There's a great toy out there that is challenging and fun (for families and children), educational (for students and teachers), and is also affordable and requires no batteries. The name of this toy starts with an "L" but it's not Legos. It's a great new toy called Lockrobots!

Lockrobots are made in America. Legos are not. Lockrobots are American owned (small business). Legos are owned by a company in Denmark (distant corporation).

At www.Lockrobots.com, you can find out about Lockrobots and why they have become a trusted name at home and at school.

You don't have to be a child to become intrigued by and interested in Lockrobots, but your kids, nieces or nephews will love them. My nephews (ages 7 and 11) certainly did! When I gave Lockrobots to my nephews, I was almost sure that the 11 year-old would take an interest in them first. After all, I had read about the Lockrobotic engineering contests at middle schools for 7th and 8th grade students and their challenges to assemble and create recognizable structures with Lockrobots.

But then, I read about how Lockrobots were useful in developing fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and learning to work with 3D objects. Of course my 7 year old nephew is well past easier tasks like recognizing and creating patterns, matching and sorting, and piecing and fitting parts together like a puzzle, but I was still thinking my older nephew would take an interest in them first.

Even though both of my nephews loved them, it was the younger of the two that took a more-solid interest in them first.

The plastic interconnecting pieces that are Lockrobots are truly for children of all ages. Lockrobots are simple enough for the younger child to manipulate, yet challenge older children to design and create more complex structures.

Lockrobots are durable and safe and use quality American-made materials. They are non-toxic and contain no lead, latex, or magnets. The fact that Lockrobots are suited for children of all ages makes it likely that this toy has the potential to grow with the child, rather than have the child outgrow the toy.

Even children from birth to three can both have fun and learn with Lockrobots because they are beginning to learn about mathematical concepts by exploring objects in their environment. When children of this age group are introduced to Lockrobots, they learn:

• about numbers by being exposed to counting small groups of objects
• to compare objects by noticing similarities and differences
• to match and sort by color
• to recognize patterns
• about space by filling and emptying containers
• to take objects apart and to put objects together
• positional words like "in" and "out"
• beginning problem solving skills

Preschoolers can use Lockrobots to expand their mathematical reasoning skills, and gain opportunities to:

• meaningfully count to five
• use words like more and less to describe quantity
• recognize and create patterns
• count on from one number to another
• predict what comes next in a pattern
• use positional words like bottom, top, behind, in front, beside
• learn about spatial relationships by creating two-and three-dimensional structures
• use a variety of strategies to solve problems

Maybe the proof-positive reason the above attributes and advantages of Lockrobots are so true is due to the fact that teachers and early childhood educators have had positive experiences and listed their testimonials on the Lockrobots website.

Lockrobots will fit nicely under your Christmas tree and will be a light burden on your budget considering the potential for fun and learning the children in your life will experience. You can purchase a small bucket of Lockrobots for just $11.00 (I ordered the large bucket for $39.00 - a much better deal!)

We can't continue to claim we support American small business while going to Wal-Mart to buy imported Legos from Denmark. Let's put our money where our mouth is.

I can tell you that both me and my nephews are sold on Lockrobots. And if you go to Lockrobots.com to see what I'm talking about, you just might be, too.

Roger Simmermaker is the author of How Americans Can Buy American: The Power of Consumer Patriotism. He also writes "Buy American Mention of the Week" articles for his website www.howtobuyamerican.com and is a member of the Machinists Union and National Writers Union. Roger has been a frequent guest on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC, has been quoted in the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and US News & World Report among many other publications, and is now a weekly contributor to WorldNetDaily.

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