"Start homeschooling them when they're babies and turn to Neurosmith to make a huge difference." -- The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine

Neurosmith toys are absolutely amazing! This was my first introduction to "smart toys," and these toys are so incredible, I am at a near loss of words to even describe them.

My five children put the Neurosmith Music Blocks to the test. Originally, I figured that my four-year-old son (Bobo) would be the primary one to try out this neat little gadget. It is a white and blue "case" that holds a changeable music cartridge (we had Mozart's Night Music) and then five blocks - all were different colors, and each side had a different shape. Each block sits in a "holder" lined up together, and when a block is pushed down, sensors are activated and the block plays a segment of a song. Each color has a different song segment, and each shape (six on each block) plays the segment in a different style. It's utterly incredible. And the sound is so clear and sharp. It does not sound like a digitalized version, but actually like a segment of a real song that you would hear on a classical music station.

Here's the cool part - each block can be turned around and mixed up to create different versions. My four-year-old could not believe how cool this "toy" was. I was watching him play with it, and had to try it for myself. I sat at my kitchen table for quite some time (my husband was sitting at the computer behind me) and kept mixing up the blocks, playing different versions, coordinating them up by shapes, and bouncing back and forth until I finally turned around to see my husband staring right at me and asking, "Er...how long are you gonna play with that?"

So Bobo got his toy back - at least until my nephews came over the next day. My teenage daughter and my teenage nephew played with it longer than I did! My one-year-old son (who thinks EVERYTHING is his) couldn't keep his hands off it either. Now all of my kids are walking around humming Mozart. How neat is that?!

The second toy by Neurosmith is just as amazing. It is called Neurosmith Jumbo Music Block. This thing is so neat! It is geared towards toddlers and is actually a huge plush block bursting with activities. Each side of the block has a different color and a different shape, which can be opened up - unzipped, unbuttoned, un-Velcro-ed, unstrapped, unsnapped, etc. This is awesome for fine motor skills and coordination. If that wasn't fun enough, each shape has a "surprise" hidden inside, like a little plastic book with different colors and numbers on each page, or a circle of even smaller circles that squeak when you press them, or a plush bean bag star, or a mirror, or a ball that you can pull out making it shake and vibrate as it climbs back up its string into its secret cubby.

Amazing, right? Well it gets even better. Each side of the block has a sensor, so when one of the shapes are opened up, a song plays, like "One! two! three! four! five! six! hexagon!" or, "Twinkle, twinkle little star" or, "Open-shut-them, open-shut-them, give a little clap clap clap"! or, "Open the door, here's a rec-tang-le, close the door, it's a rec-tang-le!" The songs are very catchy, and the music is not a "digital sounding song," but a short, very clear-sounding tune that doesn't tempt you to finally drop kick it out the window (like that Tickle Me whatever toy). And if you have people over, or if it's "quiet" time, then there is an off-button to keep it silent while your little one is playing with the block.

Both of the toys that my family tried out really are absolutely incredible. The next toy I buy will definitely be something from Neurosmith. They obviously have a passion for developing the minds of our precious new, up-coming generation. All of my kids, ranging from ages one to 13, have been playing with both of these toys non-stop since receiving them. Way to go Neurosmith! You're a definite hit!



-- Product Review by: Jenefer Igarashi, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine