Meet the designers: We provide you with the creative mind behind the brand Stapelstein, Designer and founder Stephan Schenk, .
The family environment of the founder Stephan Schenk is shaped by educators. He himself studied design and during that time dealt intensively with pedagogical issues. He comes to the conclusion that less and less attention is paid to the basic building block of every healthy development - the natural urge for movement of children in our time. The colorful tokens from Stapelstein create important exercise incentives for children with simple solutions. The StapelsteineRainbow Basic, Stapelsteine Great, or Balance Board nevertheless have an extremely versatile use for children and adults and transform every room into an adventure playground.
To find out more about the brand Stapelstein and to find out the background, we asked the founder & designer Stephan Schenk a few questions.
Dear Stephan, Stapelsteine enjoy great popularity - children of (almost) all ages love to experiment with the colorful game pieces - do you have children yourself who inspired you during the design process?
Children were and are the most important source of inspiration for Stapelstein. I love to spend time with children. Especially in free play. Children have confirmed to me what I myself experienced in my own childhood - for example, nervous sitting still in classroom teaching - and in recurring test phases they play a key role in the development of Stapelstein contributed. I don't have children of my own. I try to remain a child myself and in the creative process I put myself in my inner child in order to learn from it.
How did you come to be self-employed?
I have a vision - I didn't want to give it the responsibility of another company. Stapelstein needed a lot of perseverance and care, especially in the first few years. Business is often about quick profit. We are concerned with a long-term improvement of the movement situation of children and a change in the consciousness of adults who come into contact with children.
Stapelsteine ensure sufficient movement, play and imagination - even in limited space. A tip regarding exercise for parents who live with children in a small square meter?
Few, but better products with a multifunctional and mobile character. This means that the room can be quickly adapted to the different needs of a family. In addition, you save resources and the bottom line is a lot of money over the years. Movement first needs space. The quality of a free floor is often overlooked and exchanged for bulky furniture. We can learn in this regard from other cultures - for example Japan or India, where ground-level learning, playing and getting together contribute to physical well-being into old age.
Thank you, dear Stephan, for your exciting answers!
MORE ABOUT STAPELSTEIN
Manufactured in Germany from resource-saving EPP Stapelsteine bring color, movement and creativity into children's everyday lives. Since movement is the key to the holistic and above all healthy development of a child, it should be firmly anchored in everyday life - Stapelstein offers the opportunity to satisfy the urge to move and be creative, even with few square meters available. Children can playfully become active and transform every room into an adventure and activity playground.
Thanks to its robust, yet fine material, without corners or edges, the Stapelstein an ideal, multifunctional play and learning object for indoors and outdoors and is suitable from 1 year. The Stapelsteine always remain bite-proof and saliva-proof and encourage every child in their movement development.
Sustainability has been deeply anchored in the company's statutes from the very beginning. The game pieces are climate-neutral in Germany made from pure EPP - air and water vapor, without plasticizers, additives or anything else. The long-term use of the product is just as important to the designer Stephan Schenk as sustainability, which is why great importance is attached to a timeless appearance and durability - and easy recycling in the end. The newest series Stapelstein OCEAN combines design and environmental protection - 15% of it is made from old fishing nets that previously polluted the world's oceans - for a colorful future for our children.
