Uncle Goose Lowercase ABC Blocks Review
Uncle Goose Lowercase
abc Blocks
Reviewed by Sarah Banbury
The blocks are packaged in a thick cardboard box with a chequered pattern of Uncle Goose and Made in the USA in an ellipse alternating across the front. There was a hexagonal cut out that showed the different designs on the sides of the blocks inside which were shrink wrapped in plastic. I especially liked the impression of quality and old fashioned solidness that the orange label wrapped around the box conveyed. Reminiscent of the Penguin Classics paperbacks and featuring a goose in top hat and spats, it told me that the inks were child safe and non-toxic and the blocks made in the USA, crafted on 13August 2012; a nice personal touch. It was easy to open both the cardboard and the plastic and my twin boys loved putting the blocks back into the box either all one way up or in different patterns; a rare occurrence with any of their toys! The only problem with the packaging is that once the box is opened, if you tip it, the blocks fall out of the hexagonal cut out, a lesson the boys’ dad learnt to much hilarity.
The box contains 28 wooden cubes each with a baby animal on one face, a blue number or mathematical symbol on the opposite face, two coloured letters with an elaborate embossed frame on opposite faces and two faces with plain red letters. The blocks are surprisingly light, yet with a solid feel and both the box and the blocks have a gorgeous new – book like paper and wood smell. My boys loved the texture of the embossed letters and could pick out the b, t, m and d for all of us in the two different styles. They also spent ages calling out the numbers in blue and helping me put them in order. The blocks were stacked, put into their wooden trolleys and transported around, lined up and matched with those of the same colour.
The baby animals were ideal for talking about; while they aren’t sure about kittens and puppies, they could easily name them as cat and dog. This is however where perhaps their American origin could confuse as it struck me there was some inconsistency in the names given to the animals. My two couldn’t recognise the skunk and I was not aware a baby skunk was a kit, as is a baby fox apparently. Several blocks had ***** calf or pup, while the reptiles just said hatchling, not the animal name as well. The most puzzling of all was the rabbit which simply says bunny, Google reliably informs me this is one correct version but the others of kit or kitten sound more scientific and in keeping with the others. It’s a small complaint however and certainly does not spoil any child’s enjoyment of them.
I would highly recommend these blocks to buy either for your own children or as a gift. They help develop fine motor skills with the stacking and lining up and gross motor skills in that my two were obsessed with carrying and putting the box back on the toy shelf. The manufacturer’s website sells little pull along trolleys that fit the blocks. The letters are much more recognisable to two year olds than capital letters are and there seems to be a good mix of vowels and consonants to spell words, while the numbers help with developing numeracy. In terms of social and emotional development the number of blocks means they could be shared between my twins if they want to play separately but the majority of the time they helped each other construct towers. The blocks are available in a variety of languages, including braille and spares can be ordered from the States if some are lost or damaged. This set is currently retailing for between £48 and £55 which at first seems expensive, however these are the kind of toy that is not going to go out fashion or break easily and can be put away and passed from one generation to the other and they are handmade and eco-friendly. Between two children of the same age they immediately become much better value for money.
Rating: 4.5/5
(marks lost only for the lack of a plastic cover over the display area on the front of the box)
Available to buy from Amazon here.
