Customer Reviews

Jumbo Music Block by Neurosmith

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This is a really cool toy for a 1 1/2 - 3 year old or so. When you hit the top of the block, it plays a very well recorded song (yes, recorded) about the particular shape that is facing up. It is very soft, yet durable, and the shapes all open up in different ways to reveal someting underneath. The only "beware" is for adults- the songs will stick in your head after hearing them 100 times!!

I am a Mom and an early intervention specialist. This is a great toy! It works on fine/gross motor skills, cognitive awareness (shapes-song cartridge is included with the purchase), music appreciation (its compatible with any and all neurosmith music cartridges!!)as well as the all important "fun" factor that all toys should offer our children. It teaches them while they roll around on it and manipulate the zippers and clasps. I highly recommend this toy to parents as well as educators/specialists for its broad appeal and ability to teach. This is a FABULOUS find!!!

I got this toy for my daughter when she turned 1 year old. She immediately fell in love with the music and the softness of the block. She loves to run and jump on it to make the music start. When she first started playing with it, we left all the "patches" open, because she was not able to do those for herself. Now that she is almost two, she likes to open and close everything for herself. This toy has taught her songs that she likes to repeat over and over and over again. Her favorite song is "Ring around the rosy" and she was singing this all by herself by the age of 18 months. The sound quality is wonderful too! Too many talking/singing toys have very poor quality, and in my opinion do not help with language development. I can not say that with this toy. The words are very clear, and she repeats everything it says or sings. I am looking forward to getting some of the other music cartridges to add to her collection. The same goes for the music blocks. In my opinion, both of these were wll worth the investment.

I am uncertain who loves this toy more - my wife or my son! It is just the right size (big but not TOO big) for my 1 year old who is toddling to stand next to and use - or merely lean on and set off! The colors are bright, the shapes clear, the objects under the shapes interesting, and the jingles are both educational and stick in your head for days! The ability to make the toy new again by adding a cartridge is great and I loved the free Jazz cartridge that came with it. The block teaches shapes and numbers well and could only be improved by adding colors to what it taught!

My friend recommended this toy and I'm so glad she did. My 12 month old daughter loves it! She dances to the music, uses it as "rest stop" when walking, enjoys all the toys, and loves the fact that she can manipulate it on her own. I disagree with the one reviewer who thought it was difficult to clean. I wipe ours down every couple of days with a wet cloth and it looks brand new. I've also read where some people didn't like the same tunes repeated over and over or the cheerful voices. I'm a speech pathologist and I find that to be some of the best features. Kids learn from repetition and the studies show they that they learn better from spunky, cheerful intontation patterns. Remember this toy is for your child not you. Overall, it is my daughters favorite toy. She plays with it daily and it is well worth the price.

My 12-month old son got this for Christmas, but isn't one whit interested in it. The "songs" play automatically when the cube is moved and they are really only single- or double-line jingles sung by hyper-spunky adults. Two examples of the jingles are "Open the door here's a rectangle, close the door here's a rectangle" and "Everywhere you look you'll find a square." Personally, I don't find them educational except in the most fundamental and uninspired sense. Even my 3-year old thought they were embarrassingly silly. The stuff under the fabric doors (bean bag, mirror, beads, 3-page plastic book, etc.) aren't any different than what are found on countless other educational toys, but this thing takes up a lot more space on the playroom floor. Neurosmith also makes a set of music blocks (which are fantastic and fun) and, thankfully, the cartridges are interchangeable--the one really good feature of this toy. It seems like this thing should do more, but after reading through the booklet and examining it closely, it does disappointingly little.

I bought this toy for my 1 yr old daughter Christmas of 2001. I did alot of research on this toy and accessories that would go with it. I love the durability and options that this toy affords, but be careful in regards to the accessories that you get to go with it. My daughter received all the Walt Disney music block cartridges that work not only with this toy but the musical blocks and all I can say is that they do not really work with this particular toy very well. If you want to add accessories I suggest getting the original cartridges such as Jumpin Jive Jazz. My daughter has not been able to master all the skills needed for this block but has lost interest as she nears 2. Her interest is renewed in the product only if I pull out the toy and we play together with it. I do think this has helped develop her fine motor skills more than anything else that she has but it is not an inexpensive gift so I would advise looking at your budget carefully prior to purchasing this item. It is not necessary to purchase accessories to go with this toy and it would probably be best to see how your child likes this toy before doing so

This is a great toy. Long before my son could walk, he could roll this block across the floor, stopping on each side to dance to the music. Just the right height for "pulling up" on and it is stable and soft, perfect for learning to walk around. I mention this because it is a side benefit to the wonderful little songs on each side. My 3 & 4 year olds can't resist it either. Buy this, it is a great toy. You can skip the music blocks for it. We have all of the music blocks, but the short tunes are so catchy we'd rather listen to them.

This was a gift for my 19 month old for Christmas. She and her 4.5 year old sister played with it a lot...which says something on Christmas day with all that other STUFF to play with.

I love the quality of the recordings. It's hard to believe it's all digital.

We got the Jazz cartridge to go with the block. It's kind of a toss up. The 4 year old likes the music that comes with the block...because it has lyrics, I think. But watching the 19 month old dance to the Jazz cartridge is great. :) She really seems to like it. My brother, the intellectual, informs me that jazz is good for developing brains because of it's unstructured nature. Whatever. We like it.

We also got the Mary Poppins cartridge as a gift, but haven't played it yet...still haven't gotten tired of jazz yet.

My only concern or complaint is that the cartridges are not easily interchangable. You have to unscrew the battery compartment to change the cartidge. Obviously, a child can't do this, and I'm concerned that repeated use will damage the screw or panel.

The quality and durability is amazing!

My son absolutely will not stop playing with it, jumping on it, rolling on it....