roominate playdate :: review + giveaway

Have you ever noticed how many building toys out there are targeted for boys?  There are aisles of toys like this in any toy store.  But when it comes to building toys targeted for girls, the pickings are much slimmer.  Sure, girls can buy toys from any section, but why should they have to?  If a girl wants to build a house or cribs for her dolls or an animal hospital, she really shouldn’t have to take pieces from the dragon and ninja sets to make that happen.  This is why Roominate is a game-changer when it comes to toys for girls.  Designed with girls in mind, Roominate inspires hands-on play with open-ended ideas.  Since the sets are made of modular pieces with universal joints, there is no need to follow specific instructions.  And since the sets come with motors and circuits, girls can design a helicopter with a spinning propeller, a working mobile for a baby crib or revolving door for a building.

In the US, less than 15% of women enter college intending to major in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) field. When Alice Brooks and Bettina Chen met in the engineering program at Stanford, they decided to try to lessen that gender gap and inspire the next generation with Roominate.  They created a play set to help girls develop problem-solving skills while building, use circuits and tap into their creativity.  Since there aren’t any real rules when building with Roominate, the creative possibilities are endless.  I’ve found that with other building sets, once my daughter makes the set, she is done.  It’s complete and sits on her desk.  With Roominate, she is okay with taking it apart and building something completely different.

I recently hosted a Roominate Playdate for 8 and 9-year old girls.  We used three Roominate sets to create so many different ideas.  My daughter first wanted to create a helicopter, complete with a moving propeller.  The girls loved being able to put a circuit together (with adult help–it was a bit tricky to follow the picture-only instructions) to create a motor to make moving parts.  This was the one set the girls followed the ideas included in the set.   Using two Roominate studio sets, the girls created a whole world of ideas–a large two-story house, a parade of pets, baby cribs, tables, chairs, you name it.  They loved using the motor to create a moving mobile for the baby nursery–an idea they came up with on their own.  They also had a blast building one thing, taking it apart and making something else.. The included doll and pet accessories helped spark some creativity as well as a vet clinic was created.

I loved that Roominate helped the girls stay entertained for a while since they didn’t feel like they had to stop once they finished making a particular set.  And, with the exception of the circuitry, they were able to come up with their own ideas without the help of an adult.

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