Back to the basics: Building with blocks at Long Island Children's Museum

From a futuristic spaceship to a giant castle, there’s no limit to what can be created with blocks and a little creativity.

Young “builders” are invited to show off their skills at “Block Party,” a free-play exhibit for all ages to enjoy.

But be sure to visit soon — Long Island Children’s Museum’s seasonal exhibit is short-lived. It runs through Nov. 3.

“This new exhibit for the museum is so open-ended and encourages so many different modalities of learning and types of play within the space,” says Ashley Niver, the museum’s director of education.

While kids may play with smaller blocks at home, these big foam blocks come in larger-than-life proportions — so visitors can make their biggest creations yet.

“These are structures that they can build, that they can climb on, they can go through or under. They can use a lot of dramatic play with this since it’s all just open-ended play, which is what we love,” Niver says. “So there’s a lot of processes happening during this kind of play, and it really invites a lot of collaboration between the adults and the kids as well as peer-to-peer, to work together.”

From long, bendable cylinders to the stackable rectangles, the blocks can be used as the catalyst for an endless assortment of building projects. The results are limitless.

The blocks are all blue, intentionally so. The single block color creates a blank canvas for endless creative possibilities. By eliminating the distraction of multiple colors, children can immerse themselves fully in their designs, focusing on construction and creativity without worrying about matching hues. Thus children are able to immerse themselves fully in play, according to Niver.

“When you have a lot of visual distraction, it’s actually harder for kids to unleash their imagination and learn and have that creative output be as successful,” she explains. “So basically, having them all in one color allows a better opportunity for that to flourish.”

Prompts throughout the exhibit space guide the builders, if some inspiration for their block masterpieces is needed. Build a shelter for a real (or imaginary) pet or perhaps a robot that actually works. The exhibit even challenges everyone to see how high you can build.

For smaller creations, a table of hand-held blocks is available to play with as well.

“The appeal of this exhibit lies in its immersive quality,” Niver says. “While children are accustomed to playing with small blocks that fit in the palm of their hand, here they encounter a larger-than-life experience.”

Once the build is done, it’s time to put young imaginations to the test! Kids can put the spotlight on their creations and produce interesting shadows on the wall for interactive storytelling.

The exhibit was created in conjunction with “Worldwide Day of Play,” an initiative of Nickelodeon with the Association of Children’s Museums to get families engaged with their environment through screen-free play while fostering the benefits of skill-building activities.

“Block Party’” encourages children to develop their motor skills, enhance their muscle strength and exercise through full body movement, all while having fun.

“We think it’s really important for the kids to disconnect because they don’t have as many opportunities to do that these days. I find that screens are becoming so much more prevalent, and they’re so accessible in different areas,” Niver says.

“To really set the scene and just bring it down to the basics of building blocks, it’s so beneficial to them for their development, with a lot of social emotional learning happening.”

This is the first exhibit to be installed after the museum’s Fall Fix Up — the annual two-week closing period every September when the museum conducts maintenance and exhibit refresh, along with staff training.

“We go over different aspects of learning and play and try to educate our staff and empower them for when we reopen. We make sure that we reopen in a really impressive way for our visitors, to welcome them back,” Niver adds.

At the Block Party, no dream is too big, so it’s time to get building — one block at a time.