Subject:
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Re: Juniorization -- too simple even for kids?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Fri, 10 Dec 1999 18:04:08 GMT
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Viewed:
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852 times
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Hi Mike, John--
I miss the Space Datsville conversation, you know. ;) I'd build a Mars Polar
Lander, but I'm afraid I'd just lose it. At least I know how many newtons are in
a pound of thrust (different probe, but still...).
Mike Poindexter wrote:
> I feel you are in err a bit on the idea of age recommendations for toys. It
> seems as though I see this happen with everyone.
>
> "It says 5-7 on the box. Our child is almost 4, but he is really bright."
In fairness to John and others, the age recommendation is based on several
factors--one of which is "suitability" beyond the idea of liability. I know some
companies think solely of the liability angle, but I guess I'm enough of an
optimist to think that TLC actually concerns itself with suitability and "play
value." I know six- and seven-year-olds who are still enthralled with Duplo.
They're not less smart, they just prefer the larger blocks and simpler models for
some reason. Hey, I'm 28 and I still can't get into Technic like some...
> The agre recommendations are for safety, not how smart the kid is. That is
> why they have big fat duplo, then still big primo and you have to wait until
> you are old enough not to place friction pegs in your mouth before you are
> ready for technic.
Erk, I should give away all of my Technic pieces, then. The friction pegs still
get held in my mouth sometimes. (Note to traders: I do wash pieces before I send
them out. ;) )
> > And indeed, we had problems in the initial weeks. Spencer took a
> > particular liking to minifigs and small, easily-lost "doodads" like 1 X
> > 1 trans-red plates, antenna pieces, and minifig tools. More than once,
> > I also found one of those trans-neon yellow antenna parts in his mouth,
> > mangled. Yikes! I did get a little mad, both because he was
> > endangering himself, and because we were losing cool parts!
>
> This is what I mean. A little kid can't put a BURP in his mouth. I have yet
> to see people accidentally swallow a 1x4x5 wall.
Yes, many BURPs come right out of the mouths of small children. I agree with Mike
that it's a size issue and a safety/liability issue, but I also agree with John
that Juniorization and child-development guidelines are problematic.
> > But we got through it. Now, when I come home, Spencer asks me, "Can we
> > play with the *hard* Legos?" He's not interested in big, clunky, Duplo
> > models. If I put plates and bricks in front of him, he grabs plates.
> > And it's true that he's ready to proceed on to the role-playing, after a
> > construction session that was far too short for Dad (who, on the side,
> > was trying to complete the retractable landing gear that he wished he
> > had figured out how to build twenty years ago). But still, he wants to
> > build, not just play.
>
> Now he is asking for more challenging "sets" or at the least, a mix of bricks
> that doesn't limit his imagination as much. He still is probably not looking
> for the Technic Space Shuttle.
If he is, they're still on sale at ZB. ;)
> > The Duplo hasn't been out of its box since the day the "hard Legos"
> > arrived. I'm ready to send it to the attic. (Actually, strike that --
> > since it's nominally compatible with standard Lego, maybe I can use it
> > for something???)
>
> Yuck! You would use those bricks that are contaminated with baby spit and
> dried snot? Run them through the washing machine first...
Er, Mike, do you have children? :) Baby spit and baby snot are NOTHING. John,
DUPLO makes great support for large structures, if you top them with standard
bricks. Most people keep them to interior sections though.
> I have seen everyone talk about how smart their kid is. No offense, but I
> have not seen a parent say, "This says 5-7. Billy is 9 1/2, but he is kind of
> dumb, so this will work."
Yeah, but I've seen people say this about the children of others when buying
gifts. Foul, I know--but it does happen, especially for
developmentally-challenged children.
> When your kid gets a set of bricks in his 2-3 age group and it has a bunch of
> small pieces he swallows, chokes on and dies, what then? Do you say, "Gee, he
> wasn't so bright after all?" No, you sue Lego for not making certain that
> their toys were safe for that age group. Then you go out and ignore the
> safety warnings for any other kids you buy toys for.
In the final analysis it's the parents' responsibility to make those choices.
Maybe a 1x1 brick or tile is too small--but what about giving a child who's bored
with DUPLO a lot of 2x4 bricks and larger plates? I know I was playing with
"standard LEGO" from the age of four on--but I was eased into the smaller, more
technical pieces.
> > John J. Ladasky Jr., Ph.D.
> > Department of Structural Biology
> > Stanford University Medical Center
> > Stanford, CA 94305
>
> Not to sound condescening, but somebody with a Ph.D. should be able to figure
> this out.
Whoa! Whoa! WHOA! As a 3/4 Ph.D. myself, I've gotta cry "foul" on this one,
Mike. All Ph.D.s are not the same--it's a specialised research degree for a
specialised subject. A *very* specialised subject. And to give you a hint,
it's not a Ph.D. in Child and Family Development. It's a common misperception
that Ph.D. = knowledge of everything = everyone's "best common sense" thoughts,
and then people get angry on those occasions when someone with a doctorate in fact
does display such knowledge. When babies and children start being involved,
everyone is a novice again. All the degrees in the world don't change that
levelled playing field. (Remember how it came out years ago that Dr. Benjamin
Spock was horribly distant and even cold to his own children? You'd think that
someone with his degrees and publications would know better...but we're all
human.)
In any case, the core observations are well-taken in both posts. I think it's a
valid issue.
best,
Lindsay
---
Lindsay Frederick Braun (Mr)
Department of History
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Juniorization -- too simple even for kids?
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| (...) Well, I plan to revive Datsville in space at some point! I'm distracted at the moment, because I'm actually working on a model, the first in decades! B^) (...) I think that, once the kid is beyond the mouthing stage, there is no significant (...) (25 years ago, 11-Dec-99, to lugnet.general)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Juniorization -- too simple even for kids?
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| John, I feel you are in err a bit on the idea of age recommendations for toys. It seems as though I see this happen with everyone. "It says 5-7 on the box. Our child is almost 4, but he is really bright." The agre recommendations are for safety, not (...) (25 years ago, 10-Dec-99, to lugnet.general)
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