No sinking this ship....

Looks like it would take more than an iceberg to sink this ship...

Great building! Keep up the good work!

More and more super cool creations!

More and more builders are starting to send in their photos...

Check out these latest creations from some incredible Kapla kids!

KEEP ON BUILDING!

Kapla Coaster...

Here's one scary looking ride...check out this Kapla roller coaster

by Camden and Daniel. They used 1,500 planks! WOW!

Lynn Meadows Discovery Center

I was recently out in Gulfport MS at the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center for a building event. Gulfport is the area that was devastated by hurricane Katrina a few years ago. This was my first visit to the region since the storm, and I was shocked at the level of destruction. Two years after the storm, and it still looks like a war zone...look at the L. M.D.C. website (http://www.lmdc.org/) and you can see photos of the museum after the storm. Fortunately the museum has had terrific support (they are the only children's museum in Mississippi!) and were able to rebuild. Despite all of the difficulties the people of the gulf coast have endured over the past two years, they still managed to amaze me with their "southern hospitality"...not to mention their building skills!

More Cool Creations...

Check out these photos sent in by some terrific builders!

Kapla Climbs Mt. Rainier!

Last week I ventured to Washington State to climb Mt. Rainier, one of the tallest mountains in the United States at 14,410 feet tall.

In my pack were warm clothes, my sleeping bag, food, and KAPLA!

After several loooong days I reached the summit of Mt. Rainier- 14,410 feet!

I had planned on building a small tower on the top, but the wind was too strong (and I was pretty tired!)

Where has YOUR Kapla gone?

London Bridge...

Tower Bridge by Adrien...

This one doesn't look like it's going to fall though...

Way to go Adrien!

Cool Constructions...

Check out these INCREDIBLE constructions by Philippe- age 5!

WAY TO GO Philippe! Keep building!

Art of Play Chicago - Part 2

More photos from the week...

30,000 Kapla Planks Can't Be Wrong...

Display window at the Come In and Play Center in Chicago- nearly 15,000 planks were used to setup this display- it took 3 days to make and includes a 15ft tall model of the Sears Tower- if you are in the Chicago area - go check it out- it will be up all summer long!

These photos are from the XXL Games in Millennium Park ...over 1000 people came to play each day with nearly 30,000 planks!

An Expert Kapla Builder - Dilgo Lienhard

We recently discovered the work of Dilgo Lienhard of Switzerland. He's only 15 years old, but one of the best Kapla builders we've seen. Check out his website and his incredible Kapla constructions.

Kapla on Treehugger's House & Garden Blog

Kapla building blocks were featured recently on the Treehugger blog at House & Garden.com in a section on "green" kids stuff.

And if you don't know Treehugger's other site, check it out. It's got tons of content on how to live well AND do right by Mother Nature, with sections on design, travel, transportation, technology, architecture and more.

Kapla is proud of our environmental commitment. All wood used to make our building blocks comes from sustainably managed forests. And all our lumber comes from otherwise unusable pieces bound for a landfill.

Kapla is a toy parents can feel good about, not just for its capacity to encourage big imagination, but for the small environmental footprint it leaves behind.

As Treehugger says, "the future is green." Kapla is proud to do our part, and we love to acknowledge other organizations who share our values.

McCann-Erickson Building Made of Kapla

We were commissioned recently to build a model of the McCann-Erickson Building from Kapla building blocks. Our expert builders traveled to New York City recently to design and build the model, seen above, which received rave reviews from the entire McCann-Erickson family.

Kapla at Chicago's Art of Play

Kapla is thrilled to have been invited to take part in the City of Chicago's summer-long Art of Play exhibition, from June 1 to September 30.

The Art of Play is a celebration of toys, games and interactive play, and Kapla is proud to join in. At the Art of Play Headquarters, across from Millennium Park, our Expert Kapla Builders will create a few incredible constructions from Kapla wooden building blocks. And of course we'll have plenty of blocks on hand for you to try as well!

The Art of Play will be tons of fun for the whole family. Think about checking out The Art of Play and Kapla in Chicago this summer!

Kapla and KIPP

Kapla was recently invited to spend time with one of the KIPP elementary schools in Houston.

KIPP is the Knowledge is Power Program, a network of public schools in under-resourced communities throughout the U.S.

We were thrilled to be asked to share Kapla building blocks with several classes, showing some Kapla building techniques and learning a few new ones from these sharp young builders!

Kapla is honoured to work with an organization that's dedicated to education, and putting kids on the path to college. When we combine education with play, great things can happen.