Castle Logix (product review)

This is in the spirit of Chris Danielson's product reviews at Talking Math with Your Kids.

Who: J2
Where: dining room
When: after lunch
What: Castle Logix block set.

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Ok, this is Castle Logix:

There are 4 cuboids with holes in their sides and pictures on other sides, three different length cylinders with cones topped by spheres on one end, and the cylinders fit into the holes in the cuboids.

J2 has found two new uses:
1. Rhythm sticks
2. Combinatorics challenge

Rhythm sticks

Really, this is just a fancy way to say that he started beating them together. Or maybe I did? Anyway, he found it a good instrument for listening to Suzuki violin pieces and practicing the rhythm along with the video:

Of course, you can bash together any two things, so what makes these blocks so perfect?
They are a good size, relatively large, but still comfortable for a small 5 year old to hold. They are a bit heavy, so you have to commit to each beat and can't be halfhearted about the game. Most importantly, the holes seem to amplify the sound and make a very satisfying clack. Oh, they are also sturdy enough to take the abuse and seem unaffected.

Conclusion: Two thumbs up (but keep those thumbs on the outside when you are bashing)!

Note: mommy was not around at this time. Your experience may vary depending on who is present during play and time of day. . .

Combinatorics challenge

This is something we are just starting, but the basic questions are:

• How many ways can you put together the Castle Logix pieces?
• What do we even mean by "put together" anyway?
• When do two configurations count as the same?

I will report back as we work through these questions.