It is known that children enjoy playing with basic shapes, stacking them and knocking them over again and making combinations with different basic forms. The ability of the child to devise and build constructions is hereby developed. In order to also develop the ability of the child in other areas, such as for instance recognition of numbers and letters, discovering nature, determining logical sequences and so on, it is important that a playing child can modify the appearance of the construction built with the basic forms. The drawback of the known construction systems is that this latter aspect, i. e. the development of the child in areas other than that of construction, cannot be realized.

The object of the present invention is to provide a construction system wherein the above-stated drawback is obviated and which is suitable for teaching children to construct as well as imparting other skills to children. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a construction system which can be applied as a pedagogically well-founded learning system for young children.

According to a first aspect of the present invention a construction system is provided for this purpose, comprising: -one or more shaped parts with shaped part fastening means arranged thereon; -a first holding member with holder fastening means arranged thereon to which the shaped part fastening means of the shaped parts can be attached;

-a second holding member with holder fastening means arranged thereon to which the shaped part fastening means of the shaped parts can be attached; -coupling means with which the first holding member can be coupled to the second holding member. Using the holding members the constructing ability of the child is put to the test, while other abilities can be developed using random shaped parts. An additional advantage is that the holding members can function in each case as a basis for new learning applications, wherein for each individual learning application one or more shaped parts adapted to the learning application are provided.

According to a preferred embodiment the holder fastening means and the shaped part fastening means comprise velcro tape, which provides a simple and non- hazardous fastening option for the user. Such a fixing is suitable for children of a very young age, such as toddlers or infants.

According to a further preferred embodiment the coupling means comprise one or more coupling members which have a substantially flat form which is provided on both sides with velcro tape. A holding member can thus be attached at a random position to another holding member in simple manner with only one or more coupling members.

According to a further preferred embodiment the coupling means comprise velcro tape. The use of velcro tape as coupling means increases the child-friendliness of the construction system. According to a further preferred embodiment the holding members can also be attached to the surface using the coupling means. The stability of the construction is increased by attaching a construction to the surface.

Playing children tend to leave their toys lying around after playing or at least leave them in places not appropriate therefor. It is known to store toys in a cupboard after playing, which however has the drawback that, once stored, the toys cannot be transported. Toy

crates are also known, in which toys can be stored after playing, which however have the drawback that the toys are damaged by stacking the toys on top of each other in the toy crates.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention the construction system therefore comprises a holding member which is arranged on a predetermined surface and to which shaped parts, in particular toys, plates, dishes and the like, can be attached for storing the shaped parts relative to the surface. By attaching the shaped parts with the holder fastening means and the shaped part fastening means to a holding member after use, the shaped parts can be stored without causing damage thereto. The holding member can moreover be releasably coupled to the surface, such as for instance a floor or a wall of a nursery, so that after attachment of the shaped parts to the holding member the holding member can be readily removed from the surface and transported together with the toys arranged thereon.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention female velcro tape is arranged over substantially the whole surface of the holding member.

This has the advantage that the shaped parts can be arranged at random positions on the surface of the holding member without the young child herein having to concern itself with the attachment position. In the case of an older child, depending on the learning stage the child has reached, shaped parts can on the contrary be placed intentionally at correct positions over the whole surface of the holding member.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention the holding members are manufactured from resilient material, which is advantageous since the child can in that case not hurt itself on the holding member.

When a holding member is used against the rear side of a car seat, the resilient holding member can moreover function as a soft shock-absorbing cushion in the case of a car crash.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the holding member is manufactured from a washable type of foam, this being particularly advantageous when the holding member functions for instance as a holder for food plates, dishes and the like.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the male velcro tape is fixed to the surface with an easily removable type of glue which leaves no glue remnants after removal. The glue type is preferably water-soluble. This has the advantage that male velcro tape can be arranged at diverse locations in a house to provide diverse locations for attaching the holding member, without the surface being damaged therein.

According to another aspect of the invention a method of construction is provided using the above described construction system.

Further preferred embodiments, aspects and details of the present invention will be described hereinbelow with reference to the drawings, in which: -figure 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention; -figure 2 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention; -figure 3 shows a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention; -figure 4 is a perspective view of a number of different holders and a coupling member according to a fourth preferred embodiment of the invention; and -figure 5 is a perspective view of an example of a construction of two holding members, a shaped part and the associated coupling.

In figures 1 to 3 the construction system is elucidated in a special application in which shaped parts, particularly toys and the like, are stored relative to a surface. Preferred embodiments of the

construction system in a more general sense are described in figures 4 and 5.

Figure 1 shows a nursery or creche space in which a number of toys 20 are lying around on the ground G. In order to store these toys 20 in simple manner there is provided a holding member or cushion 1 which is provided on one or both sides with female velcro tape 2.

Cushion 1 is arranged with its side of female velcro tape 2 against male velcro tape 3, which in turn is fixed to the wall of the nursery or creche space. A layer of female velcro tape 4 is provided on the opposite side of cushion 1. All toys 20 are moreover provided with a layer of male velcro tape 5, so that these toys 20 can be attached in simple manner to layer 4 of cushion 1. By embodying both the coupling between toys 20 and cushion 1 and the connection between cushion 1 and wall W in velcro tape it has become possible to store the toys in simple manner by pressing them against cushion 1 and to transport the thus stored toys as a whole by pulling cushion 1 loose from wall W and taking it to a subsequent position, such as for instance the wall of another nursery or the like.

