Blinkin' Logs

 

 

Blinkin' Logs are a twist on my favorite toy when I was younger. My idea is to use Lincoln Logs but put special sensitive scales in the joints where the logs come together. I thought this would be a cool way for kids to learn about weights that are borne throughout a structure. There would be different colors for different weights, and when the logs felt a weight the joints would turn a different color. The color would come from a small LED which would draw power from solar panels located on each log.

 

Children would play with this boy by building structures out of logs that all fit together. It is the same idea as Lincoln Logs. As the children play with this toy, they will learn about weights distributed through structures and solar power.

 

The cost of this toy would arise when it came to putting the scales and solar panels in and on the logs. I would imagine that this could get somewhat expensive because of the size of the scale and the labor that it would take to insert the scales. However these logs would be just as safe and durable as normal Lincoln Logs.