Raising an eco builder
By Kim Girard
All the hand-wringing lately about lead, date rape drugs, and other undesirable poisons that plague toys imported from China have left parents scrambling for alternatives. One greener toy for kids who love to build is Kapla blocks. On the eco side, these blocks, made in a factory outside of Bordeaux, are made from natural pine grown in certified renewable forests within France. The company says it complies with both the safety regulations of the United States and those of the more stringent European community.
As a family-operated company, Kapla has an interesting history. Kapla means “Pixie Planks” in Dutch, which makes sense because it was Dutch-born Tom Van Der Bruggen who created the blocks while studying and restoring a 19th-century chateau in the South of France. The Kapla blocks are meant to replicate wooden beams used in the buildings of the time.
The blocks might look a bit boring at first glance–they’re flat, uniformly sized and of natural color–but kids can do lots with them. Because the pieces are flat, kids can keep building upward and any structure will remain quite stable.
A 200-piece set, more than enough blocks to build a tower taller than most 4-year-olds, costs $66 at Amazon.com.
November 12th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
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