The male velcro tape 3 is fixed to wall W by means of a glue layer 10. This glue layer is preferably of a water-soluble and easily removable type of glue. The velcro tape 3 can hereby be detached from wall W, whereafter possible remaining glue remnants on wall W can be removed simply using water or the like.

Figure 2 shows another embodiment of the invention in which strips of male velcro tape 3, against which the cushion 1 provided with female velcro tape 2 is to be attached, are fixed against the rear of a car seat S. In similar manner the child can remove the toy 20, which is provided with male velcro tape 3, from cushion 1 and replace it thereon after use thereof. Herein is prevented that toys lie scattered around the car, which is not only untidy but can also be dangerous in a crash.

If cushion 1 is manufactured from resilient material,

such as foam plastic, it can also function as extra protection for the child if it is thrown against the rear side of seat S as a result of a car crash.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention two or more cushions can be mutually coupled, for instance by means of velcro tape. In this case the cushions have for instance a pyramid form, a block form or a spherical form. Such a combination of cushions can take a combined form of for instance a play wall, a play floor, a small house with a kitchen or a clock, and the like.

In another embodiment it is possible to arrange learning systems on a cushion or on combined cushions for a logical and pedagogically sound education of the user.

For very young children a holding member can thus be embodied in different forms, such as for instance a cube, a pyramid, a sphere and so on. A very young child then learns to distinguish these forms while playing. For somewhat older children the holding members and optionally also the shaped parts can be embodied in diverse colours. The child can herein for instance place shaped parts of a particular colour on precisely that holding member having a correct colour. At a further learning stage of the child the shaped parts can take the form, separately or in combination, of shapes such as for instance a train engine (figure 1) or a pram (figure 2).

At an even further learning stage the shaped parts can represent numbers or letters, so that the child can formulate words or numbers. It is also possible for the child to stack a number of cushions on top of each other, for instance to make a tower, whereafter a shaped part in the form of a clock is attached to the top cushion, whereby a clock tower is realized.

According to a further preferred embodiment (not shown) a wooden or plastic support is provided, which is provided on the underside with four wheels, similarly to for instance a skateboard. The cushions according to the invention can then be placed on the

wooden plank, wherein the cushions take the form of for instance a car, a locomotive, an aeroplane, a horse and so on.

According to a further preferred embodiment (not shown) there is provided a piece of cloth to which male velcro tape is attached. This piece of cloth can then be attached by means of this male velcro tape to a number of cushions, whereby a closed space results, such as for instance a tent in which the children can play.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention (figure 3) a cushion 1 is embodied as placemat.

Placemat 6 can be placed directly onto table T. It is also possible to provide a further attachment 7, for instance in the form of velcro tape, a glue layer or the like, between placemat 6 and table T. On the upper side the placemat 6 is provided with a layer 8 of female velcro tape. The male velcro tape 9 of a plate B or a dish L can engage on this layer 8 of female velcro tape.

Plate B and dish L are hereby positioned fixedly on the placemat, thus preventing the plate and dish falling onto the ground through a wild movement of the child. Plate and dish can be readily removed again from placemat 6 after a meal. Placemat 6 is preferably manufactured from washable material, so that it can be cleaned in simple manner if food or drink should be spilt.

Figure 4 shows three holders of different shape. Holder 21 takes the form of an elongate beam.

Holder 22 takes the form of a cube. Holder 23 takes the form of a holder 21 which has been cut through diagonally. There are however many possible variants of the shape. Holders in for instance a spherical shape, a pyramid shape or a conical shape can be envisaged. The dimensions of the holders are preferably chosen so as to be mutually compatible. Two holders 23 can together thus form one holder 21 and two holders 22 together can form one holder 21. The dimensions of the holders are chosen so as to be sufficiently large to guarantee the safety of the user, i. e. the playing child. In the embodiment shown

the dimensions of holder 22 are for instance 20 by 20 by 20 centimetres. In the view of figure 4 holder 21 is partially cut away so that the interior becomes visible.

The holder is made of resilient material 24, for instance foam rubber and so on, which is enclosed by a protective layer 25, which in this case consists of female velcro tape and functions as attachment option for a coupling piece 26. Coupling piece 26 is disc-shaped and is provided on its outer surface with male velcro tape. One or more coupling pieces 26 can hereby be placed between holders and the holders then placed against each other.

The possibility of attaching the holders against each other is hereby provided in simple and effective manner.

Figure 5 shows an example of the use of the construction system. Holder 23 of figure 4 is herein placed on holder 21 of the same figure and mutually attached by placing coupling piece 26 between the two holders 21 and 23. The thus mutually coupled holders 21 and 23 together form a house with a pitched roof. In order to complete the appearance of the house, it is possible to attach a shaped part 20. Shaped part 20 is provided with a number of educational details such as a door 29, windows 30 and two door halves 31a and 31b, these latter being hingedly mounted on shaped part 20.

The child can open and close both door halves 31a and 31b. Shaped part 20 is provided on one side with a layer of male velcro tape 28 which can engage on the above mentioned layer 25 on the outer side of holder 21. Shaped part 20 is attached to holder 21 by pushing shaped part 20 against holder 21.

Figures 4 and 5 show clearly how an educational learning system is provided using the shaped parts and holders, wherein a young child can produce structures while playing and without danger of injury or the like.

Many types of shaped parts can be attached to the holders for many types of learning system, wherein the learning systems enable a logical, pedagogically well-founded structure depending on the age of the user.

The present invention is not limited to the above described preferred embodiments thereof; the rights sought are defined by the following claims, within the scope of which many modifications are possible.