And now onto today's topic: building blocks.
I loved Legos growing up. I remember owning a farm set. My sister and I loved watching my mom follow the instructions and put it together. When we lost some key pieces, we built our own farm (or whatever) and made up stories. My sister and I split the green square Lego base down the middle, each built our own houses, garages, stables, etc. and then played silly games with them. It was a lot of fun. A lot of fun. But we were definitely not 2 years old at that time!
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We got our 20-mo son (J) a MEGA Bloks Fill & Dump Wagon for Christmas (sale + manufacturer's coupon = deal!). At first, he loved it. He especially loved the single pieces and built towers out of them.
Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 400 | f/2.0 | 1/80 sec
Sidenote: These were taken Jan of this year. In just 4 months I can totally see improvements in my shooting. For instance, these photos aren't too sharp. I could have used my SpeedLite. Also, 1/80 sec is on the slow-end of speeds considering the recommendation that one shouldn't shoot (handheld) at speeds lower than "1 over your focal length". In my case, I was using a 50 mm lens, so I shouldn't shoot (handheld) at speeds slower than 1/50 (or 1/60 sec).
We almost bought J a "refill" pack, but luckily we didn't because these days, he hardly touches the wagon or the blocks! Even if Mommy builds an awesome bridge-like structure for his cars to drive under…
Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 800 | f/4.0 | 1/200 sec
He'll play with it for a while…
Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 100 | f/4.0 | 1/200 sec | SpeedLite 380EX
But then eventually just ride away and leave the destruction behind. Notice how J likes to ride his truck backwards!
Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 800 | f/4.0 | 1/200 sec
What's a toy you wish you didn't purchase
because there's no interest in it?
What's a toy you wished you purchased?
Products mentioned, of which purchases yield a small commission:
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Show some love. Leave a comment below and I'll definitely respond!
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Originally posted at expandng.com - Building blocks
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Follow this blog!
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Originally posted at expandng.com - Building blocks
And that's because YOU HAVE A BOY!!! We went to Gavin's 18-month pediatrician appointment yesterday. His doc was talking about this next development phase for Gavin, which pretty much includes exploring, climbing, moving from one thing to the next. He was telling us this as Gavin explored every inch of that small exam room, opened every drawer, climbed on the chairs. It was pretty hilarious. Gavin hardly plays with any toy for more than a minute or two before leaving the destruction behind and moving onto the next toy. And sometimes, he just likes to dump his toys everywhere and walk away. hahaha.
ReplyDeleteWhat if you put it away, hide it, and then bring it back out again in a month! would it be like a new toy?
ReplyDeleteWe rotate toys in our house and it definitely helps keep toys "fresh". But I also noticed that Ethan wasn't too interested in blocks till he was about 2 1/2. When he was capable of replicating some of the things we built, he spent a lot more time playing with them. And he also started to have his own creations that were much more elaborate. I think children start to get much more imaginative and do more imaginary play after 2-2 1/2 years of age.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't give up on the blocks just yet. Kids frequently give up a toy for awhile and then come back to it. Just put it away for a bit. That's when I did. I have found the Legos to be one of the most enduring toys for my son who is now 9. He's so young that exploring the world will hold far more interest than toys right now. So I would just put them up for a bit. As for toys that I regret, any toy that had a very specific purpose and did all the imagining for my kids, was made poorly or required additional parts later on.
ReplyDeleteHahaha... I have a long list of toys that I didn't need to buy. It almost seems like I should have simply skipped buying anything and gotten boxes from the office supplies at work!!!! But I have purchased a lot of B's toys secondhand... at secondhand stores, consignment stores, garage sales... which allows me to feel less guilty when he doesn't care too much for them. We also have a playroom downstairs that we "switch" toys in and out from - upstairs, and his room. :) We have that same mega blocks wagon!!!! B's interest in it comes and goes but it's nice to have it as opposed to not having it!
ReplyDeleteI love that he rides his trike backwards! Too cute! I think the only toy I ever bought for Baby C was a ball. All other toys have come from family.
ReplyDeleteI used to love legos too. Well, I still like legos, if it was presented to me, I would play with it.
ReplyDeleteThat's an awesome building block set up! Good call on not buying the refill pack. I love how he drives the truck backwards. When you think about it, it seems more efficient. LOL I'm just kidding. He is such a cutie pie, he can do no wrong in my book.
Your photography is amazing! I don't have kids so I am not sure how to best answer your question! But I would certainly think that Legos are a great buy for your money as you can always add to the collection.
ReplyDeleteThe backwards riding is too cute! I know I say "cute" a lot, but I love all things kiddie and J is just so precious :) Don't worry about the legos, he'll soon grow enamored with them again. V falls in and out of love with everything so we've been rotating his stash of toys. His favorites, of course, are whatever his sister is playing with :P
ReplyDeletethe transition was smooth. i really like that i can come to one place to "see it all." love this photo, and love getting a preview on instagram. little j is just sooo precious. hope you have a fab day!
ReplyDeleteThe list of toys that we shouldn't have purchased would be a long list. At that age my son N loved this little ride on truck that would make sounds and had a compartment under the seat to hide things. It was always the first place we looked if things went missing. He played with that until he was at least 3 1/2. Another purchase that was a big hit was a inflatable trampoline with sides that was small enough to fit in our playroom. We would hang a blanket over the whole thing and make a fort to read stories in plus burn off lots of energy.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure J will come back to the legos. Their interest is about a nanosecond at this point in time. If you want to make sure you get more use out of them bring them out when you are going over his colors, sorting, counting anything like that. They are great educational toys.