ORLANDO, Fla. — Laresa Tapia was inspired to create Polyblox when she went shopping for learning toys to help her children learn in different ways. 

• Laresa Tapia created Polybox to help Spanish-speaking children
• She decided to do this after Hurricane Maria displaced Puerto Rican kids
• The next languages to be added are French, Mandarin

“I thought I can combine this information in a meaningful way that we can start discussions about empathy in learning, and not everybody learns in the same way," Tapia said.

Polyblox helps teach children math, how to spell and use sign language with blocks that contain letters, numbers, and sign language signs. 

For 12 years, Polyblox was only in English, but that's changed. 

Tapia said she decided to add Spanish after Hurricane Maria displaced many Puerto Rican children.

"It put a fire in my belly when the hurricane happened, and a lot of people from Puerto Rico were displaced, those children not being school, not having the resources they needed," she said.

Tapia said with 15 totems children can spell more than 100,000 words in Spanish.

The next languages that will be added are French and Mandarin.