Kids always teach ME, when they get their hands on a good learning toy. That’s just what happened when I dumped out my box of Wooden Wimsey Blocks by Alex Toys and watched the play begin. Designed for children beginning at 10 months, this clever set of shapes and designs inspired kids of many developmental stages to be creative. Younger children explored and played with the blocks, while a 2 1/2 year-old really inspired me. He began naming each block as he picked them up, “happy face,” “nite nite” (that’s when I realized the block was two-faced!), bridge, arm, step, triangle, hair, heart, and circle. After building several towers incorporating happy face, he turned the curved pieces on their sides and placed the first two “cars” of his train, proceeding to line up all the blocks for his “choo choo.” Kids love how the shapes fit together–matching curves, steps and pushing the circle through the hole. Curved on one side and straight on the other, one block became  hair or feet, depending on which way it was positioned. An older sibling even incorporated the blocks into a castle backdrop for her princess play. Don’t we want a toy that can be used in a new way, each time we play?