Unit blocks

[domestic_engineer]

I'm thinking about getting the family a big set of Unit Blocks for Christmas.

Can the Hive give me the low-down (or is it down-low?!?) on Unit Blocks? 

 

Any recommendations of good brands (or brands to avoid), places to purchase, etc?

Rubberwood vs. Maple?  Is Maple really worth the extra expense.

Optimum number of block designs/shapes?  Most popular design?  Least used design?  (Arches, ramps, etc.)

Minimum number of blocks for a medium sized family?

 

Thanks in advance!

[redsquirrel]

I own a large amount of unit blocks and they are one of the most played with things in the house.

 

Personally, I prefer maple but it is more expensive.  Several friends have loved our blocks and bought their own but they are the cheaper variety.  All of them have had blocks split and break.

 

I say get two basic starter sets and then consider some add-ons  later in the year or for gifts.

 

BBL, I used to have a great online source for blocks. I will check later to see if they are still around

 

Here is one place I have bought blocks:

 

http://www.barclaywoods.com/home.htm

 

I would say to get maybe one of the larger 'small kits' or a medium one. I would expect to spend anywhere from 100-200$.  I would say 100$ at minimum to start with and more if you can handle it.

 

We got a couple sets over time and then did a cool booster set with big blocks. Those have been great.

 

This store also offers rubberwood blocks etc so if you really need to economize then this is also a source for that.

 

One little thing: I see the sets from this site have the wooden peg people. My kids have LOVED having those. I bought a huge bag of them, of all different sizes. Some of them live with the blocks, but many have been used to make other games. I had so many that the kids drew on them. We have a set of 'star wars' and 'harry potter' and some that are just characters they made up. Having those wooden peg people really made my kids want to play with the blocks a whole lot more.

 

I didn't buy my big bag from this site though. I went in on a shipment with a friend and she had the source. We have at least 100 and some are quite big and some are quite small.

[Chris in VA]

Tree blocks are also nice--they are vertical units, so still in mathematical proportion.

If you go on pinterest and look under Reggio Emilia, you will see a lot of loose parts ideas to add to your block set.

You can look on my boards, too--i have a one for preschool blocks, as well as other educational ones. Chris Binder

[Annie G]

Our maple unit blocks were well used when our kids were little and now they're available for the grandkids to use when they visit. Well worth the price! However, I also have a bag of wooden blocks from my childhood- I've had these since before I went to kindergarten and they still get played with alongside the pricey unit blocks. I'm 53- these cheaper ones have held up very well!   I think blocks are universally loved and you probably can't go wrong. 

 

Having said that, the round ones were rarely used. Usually the units, double units, ramps, and arches are the favorites. 

[domestic_engineer]

Thank you, all! 

You've given me exactly what I was looking for!

[Alessandra]

I own a large amount of unit blocks and they are one of the most played with things in the house.

 

Personally, I prefer maple but it is more expensive. Several friends have loved our blocks and bought their own but they are the cheaper variety. All of them have had blocks split and break.

 

I say get two basic starter sets and then consider some add-ons later in the year or for gifts.

 

BBL, I used to have a great online source for blocks. I will check later to see if they are still around

 

Here is one place I have bought blocks:

 

http://www.barclaywoods.com/home.htm

 

I would say to get maybe one of the larger 'small kits' or a medium one. I would expect to spend anywhere from 100-200$. I would say 100$ at minimum to start with and more if you can handle it.

 

We got a couple sets over time and then did a cool booster set with big blocks. Those have been great.

 

This store also offers rubberwood blocks etc so if you really need to economize then this is also a source for that.

 

One little thing: I see the sets from this site have the wooden peg people. My kids have LOVED having those. I bought a huge bag of them, of all different sizes. Some of them live with the blocks, but many have been used to make other games. I had so many that the kids drew on them. We have a set of 'star wars' and 'harry potter' and some that are just characters they made up. Having those wooden peg people really made my kids want to play with the blocks a whole lot more.

 

I didn't buy my big bag from this site though. I went in on a shipment with a friend and she had the source. We have at least 100 and some are quite big and some are quite small.

We got maple unit blocks. I'll have to check vendor when I get to computer, may have been Barclay. The heaviness of the wood blocks helps develop muscles for writing. As pp said, wood blocks are played with a lot. My opinion -- cut back on other toys so you can get these.

 

We also had those folding blocks made of corrugated cardboard, Melissa & Doug wood blocks, architectural blocks, and probably more that I have forgotten. The plain wood blocks got so much use that were probably cheaper, if someone calculated an hourly cost, lol.

 

We got blocks over time. I would say that, for us, the shapes that got the most use were the straight ones, rather than the curved, triangular, or thin road-building ones.

[vickjul]

Honestly, we bought a relatively inexpensive Melissa & Doug rubberwood set (these -- http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-60-Piece-Standard-Blocks/dp/B00008W72D/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411679226&sr=8-1&keywords=unit+blocks ) almost 6 years ago, and they're still in excellent condition. I am generally not a fan of Melissa & Doug products, but these blocks are made to last. I'm probably going to pick up a set of the architectural blocks this Christmas to add a bit more variety to play.

[Btervet]

Honestly, we bought a relatively inexpensive Melissa & Doug rubberwood set (these -- http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-60-Piece-Standard-Blocks/dp/B00008W72D/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411679226&sr=8-1&keywords=unit+blocks ) almost 6 years ago, and they're still in excellent condition. I am generally not a fan of Melissa & Doug products, but these blocks are made to last. I'm probably going to pick up a set of the architectural blocks this Christmas to add a bit more variety to play.

We got the same set 4 years ago. They are played with daily and still in perfect condition. They have even survived two teething babies. We haven't found a need for a larger variety of pieces than that set includes.

[redsquirrel]

Tree blocks are also nice--they are vertical units, so still in mathematical proportion.

If you go on pinterest and look under Reggio Emilia, you will see a lot of loose parts ideas to add to your block set.

You can look on my boards, too--i have a one for preschool blocks, as well as other educational ones. Chris Binder

 

We love tree blocks as well. We have two full sets and the large tree house. They get played with a lot.

 

I am glad to hear that some of you have had good experiences with the cheaper blocks. Like I said, I haven't been impressed with the ones my friends have bought. It is good to hear some other experiences.

 

I know we got an add on set of just unit blocks, but it is hard to remember now. The kids wanted to 'just build stuff' so I think we went with lots of rectangles of different sizes, including some really big ones. We had a bunch of fancy toppers from another set and they don't get used nearly as much as the more practical blocks.