Product

Bright Day has been involved in helping children learn since 1988 – and over the last decade helping children learn through play. Bright Day launched its Bright Day Big Blocks play system in 2018 and the global marketplace response has been “positive and quite overwhelming” – says Chief Executive Laurel Tucker.

Bright Day Big Blocks has a great story about the powers of play based learning – and how Bright Day Big Blocks genuinely contributes to boosting a child’s curiosity, helping them imagine, create and build, problem solve and think critically, collaborate and communicate, build coordination, strength, and dexterity, as well as increase self-esteem and confidence. And Laurel Tucker tells that story every day – to as many people as she can get to listen.

But, what’s become an extremely important by-product that Bright Day Big Blocks didn’t expect was the designation of inventing a better, more modern play-system.

Once Bright Day Big Blocks began offering its block sets to schools, libraries, children’s museums, nature, science, and discovery centers, park and recreation departments – “all of these organizations began talking to us, congratulating us for building a better play system”, says Laurel.

In a sentence – compared to traditional playground systems our soft play, loose part big blocks are safer, mobile, encourage deep engagement, offer a different experience each time for kids, can complement what’s being studied in the classroom, and is extremely cost effective. “Let’s quickly review each benefit”, says Laurel.

• Safe: each block is made of soft and safe, light-weight EVA polyethylene foam so kids won’t suffer from bumps and bruises, scrapes and splinters. Additionally all Bright Day Big Blocks are lab tested, and certified safe.
• Mobile: our Big Block sets come with between 120 and 140 pieces that are easy to move – from outdoor to indoor – from cafeteria to classroom. Also, Bright Day offers Carts and Bags for sale to make it even easier to contain the cargo while being moved from one location to the next.
• Engage: it’s reported traditional playgrounds are single purpose and engage children for short periods of time. Bright Day Big Blocks can engage children for hours – and after a break – even more hours. Once children engage in creative development – like big block play – that activity extends, and the longer play extends the more kids learn.
• Unique: customers have told us – when kids play with Bright Day Big Blocks it’s never the same twice – which means each building session brings new expressions, new discoveries, and new learning.
• Compliments Classroom: today, many early childhood educators use theme or project based learning to aid curriculum retention – after all, children learn by doing – and doing what they find interesting. So, teachers use Bright Day Big Blocks along with their curriculum, including it in their lessons.
• Cost Effective: a Bright Day Big Block set can occupy approximately 20 children at a time, for a good deal of time. And, such a set costs one-tenth the price of a traditional outdoor playground – good play and price value.

So, did Bright Day Big Blocks invent a better play system?
Laurel Tucker concludes by saying – “well, in our quest to bring the children of the world an opportunity to imagine and create, and all – we guess we did – and so very glad to help”.

Late in 1988, approximately 18 months after the birth of their first child, David Krishock and Laurel Tucker joined a collective of parents in their Chicago, IL suburb who felt creative based learning would be an excellent way to stimulate their children’s brains, bodies and overall development. Activities including painting, singing, dancing, being read to and storytelling, dress up, digging in the sand at the Lake Michigan beach, talking to the animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo, standing in the rain, then rolling in the mud – and as you can imagine – much more. Over the years David + Laurel moved and had more children – but those child development principals remained.  As parents they looked for schools that embraced a creative based education philosophy – and outside of school sought activities that developed curiosity, creativity, self-expression, engagement, collaboration, problem solving, strength, dexterity, built confidence – and more.

In 2001 David Krishock became the leader of Scholastic Book Fairs, with close to 100,000 school customers – there he gained a deep appreciation of reading, writing, and the importance of comprehension and communication.  In 2005 The Krishock’s opened two complimentary companies – Bright Day LLC + Bright Day Foundation.  These organizations were established to help educators help communities by building skills in young, developing children. By 2009 the Krishock’s noticed that play-based learning was emerging as a valuable learning tool.  Shortly after David Krishock joined Imagination Playground, growing that business into becoming a respected product supporting play based child development. In late 2018 the Krishock’s focused the efforts of Bright Day + Bright Day Foundation around building strong brains and bodies through the power of creative PLAY! – which is part of their mission statement.  I guess you could say they circled back 30 years – to the developmental practices so dear to them in raising their own children.

Today, Bright Day conducts business worldwide.  Late in 2018 Bright Day began the distribution of block-based open-play and theme-based play products in Japan, South Korea, New Zealand – and in 2019 added China, Singapore, Australia, as well as several European, Latin American, and Middle East countries.  By March of 2019 Bright Day was launched in the United States.

Bright Day and the founders believe in a term they coined called “Today’s Modern Classroom” – that place can be anywhere – a school, a children’s center, a home – but a place where principals of  play-based, theme based, project-based learning are practiced.  A place where it is endorsed that the basics of learning occur by involving children in activities that joyfully engage them – and from those activities, real learning occurs!

This method is very much inspired by a Reggio Emilia Learning System – which began in Reggio Emilia, Italy in 1945.

The Bright Day products are different from anything available in the world, majoring in:
– soft play – simple, fun, safe, and very friendly to youngsters
– loose parts (or blocks)  that spark a  child’s brain to create something
– challenging a child to be active – to stretch and strengthen their physical being
– use of a variety of shapes (80+) and colors (14+) – we say if a child can dream it they can build it
– promoting open-ended play, theme-based learning, project-based learning – and more.

In addition to our mission – it is  our business goal is three-fold:
– to work hard to help teach educators and parents about the power of play
– to increase distribution of play-based, learning-based tools and products worldwide
– to innovate and develop new ideas and products so that we provide our community and their children an exciting way to play – exciting ways to help stimulate and build kids brains and bodies.

Contact us to learn more!