Monday, August 14, 2017

History Makers Puzzle Set - Interview with Creator Tiffney Laing

Children learn through play.  Playing allows a child to learn to be creative, caring, how to solve problems, get along with others, grow and learn.  Nowadays, screen toys often simply occupy the child, and most don’t end up learning anything from their screen time. It’s not often that a toy can make a true connection and teach children about their heritage/history.  

Bevy & Dave have created History Makers Wooden Puzzle Block Set; a brand new toy made especially for children age 3-6 years old.  History Makers is a hands-on toy that will allow a child to discover self-leadership, learn and organize the alphabet, improve reading and problem-solving skills, learn words, colors, numbers and increase their memory and motor skills all while exploring their history.

I had a chance to interview founder and creator, Tiffney Laing.

What was the inspiration behind this toy?
I was inspired to create the History Makers Puzzle Block Set because I wanted children to be able to learn Black History through the lens of self-leadership starting at an early age. With Self-leadership, children can see what it means to contribute their best to society. Many parents and educators need tools to teach history and leadership in a fun and engaging way.  Since children learn through play, I created a toy that could connect children to history and the leader within through play.

How can parents use play to help kids learn?
The History Makers Puzzle Block Set is an educational tool that is designed to grow with the child. This multifunctional 30 piece wooden block set has six sides of play and comes with a mini history booklet and three mini posters that children can use as a guide to assemble the puzzles and post on their wall. With this one-of-a kind toy, parents and teachers alike can use it as a tool to help children explore Black History and discover the leader within as they play. While assembling the puzzles, children will see playful cartoon illustrations of iconic African Americans representing 13 different industries. They will also be able to assemble a puzzle of Bevy & Dave, The Self- Leadership Gurus. Two characters created by the founder to make learning history fun, engaging, and relatable. With Bevy & Dave, children will learn that leadership lives in them and they can achieve whatever they dream. Children can use the mini history booklet to match the historic figures with the characters on the puzzles and learn their stories. As children play with the History Makers Puzzle Block Set they can build and create with the blocks, develop fine motor skills and learn how to problem solve. Children will also learn the alphabet and words which include self-leadership strategies, historic events and iconic figures. With this toy, A is not or Apple. A is for Appreciation, B is for Benjamin Banneker and C is for Commitment.  Additionally, this block set can be used to help children learn colors, numbers and increase memory in a fun and engaging way. 

What are some characteristics of a toy that makes learning fun? 
The multifunctional characteristics of the History Makers Puzzle Block Set makes it a fun learning tool that can be used all year long. Because this toy grows with the child it can be used for years. With the History Makers Puzzle Block Set, activities are endless.






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