Small steps

The Richter Ankerstein "Kleine Gernegross" set is about as small as I can get in satisfying block play, so as a small step toward getting more active here, it seems like a good start.

This is a rare example of my building not from a printed design, but rather by simply being inspired by a design sheet (image background) from a quite different wooden block set.

I actually built the middle section first, removed my first effort at the campanile on top, lifted the middle onto a new lower section, then completed the new campanile seen here. As in some earlier efforts, the tapered peak is a modified fishing weight of my own, not part of the KG set.

A while back a reader posted a comment questioning whether the Kleine Gernegross set was suitable for children. I agree that it is not suitable for younger children, but it may be suitable for older children and for adults on the autistic spectrum who play with children's toys for therapy and relaxation - providing small motor skills can cope. Doing Froebel Gift #3 constructions with eight ordinary dice would be a good test -- KG set constructing is easier, due to the better surface texture and better edge shapes than typical dice.

As a developmentally disabled adult, I get confused sometimes as to how the child & adult abilities and interests mix, so sometimes will recommend something thinking of my adult autistic spectrum friends, forgetting that this blog is also read by parents of both autistic spectrum and neurotypical children. When using any source, parents should be thinking in terms of their specific child's strengths and weaknesses. Here especially. I apologize for troubles caused.

I apologize also for my long absence. It seems to be partly seasonal, since I did something similar the year before, but this year it was aggravated by a series of losses that all but eliminated our parents' generation from my wife's and my families.

On a happier note, quite a few purchases were made through my Amazon store, netting me some earnings that I will well appreciate in coming weeks -- not a large amount of money, but a nice supplement to the allowance I get out of my disability check. Thank you to all. :)

I hope to be back more regularly to share good block play.