Frequently Asked Questions

HAPPY BUILDER provides educational incursions for school kids of all ages, professional corporate workshops and programs for businesses, as well as tailored workshops for public events. Our workshops are tailor-made and consist in building large structures using KAPLA planks, encouraging creativity, logical thinking and team collaboration. HAPPY BUILDER workshops have also been specifically designed to support the development of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) skills.

KAPLA® is a popular educational and team-building tool made of identically-sized pieces of wood ideal for building monumental constructions in teams. Read more on the 'What is KAPLA®?' page.

Tom van der Bruggen invented KAPLA® in 1987. Tom van der Bruggen dreamt of building his own castle! In order to plan his castle, he needed to build a scale model. All of the blocks and bricks that he had were too bulky and not suitable to build all elements of a castle. So, he made his own and KAPLA® was born! KAPLA planks are the perfect building material to create any and all architectural designs.

KAPLA stands for "KAbouter PLAnjkes" which means "gnome planks" in Dutch. Did you know that the creator of KAPLA®, Tom van der Bruggen, is Dutch?

Each KAPLA plank measures about 5 x 1 x .25 inches or 11.5 x 2.5 x 0.5 cm.

KAPLA planks are all natural and unfinished. KAPLA planks are all natural and made from untreated wood.
 The KAPLA colour planks are coloured with a food-grade quality stain and are safe for children of all ages. KAPLA® is committed to safety and quality and each KAPLA planks is hand-sorted.

KAPLA® is magical because of the incredible structures that can be built! KAPLA planks are simple! KAPLA kids of all ages can create simple structures or unbelievably complex structures using only balance and gravity.

KAPLA planks are made in Morocco. KAPLA planks are made of wood that is grown in France. KAPLA planks are manufactured and made to be precisely perfect for building in Morocco!

KAPLA planks are made of a special pine wood grown in the south of France. There is a certain amount of resin in the wood and that is what allows KAPLA kids to build unbelievable, gravity-defying structures! The climate and region where the forests are located are what produces this special quality in the wood.

KAPLA® is for ages 2+ KAPLA® is safe and ok for two year-olds to play with! 
Starting at age 3, children will start to stack and build with KAPLA®.
The more time that children spend with KAPLA blocks, the more that they will develop their building skills, creativity and imagination! 
 KAPLA® is a great activity for parents, grandparents and children to enjoy side-by-side.

KAPLA® is not as guided as Lego® building and requires you to use your creative brain! Learn some basic shapes using your building booklet provided in each box and trial your own creation. However to get you started here are some free step-by-step construction guides available for download. You should also check HAPPY BUILDER Instagram for some building ideas! Have fun creating!

KAPLA® is a popular educational and team-building tool made of identically-sized pieces of wood ideal for building monumental constructions in teams. Read more on the 'What is KAPLA®?' page.

My recommendation for builders (5 years old and up) is always as follows: you should always buy a good base of natural blocks and complete with some coloured blocks for details. It is easier to play with shape and volume when using natural blocks. The coloured blocks are great for creating details such as architectural features , animal details (eye, scales, feathers, body colours, etc…). However, for younger children (2 to 4 years old) I recommend starting with coloured blocks as they don’t play with volumes yet and love to create patterns by alternating colours!

If you are not sure if someone will enjoy KAPLA building, I would recommend starting with a small box (100 blocks / Starter Pack or Colours & Book). If you know that you offer the blocks to a budding builder go straight for the 200 blocks (Essential Pack) or 280 blocks (Expert Pack). The more the merrier! If you have multiple children in your family who love building and you know that adults will join in as well, the 1000 blocks Collector Pack is a must have! It comes in a beautiful wooden box, is easy to move around (wheels at the bottom) and easy to pack up! If you are unsure give me a call or message me!

KAPLA products include a short booklet with building techniques KAPLA products include a short booklet that shows many ways that KAPLA planks can be stacked and arranged. From there, it is possible to build almost any structure! There is no incorrect way to build with KAPLA blocks. There are many pictures on the packaging and inside of the pamphlet to give you ideas of what to build. KAPLA kids enjoy copying the KAPLA structures that they see or making their own designs! KAPLA kids can check our idea gallery online and social media accounts for more inspiration. Some free step-by-step construction guides are also available for download. Additionally, there are 4 different KAPLA Art Books available for purchase to use as building guides.

Each KAPLA product includes a set amount of KAPLA planks. KAPLA products are available in an assortment of set sizes to meet your needs. Each product comes in a box that includes the same, magical wooden building planks. 
And yes! The boxes are designed to be used as storage for your KAPLA planks.

Yes, we are happy to accept Purchase Orders. Schools can email or call us with Purchase Orders. Please call us at 0418 963 853, use the contact form to send us a message, or email info@happybuilder.com.au directly and we will happily assist you.

1. Choose your workshop 2. Enquire and set up a date with the HAPPY BUILDER team 3. Book a space in your school 4. We do the rest!

We can build on any flat surface Our KAPLA facilitator will come to your school with thousands of KAPLA blocks. Giant workshops can be organised in a school hall or large gymnasium. In order to achieve a WOW factor at the end of the day, it is best if each class contributes to the construction in the same location. We generally use the main school hall for the day.

We arrive at least 60 minutes prior to the incursion to set up Sessions run for 60 to 90 minutes, including pack up (around 10 minutes)

We can accommodate up to 5 classes per day. For larger schools we can run the workshop over several days to give each class a chance to participate.

The children will be guided throughout the session into completing constructions suitable to their age and ability. Each class will take turns to come and build and add to the construction so that at the end of the day we have a monumental build that each and everyone has contributed to. After your class has finished their construction, the children will be invited to go back to their classroom and resume their day as normal. We will then welcome the next class and so on. At the end of the day we organise a viewing session so that each class can admire the monumental build, reflect on their work, help dismantle their constructions and tidy away the blocks.

Absolutely!! The children have been waiting for this with great anticipation. There are several ways to dismantle (we can discuss them with you) that will once again stimulate the children to cooperate, communicate and share the work and the fun!

Each session is competitively priced per student.

We take pictures and send them to you but don't forget to bring your camera!

HAPPY BUILDER provides professional corporate workshops and programs for businesses, as well as tailored workshops for public events for small and large groups. Our workshops are tailor-made and consist in building large structures using KAPLA planks, encouraging creativity, logical thinking and team collaboration.

KAPLA planks are in a special 1:3:15 ratio and that is what allows KAPLA builders to construct any design that they can imagine, including interesting towers, spirals, roofs, and unbelievable complex structures using only balance and gravity. The simplicity yet sophistication of KAPLA structures made in groups makes it a great team-building tool!

HAPPY BUILDER workshop can be small (6-8 people) or very large (200-300 people). You just need to find a large empty space and we will do the rest! We can also accommodate multiple sessions during the day where every group will work on the same structure in order to achieve a gigantic KAPLA structure! Just give us a call and we will tailor the best workshop for your needs! The sky is the limit!

KAPLA® is for ages 2+ to 99! KAPLA® is a progressive game for all ages: from preschooler to adult, everyone builds at their own skill level! This is why Happy builder can offer a wide range of services to the education and corporate world!

You just need to provide a large enough empty room (boardroom, lobby, hall, meeting room etc…) and a couple of tables and that's it! Just remember to bring your cooperative and creative mindset!!

We all know the benefits of being together vs. behind screens! Gathering people around an activity that is suitable for any age group and intrinsically cooperative is key to create bonding, happiness and interpersonal trust. Read more about the benefits of team building here.