Building a LEGO House (feat. James May)

Will our children reflect on the toys and computer games that they have today with the same enthusiasm that James May exhibits for Plasticene, Meccano and Scalextric?

In the TV series ‘James May’s Toy Stories’ we see Mr May revisiting many of the classic toys that he enjoyed as a child. They’ve concocted a series in which Mr May builds a full-size plastic Spitfire plane, a full size house from Lego bricks, a full size bridge over the Leeds and Liverpool canal built entirely from Meccano and a 3 mile replica of the Brooklands banked racing circuit built entirely from Scalextric.

Mr May’s favourite toys all involve construction and making something. They come from a time when toys inspired an interest in construction, engineering and making things rather than escapism into a fantasy world of monsters and violence.

His TV series comes at a time when many of us are thinking about buying more computer games and consoles for our children’s Christmas presents. The latest computer games and games consoles have been at the top of their gift lists for many years. Last year it was the Wii fit and Guitar Hero. This year they have asked Santa Claus for DJ Hero.

I’ve been discussing which form of toy is actually the most beneficial for child development? Computer games consoles or creative construction toys like Meccano, Lego and Scalextric.

I come from the same generation as Mr May. I grew up with Action Man, Lego, Bicycles and Model Airplanes. Computer games didn’t appear until after I’d left school and I’ve never really understood why they have become so appealing. Personally, I would get a lot more enjoyment and satisfaction from building a model railway circuit than I would from pretending to be a disk jockey or pretending to play guitar. I suppose that building a model railway is actually pretending to be a railway engineer. Choo choo!

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