Smarcks-The Talking Smart Blocks Educational Toy
Kids like blocks, they are a tried and true toy that have survived the test of time and generations. I had blocks as a kid, my aunt had blocks as a kid, my grandmother had blocks as a kid, and yes my kids now have blocks…A LOT of them. Now, my kids have a variety of blocks, from plain wooden cubes to Legos to those foam blocks I got thinking they wouldn’t hurt so much when then got chucked at people (I was WRONG). But, I recently had the opportunity to review a set of blocks that were nothing like anything I’ve seen on the market (and yes I know it’s a serious surprise I ran into something I’ve never seen before). So, what exactly did I run into? Talking Blocks. Yup, you heard me…blocks…that talk. The kiddos and I had the opportunity to review the 70 Piece Building Set, the Red/Yellow/Green Color Blocks, the Purple/Pink/Orange Color and Manners Blocks, the Nursery Rhymes Block Set, the Counting/Shapes/ABC Blocks, and the Math Blocks Set from Smarcks and here’s what we think.
{PROS}
- The blocks are a good size. They are substantial enough to let allow for use by little fingers, but they are not so huge that they aren’t maneuverable.
- The Building Blocks set come with a good amount of pieces (70) so the kiddos can play with them all together, or they can each take some pieces and play separately. I also love the container it comes it because it’s big enough to hold the Building Set as well as the rest of the specialty blocks. I hate having things strewn all over.
- All of the talking blocks have great annunciation so you can understand what they’re saying. Click here to check out Smarck audio samples.
- The sayings from the blocks are really catchy, I’ve in fact had one of the nursery rhymes stuck in my head the entire day…”one little monkey jumping on the bed…“
- The variety of talking block sets available makes it so that there is something interesting for Emme who is 1 and for Elle who is 4.
- I was a bit worried that the sensors in the talking blocks would either be really sensitive and I would hear the sayings at the most random times or that they wouldn’t be sensitive enough and you would have to smash the blocks together in order for them to work, but I didn’t have to worry about either of those things. The sensors in the talking blocks are perfect, they aren’t really sensitive and they aren’t dull…Elle, Eve and Emme can all activate them when putting things together, but I don’t hear them at night when I put the blocks container at night.
- The kids really like these. In fact, this is the one block set that all three of the kids immediately gravitate toward when they want to play.
- The talking blocks have batteries in them, but it’s pretty simple to take the cover off and replace them.
{CONS}
- The blocks because they’re a bit larger and because the talking ones have batteries inside are heavier than normal. This isn’t a huge issue because they are still really usable and functional, the issue comes when your kiddo decides to have a bit of a tantrum and throw them.
- They are kind of expensive. The Building Blocks set is 29.95 and the talking blocks set range from 19.95 to 22.95.
- I have to say it. It has nothing to do with the blocks themselves, but I’m really not a huge fan of the name. I get the whole: smart+blocks=smarcks, but I still don’t have to like it.
Alright so now onto the the major question: Are Smarcks worth it? Yes, they are more expensive than normal blocks, in fact the entire set that I was sent to review retails for 76.95, but this being said I think they are worth the money. I look at these as an investment kind of thing and I think they are quite worth it if you’re buying for siblings or for someone who is planning on having more kids. The talking sets have an age range that variety from 1+ to 5+ so the sets cover a good age range and it isn’t like the kiddos will out-grow the toy quickly.
Check out the Technology Behind Smarcks and the Smarck Puzzle Secrets.
Okay, these blocks, er, smarcks look darn cool. One reason I like blocks, they promote creativity! It’s so much fun to try to create something, your imagination can go wild! I like the idea of talking blocks too.
Wow, they have a lot of features. It really looks like a LOT of thought has gone into making a common well-loved toy brand new.