When I was growing up most of the Legos I played with were meant for boys. They only came in boy colors or in set packages to build cars, planes, spaceships, battle scenes and such gender-specific objects. In 1979 Lego debuted its Scala series that featured jewelry elements marketed towards young girls. Yet, this series was too expensive for my parents to afford. It wasn't until 1992 - when I was no longer interested in Legos - that the Paradise line came out. This series included a variety of pastel colors and Lego sets focused around horses and a beach theme. After that newer Lego sets were introduced, giving little girls the opportunity play any real world profession - veterinarian, furniture designers, architech, nurses, etc.
For decades, society has portrayed many professions as if the only ones welcomed and capable of doing a great job in them are men, and perhaps this is why so many young women are turned off from going into STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers. However, this is all changing. Roominate aims to bring more women into STEM by incorporating technical subjects into the well-established and accepted girl patterns of play. Roominate says that it is important to encourage girls early on to engage in science if they are to become the innovators of tomorrow.
The company offers three kits that enable girls to build their own dolls' house, design furniture and decorate the rooms, as well as powering lights and fans with electricity. The idea is that the toys are both fun and educational, with children gaining basic experience working with circuits. Kit options include original, suite and chateau sizes, priced at $59.00, $115.00 and $225.00 respectively.
I'm looking forward to seeing young women participate more and more in FIRST Robotics competitions. A hot-pink robot moving around the competition floor would be something cool to watch. I'm not a mom, but I will make sure that if I ever have a little girl, I will provide her with different avenues and different toys that will inspire her to achieve her goals and future carreer. Even if whatever she chooses to go into is still considered a man's field then.
Kuddos to Roominate for coming up with toys that can inspire the future female engineers.
