A lane
The Builder lane
Tools, towers, take-apart. Real screwdrivers (supervised), more Cardboard City, more 'how does it work'. Lanes never change the bones of the week; they add one concrete tilt toward what your kid loves, at every age.
You might be here if…
- Stacks, lines up, and knocks down for the rebuild
- Wants the real tool, not the toy one
- Studies how the drawer, the latch, and the wheel work
Not sure? Start in Explorer. Squad Brain watches what your kid returns to and you can switch lanes anytime from your Family page.
How the lane tilts every stage
- 🌱 Newborn Squad
Cause-and-effect early: kick toys, crinkle books, hands that make things happen.
- 🍼 Infant Squad
Stacking cups, knock-downs, put-in and take-out from day one.
- 🧸 Crawler Squad
Stacking, posting, dumping: containers everywhere.
- 👣 Young Toddler Squad
Blocks, nesting cups, and the first take-apart toys.
- ☀️ Toddler Squad
Real tools, take-apart toys, extra build days.
- 🎨 Preschool Squad
Engineering challenges in every project; real tools with supervision.
- 📚 Early Elementary Squad
Engineering briefs, coding basics, and a maker space day.
- 🔬 Elementary Squad
Engineering and coding semesters with real clients.
- 🧭 Middle Squad
Engineering, coding, and fabrication with mentors; a public build.
- 🎓 High School Squad
Engineering, computer science, or trades: a portfolio of real builds and the competitions and programs that admissions offices know.
Twelve weeks of Builder tilts in the Toddler Squad
Week 1
👋 Hello, Squad!
Add a toddler toolbox to Free Play: a real (small) screwdriver, a wood block with pre-started screws, and a level.
Week 2
🌈 Color Splash
Color-sort the block bin before building. Then build one tower per color.
Week 3
🚗 Wheels & Roads
Take a toy car apart (one with visible screws) and put it back together at the pit stop.
Week 4
💧 Water & Weather
Build a rain gutter from cardboard and tape; pour water down it into the sensory bin.
Week 5
🦋 Bugs & Butterflies
Build a bug hotel from a box, tubes, and sticks. Put it outside and check it daily.
Week 6
🍌 Farm & Food
Build a barn for the farm animals from a shoebox. Doors that open are the challenge.
Week 7
🚒 Community Helpers
Hardware store visit: buy one bolt and one nut that fit. Practice threading it all week.
Week 8
🔨 Build It!
This is the Builder's week: add one extra Cardboard City build day at home.
Week 9
🐢 Ocean & Beach
Sandcastle engineering: which sand holds a tower, dry or wet? Test it.
Week 10
🦁 Wild Animals
Build a zoo enclosure for each stuffed animal with blocks. Which animal needs the tallest fence?
Week 11
🥧 Thankful Harvest
Build the table: a cardboard table for the stuffed animals' feast, legs that don't wobble.
Week 12
🎉 Lights, Music & Celebration
Build the Showcase stage from boxes for the Cardboard City demo.