Kids love to make things and take them apart again, and three new building toys from Burlington-based Learning Materials Workshop support that kind of open-ended constructive play. Coloraturo is a prismatically-colorful block set, Villetta offers blocks with angles and triangles reminiscent of cottage roofs, and Tavolino combines blocks, bobbins and tubes. Karen Hewitt — artist, early childhood educator and toy historian — designed all three. Creative Child magazine recently honored Hewitt's MAD Constructs block set with the Toy of the Year and Seal of Excellence distinctions. Hewitt collaborated with the New York City-based Museum of Arts and Design to create it.
Published September 1, 2011 at 4:00 a.m.
This article was originally published in Seven Days' monthly parenting magazine, Kids VT.
Speaking of...
-
Playscape Vermont Rents Out Kiddie Items
Aug 14, 2024 -
The Shelburne Museum Presents a Show of Toys Designed to Empower Kids’ Imaginations
Jun 7, 2023 -
State Wants to Sell Downtown Burlington Office Building
Jan 24, 2023 -
Shelburne Museum Curator Kory Rogers Talks Action Figures and Fancy Glasses
Jan 18, 2023 -
Emilia Olson Pairs Renaissance Landscapes and 20th-Century Toys in 'Painting With the Past'
Nov 16, 2022 - More »
Comments
Comments are closed.
From 2014-2020, Seven Days allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we've appreciated the suggestions and insights, right now Seven Days is prioritizing our core mission — producing high-quality, responsible local journalism — over moderating online debates between readers.
To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please send us a letter to the editor or send us a tip. We’ll check it out and report the results.
Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.