December 2012 Notable Toys — Wooden Toys

This set consists of 6 blocks Goodwood deconstruction blocks are a new system of innovative wooden blocks, designed to invite real creative play. The beautiful, precisely crafted blocks are intentionally packaged without instructions or other prescriptive guidelines, in order to cultivate open-ended exploration. Unlike most modern toys, this puts the child in complete control of the child-toy relationship, and encourages them to come up with their own ways to play. The different shapes allow for building outwards in every dimension, and the creation of structures which are both architecturally and geometrically interesting, as well as visually pleasing. They are suitable as a construction toy for children, and increasingly popular as a desk toy for design-minded adults as well. The ever-growing goodwood system currently includes seven original designs. Each set is designed to be fun and interesting on its own, and to provide new features when combined with the other sets as well. All sets come with pieces in six vibrant colors (water-based acrylic paint), made from forest-friendly rubber wood, and CPSIA tested. Care has been taken to ensure that the product reflects responsible social and environmental decision-making, and the developer's website provides a mechanism for purchasing discounted sets for donation into orphanages and kindergartens in the developing world.