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the children are our future

Blocks Are 2011’s Hot Educational Fad

CHICAGO - FEBRUARY 13: A young girl participates in a child-initiated activity as she attempts to construct a building with blocks February 13, 2004 at the Erie Neighborhood House in Chicago. The City of Chicago is launching a series of free parent workshops as part of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's "Born Learning Early Childhood Initiative." The workshops are being offered in community agency locations throughout the city, including the Erie Neighborhood House at no cost to help parents understand and promote the stages of healthy physical development, social and emotional health and language. This is one of several new efforts to support parents of young children by providing resources and information on early childhood development and early learning. Erie Neighborhood House is a community service agency founded in 1870 that promotes a just and inclusive society by strengthening low-income, primarily Latino, families through skill-building, access to critical resources, advocacy and collaborative action. The child pictured is a program participant. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

Yes, blocks — those pieces of wood that you built things with as a child. They're apparently back in vogue in New York City schools, the Times tells us today. Because blocks foster creativity and problem-solving skills in young children, and prepare them for the lifetime of manual labor they'll be forced to perform for Chinese construction conglomerates when those are the only jobs available to them in their bleak, dystopian futures.

With Blocks, Educators Go Back to Basics [NYT]

Photo: Tim Boyle/Getty Images

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