Dado Cubes were under the tree this holiday season. I found these when I went to a children’s educational toy store in the area and instantly fell in love with them! I was very worried about products made in China, what with all of the scares we were having with the lead based paints, all of the toy recalls and just a general feeling of distrust.
We had a few items that we had to take away from our 4 year old and that was hard explaining. Now she gets a toy, comes to us and asks if they are made in China and whether they are safe to play with or not. Boy, that makes your heart sink to the pit of your stomach.
When searching the toy store, I was looking for made in America labels. I came across these blocks, which I had never seen before and was instantly intrigued by them.
The Dado Cubes
Let me first start with the 10 pack box of cubes they call the original cube set. The cubes are red, blue, orange, green and yellow cubes with sizes ranging from 5 inches down to 1 inch and they are nested together.
The cubes have slits in their sides to allow for unlimited 3-D structures to be built. You have to interlock all of the blocks in your structure and helps you learn about special development and structures can be built horizontally and or vertically.
With this single set of 10 blocks, you can build structures up to 32 inches high!
These blocks help people learn architectural principles like proportion, balance, structure and even color.
The blocks are a heavy gauge plastic and are very durable and as mentioned previously, they are made in the U.S.A..
The Dado Cubes have also gotten a lot of awards. The listing follows (obtained from FatBraintoys.com the main company that sells these blocks:
Dr. Toy Top 20 Best Children’s Products 2007
Dr. Toy Top 100 Best Children’s Products 2007
Creative Child Toy of the Year 2007
Mr. Dad Seal of Approval Winner Spring 2007
Dr. Toy Best Product Award Spring 2007
National Parenting Center Seal of Approval Winner Spring 2007
IParenting Media Excellent Products Award 2007
Preferred Choice by Creative Child Magazine 2006
The Great American Toy Test Award 2006-2007
These cubes conform to the ASTM Standard Consumer Safety Specifications on Toy Safety, F963-96A.
My Experience
My daughter was instantly drawn to these building blocks. She usually uses the Mega Blocks to build things and was immediately intrigued by the different building premise. You use the slots cut in the sides of these cubes to create new, unique building structures.
She had no problem using them, once I explained the slots were where the cubes connected rather than the stacking style that the Mega Blocks use. And, off she went, creating a few structures with her new blocks.
I think she was amazed at being able to build something with a main block on the bottom and the other blocks appearing to hover above the ground, without touching anything but the bottom “main” block base and it was not getting knocked down. Frankly, I was enjoying them as much as my daughter! It is amazing to see the possibilities with the blocks.
One example they provided in the booklet of a building structure that you could make with the 10 pack of cubes was basically a check mark. You use the second largest block as the base, the largest block is the “check” part of the check mark and the rest of the blocks stacked staggered as the upward, long edge of the check mark. Only one block is touching anything and balancing ALL of this structure. Gravity need not affect your structure! Well, it does, but it appears that the larger portion of the check mark should pull the structure down. But, it does not. Cool!
Overall Impressions
If you are looking for a different way to make structures than the Mega Blocks or Legos style buildings, you should find these blocks in a toy store near you. These blocks are sturdy and have smooth edges even where
Amazon.com and FatBrainToys.com both have these online if you cannot find them locally. These are recommended for ages 3+ and I don’t thing there is, or should be, a top age bracket. I LOVE them myself!
Check these cubes out. They allow for much more creativity when building structures and literally add a whole new dimension on buildings!
~Thank you for spending time with me today!~
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 21.00 Type of Toy: Educational
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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Toy of the Year Award Creative Child Magazine. Exceptional Parent Symbol of Excellence. A multi-award winning toy that''s made in America, Dado combin...More at Fat Brain Toys
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