, but to explain,'' she said.
"I find manipulatives make a difference. My first-graders were doing double-digit addition and subtraction that required regrouping,'' she said, adding that a good manipulative is one that doesn't always work, because the goal is discovery. Many times, she said, a first-grader will keep on trying to solve a problem with no solution, while an older child will find out the reason why a problem isn't working out.
"Advancement comes with understanding rather than memorization. Manipulatives are good for both creative and structured play. They allow children to approach a problem from different directions,'' said Wymer.
by CNB