BEKA Deluxe Solid Maple Unit Block Set 68 pieces. The BEKA Wooden Unit Block Starter Block Set comes with 30 blocks in 9 different shapes: 10-half units, 4-units, 6-half pillars, 2-pillars, 2-double pillars, 2-columns, 1-Roman arch, 1-half circle, and 2-small triangles. Recommended age: 1+ years

BEKA blocks are the best building blocks available anywhere. These are the same hard maple blocks seen in preschools and kindergartens everywhere. They are designed to last generations without chipping, splintering, or warping. Maple also stacks better than any other block because of its high density and develops a handsome patina over time. Made right here in St. Paul, BEKA uses sustainably harvested maple from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Canada. BEKA Unit Blocks are an heirloom toy that your child's children will be playing with!

BEKA's Deluxe 68 piece unit block set comes with 68 blocks in 12 different shapes: 10-half units, 10-units, 2-double units, 10-half pillars, 8-pillars, 4-double pillars, 6-columns, 4-Roman arches, 4-half circles, 4-small triangles, 4-double flats, and 2-roof boards. Recommended Age: 1+ years.

Open-ended wooden blocks were first developed 150 years ago by Fredrich Froebel, the inventor of Kindergarten, who wanted to teach children that complex forms could be constructed from blocks of wood cut in mathematical proportions. Caroline Pratt, a visionary educator and founder of New York's City and Country School further refined the concept by creating Unit Blocks based on a determined set of dimensions.

A "unit" is a rectangular block measuring 1 3/8" X 2 3/4" X 5 1/2", with other blocks measuring exactly half as log, half a wide, double long, etc. Students intuitively learn about these mathematical relationships as they play. Frank Lloyd Wright, who was a student in one of America's early Kindergartens, said he drew inspiration from his blocks throughout his lifetime.

"The smooth shapely maple blocks...were the secret to all effects which were ever got into the architecture of the world." -—Frank Lloyd Wright

Just right for growing, creative hands, BEKA Hard Maple Unit Blocks help children learn basic number concepts, develop logical thinking and improve motor skills. All are smooth sanded, have rounded edges and corners, with no artificial finish. A variety of shapes are included, such as arches, triangles and columns as well as the standard units.