My Kid's Crazy Cool KEVA Creations

On cold wintry days, there is nothing like a cozy fire, a large area of open floor, and about 400 KEVA blocks.

My son didn't sit still in grade school. He would wiggle, bounce his leg, jiggle his foot, pull at buttons, poke his pencil through his shirt, and tear at the rubber of his shoes. Eventually, an enlightened teacher let him hold a piece of clay during listening time, and Viola! he could focus. At home, the parental units never noticed his fidgeting, because we too fidgeted, and came from a long line of proud fidgeters. (We prefer the terms builders, artists, inventors, and innovators.)

Walk into our house and you will find an absence of furniture. Lined up against the walls are shelves and bins filled with various building toys including Lego bricks, magnetic blocks, and puzzles collected from garage sales, ebay, and Santa.

The single most loved building toy consists of simple rectangular blocks, hundreds of them.

We were given our first Keva blocks when my son was nine. He had been obsessed with Legos, Thomas track, and Magna Tiles for years. It was obvious the kid was happiest when building. His first KEVA creations started simply enough with four sided cabins, similar to the ones made with popsicle sticks and glue. Over time, we were amazed as the structures grew more and more complex. Eventually, I started taking pictures to document his "work". Since these blocks stack without any adhesive, complex structures can easily be destroyed by a spooked cat or random running little sister, so sometimes I was too late.

Years later, the tweener still gets down on the floor and whips out a 3D masterpiece, with little sister apprentices adding plastic animal figurines for hours of fantasy play. I recommend KEVA blocks to any fidgety family who loves to build. For an extra special afternoon, turn on an audiobook in the background and let the creating begin.

background photo:

idaho-style.blogspot.com

Sometimes destroying KEVA structures is just as cool as building them, especially when viewed in slow motion. The first video, although impressive, is a computer simulation. The second video is the real thing. Wow.