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Soft, life-sized interlocking building blocks have become a hit at the Parks and Recreation Center, fostering creativity and social development, parents say.
Elgin’s rec center received a set of Imagination Playground’s big blue blocks via grant earlier this month, which have since found favor among both children and parents as a cool biweekly summer getaway. Hosted for children ages three through 12, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:30 p.m., parents can come create feats of engineering with their young ones or get a workout in while a volunteer room monitor watches over them.
“I told them this morning it was blue blocks day and they got really excited,” said mother Kandice Bailey during a Tuesday evening session.
Daughters Maddie and Lilly, ages four and six, were busy at work crafting a castle for their stuffed animal, complete with bridge and roadway.
The blocks themselves are large enough to hug, but soft and easy to manage. Thanks to a system of interlocking holes, tubes and ridges, forming a structures or foam creatures is intuitive and accessible for all ages. The set also includes balls that can be used to roll through or alongside constructions. The result is a transformative set of playground equipment that changes shape each day. Children can be imaginative while developing hand-eye coordination, Bailey said.
Workers of the recreation center note that this is one of the most popular youth experiences they have had in recent memory. Groups as large as 13 have shared the creative space and built together in unison until they run out of blocks. While there’s a room monitor available, parents are free to make use of the center’s other amenities. They can hit the weight room, basketball court or get some work done in the garden.
Big blue blocks day is only set to run for the rest of June and July, as of now. Center workers encourage parents to come and sign in, so that they can hopefully continue to support the program further in the future.
Check it out and learn more at the Elgin Recreation Center, 361 N Hwy 95, or online at https:// www.elgintexas.gov/556/ Elgin-Recreation-Center.
