A HUGE thanks to Mary Cunningham and Peter Scott for coming to help with the booth. Mary helped found and teaches at the New School Syracuse and she contributes her expertise and input on classroom feasibility, play, constructivism, and any number of things related to the success of the project. Peter Scott is a Professor of Entrepreneurship at Syracuse University and weighs in on all matters entrepreneurial and business. Quite a team.

I’ll be teaching Industrial Design at RISD starting Fall 2012.  It was tough to leave the smartypants SU Design students and great colleagues there, but I have a feeling all will be fantastic here as well.

The Workyard Kit is scooting along, final samples in the works, nearly ready to make/build in schools, playgrounds and backyards near you. 100% manufactured in the U.S.

“Finland’s success is especially intriguing because Finnish schools assign less homework and engage children in more creative play. All this has led to a continuous stream of foreign delegations making the pilgrimage to Finland to visit schools and talk with the nation’s education experts, and constant coverage in the worldwide media marveling at the Finnish miracle.”

I was honored to be included in their description of the High Line. Read it here.

This from the article:

“Studies dating to the 1940s indicate that blocks help children absorb basic math concepts. One published in 2001 tracked 37 preschoolers and found that those who had more sophisticated block play got better math grades and standardized test scores in high school. And a 2007 study by Dimitri Christakis, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Hospital, found that those with block experience scored significantly better on language acquisition tests.”