ROLKA Creative Building Blocks


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Welcome to the wonderful world of Rolka Creative Building Blocks which provide hours of fun & challenging activities for all ages from 3 to 103. . .

 

            Virtually unbreakable – will last a lifetime

  Environmentally sound

  Locally-sourced Natural Plantation Pine

  Non-toxic, aesthetically pleasing

  Simple, using no glue, attachment or fixation point

  Promote interactive play & co-operation

  Great for table/floor activities, inside and out

  Stimulate imagination & increase concentration

  Improve motor skills and balance, develop

        patience      

        Magical dimensions, versatile, unlimited

        applications

        Help discover physical laws, geometry & patterns

        Australian made and owned

                                                                    Fully illustrated ideas booklet

Building Your Child's Future

Many parents face a real dilemma when it comes to buying toys for their children. The campaigns undertaken by the major stakeholders in the toy industry effectively condition many children, and their parents, into buying products they know full well will be forgotten, outdated or broken within a month.

Yet somewhere deep down we feel that something is not quite right, that we are being shuffled along in the crowds against our will. Of course the children want what's "cool" and what everybody else is buying; that's the way of modern times. Big business is riding on the back of the technology express as electronic toys and pets abound.

Everything in life seems to be getting more and more complicated. The more complex toys become, the less children actually do themselves; what's more, these intricate products are more likely to break down and become redundant in a short space of time. Then you have to go out and buy the latest craze in a never-ending, pocket-draining effort to satisfy your little ones' desires.

Have we as parents forgotten the simple things of life and how they often engender the most fulfilling experiences? So what about good old building blocks? Many of us played with blocks of wood in one form or other when we were kids and loved every minute of it.

Some may say that blocks are boring, they're drab and uninteresting. However, children are naturally attracted to blocks as it is one domain where they are able to express themselves through something they construct. Their imagination knows no bounds as they create worlds (us poor adults, for the most part, have seemingly lost this capacity, alas) into which they totally immerse themselves.  While this is going on they are developing many skills that will enrich their lives.

And if the blocks are made of wood then so much the better. Wood, as opposed to plastic, is a vibrant, living material that evokes a rich sensory experience in children. The natural colours, different grain patterns, size, shape and weight are all taken in by the child without conscious effort. They notice if the surfaces are smooth or rough, while the smell of natural timber often conjures up images of the forest where it had its origins.

We all know how much concentration is required to balance little pieces of wood that won't do exactly as we wish. After a bit of practice though, children get better and better, and their constructions become solid and take on recognisable forms. The child is building him/herself through this process of exploration and discovery of physical laws of balance and geometry.

Children learn many social skills when playing with their family or as a member of a group in kindergarten or preschool. They acquire a sense of community and cooperation as well as learning the value of dialogue. With block play they are faced with making decisions and realise the importance of each block in their constructions; from this they develop an awareness of the value of each child within the group. They find out that it's okay to make mistakes, if something falls down, this is an opportunity to rebuild even better than before. These are all important life lessons discovered in a context of fun and play and they prepare the child for the real world.

Electronic toys can be a great deal of fun for a child, but they cannot replace the open-ended learning and creative experiences engendered by construction blocks. As in all things in life, we have to find the appropriate balance in the toys and games we provide for our children. Play is an important, integral part of growing up and is one of the foundation stones on which our children's futures are built.

ROLKA
PO BOX 439
Samford Q 4520 Australia
Ph: 617 3289 4505
Email : rolka@rolka.net.au