Bakery Blocks are fun, handmade blocks that look like layers of cake. Each block is painted to look like one layer of a cake and can be stacked together to create all sorts of fun cakes. They’re handmade from plywood and painted with acrylic paint. Each cake has its own "flavor" based on the colors and the berries or flowers that I hand-painted onto each layer.
The blocks are safe to play with—no choking hazards—and there are endless ways to play.
Playtesting!!
I got the chance to play test my Bakery Blocks with two groups of 3-4-year-olds at the Margaret House, a daycare on RIT’s campus. The kids had so much fun. They were fully engaged, coming up with new ways to play that I hadn’t even thought of, and they never got bored.
The blocks were not only fun but also encouraged collaboration, and the product proved to be both safe and highly engaging. Feedback from both the kids and the daycare workers confirm that the Bakery Blocks are perfect for younger kids—kid-tested and kid-approved!
I was given permission by Margaret House to use these photos in my work.
Packaging
I designed the packaging using hand-cut and folded paperboard boxes. Each box holds 3 blocks that make up one cake. Each box also has a conversion sheet for baking.
A conversion sheet is a guide that shows you how to convert common baking measurements, like teaspoons to tablespoons or cups to ounces, making it easier for kids to understand and use different units.
KIOSK
The Kiosk was a part of my Bakery Blocks project that involved creating a miniature model of a storefront to showcase the blocks. It's designed to be a booth setup that would be used at a trade show to display and sell the blocks.
This piece was selected by my school’s Industrial Design program for NASAD accreditation. Each year, the school gathers a range of student work for review, and the accreditation board visits to determine whether our program meets the necessary standards to continue. Having my project included in that collection was a proud moment and a great validation of the work I put into it.
