Making Math Fun is as Easy as 1-2-3 with SumBlox

If I were to show you this photo, what would you think this post was about?

You would probably think “Here we go, another set of building blocks. Been there, done that.” However, if you did think that, you would be wrong, completely wrong. While you may technically be right in the fact that they are building blocks, they are far more than just that.

You see, it is all about how you look at things. It is about your perspective. It is about your mind set. With so many new takes on the age old building blocks toy, it isn’t hard to find a set that your kids will love. We have far more than I could count here in our home. There are some with letters, some depicting various shapes and colors, others with images of animals, and some just with cute designs. Despite their differences, they are all relatively the same. The kids stack them and subsequently knock them down only to build them up once more. While this certainly does help to perfect a child’s fine motor skills, many kids often “graduate” from standard building blocks to other toys leaving the blocks behind to collect dust. The carved letters and artistic workings often go unnoticed because, after all, they’re just blocks.

That is where these particular blocks come in. These are the next generation – the epitome – of building blocks. They are educational, they encourage learning based play, they are revolutionary. They are SumBlox.

When creator, Dave Skaggs, was tutoring a young boy he soon realized that kids these days needed something more. Not something with more bells and whistles but something with the ability to help children better understand educational concepts.

We needed a game that could help him see and apply new concepts while reinforcing the old ones. We needed a game that could help him naturally move from counting on his fingers to counting whole numbers. We needed a game that could help him see the application of math concepts he was using. And most of all, we needed a game that could keep his attention long enough to learn, grow and make real progress. As I reviewed the requirements, it became painfully obvious that such a game did not exist. This is when I started work on SumBlox.

To put it simply, SumBlox are numbers blocks.

Like all great games, they offer a systematic world of patterns and rules. In order to navigate that particular world, players must become intimately acquainted with the game’s components. In this case, the components are basic arithmetic.

Where learning is play, students are intrinsically motivated to explore and discover, not for a good grade, but rather because NOT knowing obstructs the road to having more fun.
– Jordan Shapiro, Forbes

Each block is carved into a number from one through ten. Sure, that in itself doesn’t seem like much of anything too fantastic on its own, but SumBlox goes above and beyond numbers alone. You see, it’s not just the numbers on their own that makes these blocks so amazing but, rather, the representation of each of these numbers. Take a closer look.

Each block’s number and coinciding value is represented by its height thus giving children the opportunity to perfect number recognition but practice mathematical concepts as well. For example, the number “1” block is the smallest of the bunch with the “10” block being the largest. However, the blocks and their respective sizing go far beyond smallest through largest. You see, in addition to each block being adequately represented by its own size, you can use a combination of blocks to create a new number.

Stack the number “2” and “3” blocks and – voila! – they are equal in size to the number “5” block. Put the three of them together and they’ll total up to match the same height as the number “10” block.

Luckily, things came pretty easily to me while growing up and, for the longest time, math was actually one of my favorite subjects. Flash forward to parenthood and the tables have now flipped. Though my own children are still a bit young, they’d much rather play outside or create some sort of homemade racetrack around the living room as opposed to spending their valuable play time brushing up on educational skills. When our shipment of SumBlox arrived at the door, however, they both dove right into it not realizing that their “play” was actually disguised learning.

Instead of the cliché “He took my block” arguments, the dialect has now changed to things like “Hey, you took my 4” and “I need my 3 back.” While, to them, they’re just building blocks, I am listening to their conversation and secretly jumping for joy as they “play” through number recognition.

In addition to the recognition of each individual number for the younger kids, SumBlox also opens the doors to more advanced learning for the older age groups.  Covering everything from basic addition to multiplication and even fractions, these incredible blocks have taken the numbers off of paper and put them into your child’s hands.

Having such a tactical tool available is a great asset for children across the board but more so for the kinesthetic and visual learners of the bunch.

Think about it.

If you were to put a collection of objects down in front of a child and tell them to “make ten” or “show me ten,” it wouldn’t really make much sense. Sure, they could gather ten of the objects and show you their gathering but it still wouldn’t be the number. It would merely be the correct number of that object. With SumBlox, your child can truly grasp the connection between the numbers. Stack two “5” blocks and you can “make ten.”

They can build a tower of numbers and stand it alongside the “10” block to “show me ten” through comparison. It is amazing to see a child’s face light up when they make that connection on their own. It is not forced but, instead, fun.

After all, who doesn’t enjoy building with blocks?

It is a rarity for me to find a product that I truly love and feel can benefit the masses in such a way as SumBlox can. Not only are the blocks themselves quite revolutionary but the brand’s creator has gone above and beyond by also including a wonderful collection of activity ideas and even an included lesson book!

Whether you’re a teacher, a home educator, a parent, or even a family member or friend that wants to provide the children in your life with a fun, tactical, and truly hands on way of learning basic math concepts, SumBlox is certainly the way to do so.

Sitting down as a family for a fun lesson or even just playing and letting kids be kids, with SumBlox, something tells me the result will always add up to something great.

Buy:
If you can believe it, SumBlox are not yet in production. Having handmade numerous full sets of these blocks on his own thus far, creator Dave Skaggs recently launched a Kickstarter campaign in an effort to help officially launch them into mass production and factory manufacturing.

Now only a few thousand dollars away from their goal and with the campaign ending at the end of the week, NOW is the time to act! Think about your child, your nieces, your nephews, your grandkids! Think about your local schools. Perhaps you would like to have your very own set or even donate a classroom set to a favorite teacher or school.

Check out the SumBlox Kickstarter campaign and find out how you can become a backer for this wonderful educational initiative and product.

Connect:
In addition to connecting with SumBlox on Kickstarter, be sure to connect with them via social media on their Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts. There, you can stay up to date on all of the latest news, biggest announcements, fun activities, giveaways, and so much more!

Since the SumBlox brand was built off of the notion and want to help provide children with a new, enjoyable way to learn the basic concepts of arithmetic, they want to further spread the educational joy with one lucky Eighty MPH Mom reader by providing a full Home Set!

THE GIVEAWAY
One (1) winner will receive a SumBlox Home Set of blocks.

Giveaway open to US residents only. Ends 10/26/14. ARV of $89.99

a Rafflecopter giveaway

No purchase necessary. Open to residents of US only. Giveaway ends October 26th, 2014 at 9:00 p.m. (PST). ONE ENTRANT PER HOUSEHOLD/IP Address! I check all entries – cheating will not be tolerated. Winner will be notified via email and needs to reply within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen. Please make sure you check your spam folder – I will not be responsible if you did not receive winning email notification. Winners name(s) will be displayed on the post, and will also be posted on Winners List shortly after drawing has occurred. Winners will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter. Screenshots of winners available by request. Prize will be shipped directly from sponsor or their PR Agency unless otherwise noted. Eighty MPH Mom is not responsible for prizes lost in transit, although every attempt will be made for prize delivery.

**By entering this giveaway, you confirm that you have read and agree to my giveaway rules. Sponsor reserves the right to limit one prize per person/household (of this item/prize pack). Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of prize {though it is usually much sooner}. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. We hereby release Facebook of any liability. Odds of winning: The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. All prizes will be awarded. Void where prohibited by law.

*Randi received the above product(s), free of charge, to facilitate this review. All opinions are those of the reviewer only.