An scientist in the making. (Christin Lola / Shutterstock.com)
With more access to technology and digital devices than ever before, children of the 21st century are savvy, sophisticated and tech-oriented. So it follows - their toys should be, too. These six 21st century toys are geared to today’s kid, infusing intelligence, social causes and technology into every plaything; creating hours of fun for children and adults alike.
1. BE A MUSICIAN AT ANY AGE WITH SKOOG
Inside us all is a musician itching to get out - but learning to play a musical instrument can take years; and that’s to say nothing of the barriers of age, disability and access to education. Shaped like a toddler’s play cube, Skoog solves the issue in one fell swoop, making music - and the act of making it - accessible to everyone. By tapping, squeezing, stroking and twisting the colorful, malleable cube, Skoog creates tunes out of sounds preloaded from a computer. The first version of Skoog was invented by a team based at Edinburgh University for children with special needs like autism, cerebral palsy, Downs Syndrome and visual impairment - giving everyone an opportunity to be a musician.
2. EXPLORE THE GALAXY WITH CELESTIAL BUDDIES
These cuddly plush toys represent all of the planets, and are sized to scale. Kids can cozy up to the Sun, Earth, Mars, Venus and the rest of the solar system. Each Celestial Buddy comes with a tag that shows the actual body it represents as well as some fun facts – making it much more than just a snuggly toy.
3. GO GREEN WITH RECYCLED PAPER PRESS
Kids and adults alike can get their recycling on with this cool kit that turns old paper scraps into beautiful handcrafted paper. Children can take old newspapers, wrapping paper and grocery bags and create a slurry of paper pulp that is drained in a sieve tray and then pressed flat with a special tool. The toy comes from the good folks at Thames & Kosmos (T&K), who are set on improving informal science education by creating hands-on kits and tools for kids of all ages, complete with informational reading materials.
4. CREATE FUTURE FEMALE ENGINEERS WITH GOLDIEBLOX
The field of engineering is dominated by men, with just 13% of women working as engineers. Debbie Sterling, an engineer herself, was intent on getting girls excited about engineering - so she created GoldieBlox. The construction toys and book series features a young girl named Goldie – a jack of all trades who loves to build things. Armed with the motto, “More than just a Princess,” GoldieBlox encourages girls to build, invent and create.
5. ENCOURAGE COMMUNICATION WITH THE EMPATHY TOY
The folks at Twenty One Toys see toys as the new textbooks for teaching concepts such as empathy, failure, creativity and collaboration. Focusing on empathy, their award-winning blindfolded puzzle game is comprised of abstract wooden puzzle pieces with different textures, colors and shapes which connect into hundreds of different patterns. The game begins when one or more players are given a pre-made pattern, which they describe to one or more players (with loose, identical pieces) - so that they can re-create that exact design. The extra challenge is that everyone is blindfolded and can use only words to describe these shapes. The game is geared to both kids and adults.
6. CELEBRATE DIVERSITY WITH HEARTS FOR HEARTS GIRLS
These dolls are inspired by real girls from around the world; like Consuelo from Mexico, Rahel from Ethiopia and Shola from Afghanistan. The dolls aren’t just fun to play with, for each purchase a dollar is donated to programs that support children in that doll’s region. Hearts for Hearts Girls is a great way to learn how other people in the world live and educate youngsters by making diverse societies and backgrounds familiar and accessible.
