{"id":46762,"date":"2017-05-03T18:30:22","date_gmt":"2017-05-03T23:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/?p=46762"},"modified":"2019-11-27T15:03:44","modified_gmt":"2019-11-27T21:03:44","slug":"marbotic-smart-letters-and-numbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/marbotic-smart-letters-and-numbers\/","title":{"rendered":"Marbotic Smart Letters and Numbers Review: Tech Toys With A Soul (and Major Fun Factor!)"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>The Product<\/h3>\n<p>Marbotic offers wooden <a href=\"http:\/\/www.marbotic.fr\/smart-letters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">letters <\/a>and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.marbotic.fr\/smart-numbers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">numbers<\/a> that work with six <a href=\"http:\/\/www.marbotic.fr\/apps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">apps<\/a> (free with the purchase of the letter and number blocks), which together allow your child to practice number- and letter-recognition, addition, subtraction, tens and ones units, spelling, and early reading. You can get the wooden letters and numbers as separate\u00a0items or as a bundle on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Marbotic\/b\/ref=bl_dp_s_web_10546525011?ie=UTF8&amp;node=10546525011&amp;field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Marbotic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a> or through other <a href=\"http:\/\/www.marbotic.fr\/shop-regions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">retailers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>The Concept<\/h3>\n<p>Marbotic smart letters and smart numbers combine tech with physical toys, or, as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.marbotic.fr\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">they put it on their website<\/a>, they&#8217;ve mixed <em>&#8220;traditional wooden toys and touchscreen technology&#8221;<\/em> for the <em>&#8220;ultimate learning experience.&#8221;<\/em> From a\u00a0parent&#8217;s perspective, I\u2019ll add that it\u2019s reassuring to see the kids using a tablet with a toy, rather than just staring at it with glazed expressions.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-46891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/marbotic-smart-letters-e1493722153463.png\" alt=\"marbotic smart letters\" width=\"1000\" height=\"465\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/marbotic-smart-letters-e1493722153463.png 1000w, https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/marbotic-smart-letters-e1493722153463-360x167.png 360w, https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/marbotic-smart-letters-e1493722153463-768x357.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>The Wooden Letters and Numbers<\/h3>\n<p>First, these are pretty great as stand-alone toys, even without the apps; they\u2019re attractive and sturdy, and the kids actually had a lot of fun taking them in and out of the container as though putting together a puzzle. Even after a couple weeks, they enjoy cleaning up the toys after playing with them, since they think the \u2018puzzle\u2019 element is a feature of the toy. Personally, I\u2019m pretty enthusiastic about a toy that\u2019s fun to put away. (I have no idea whether this was intended, but it\u2019s awesome.) So, if you\u2019re like me and tend to get rid of the boxes in favor of binning new toys with the others, you might want to hold off on this one; the storage seems to be some of the fun.<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content-asset videofit\"><iframe title=\"Marbotic Connected toy : 10 digits and a tablet\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sVHCCeB8wYU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h3>\u2026With the Tablet<\/h3>\n<p>The letters and numbers were designed with both children and tablets in mind: they have a tiny knob on top, which tiny hands can grip easily, and they have pads on the bottom, so you don\u2019t have to be in a constant state of panic about your tablet screen. The design is both beautiful and practical, although I have some lingering concerns about my tablet, which I\u2019ll get back to below.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-46922 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/0E7E7010-33EB-44EA-B946-E5F88B5F8D56-e1493805584561-360x196.jpg\" alt=\"marbotic stamps\" width=\"360\" height=\"196\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/0E7E7010-33EB-44EA-B946-E5F88B5F8D56-e1493805584561-360x196.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/0E7E7010-33EB-44EA-B946-E5F88B5F8D56-e1493805584561-768x418.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/0E7E7010-33EB-44EA-B946-E5F88B5F8D56-e1493805584561-1024x557.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Jump Right In!<\/h3>\n<p>Marbotic has designed all the apps so that it\u2019s easy for children to begin playing immediately. Even before I had the chance to explain what they were supposed to do, my kids began to press letters and numbers to the screen and, more often than not, figured out what they were supposed to be doing. The exception to this is my three-year-old\u2014she understood most of the apps but needed some help on the more advanced ones that involved adding and subtracting.<\/p>\n<p>In my view, setting up a game that allows children to figure out the rules for themselves is a valuable feature. First, it indicates that Marbotic has designed a toy that is simple and intuitive. Second, the kids felt happy with themselves for getting started without parental help, and I think it made the game that much more fun.<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-46890 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/marbotic-number-game-e1493722088672.jpg\" alt=\"marbotic number game\" width=\"1000\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/marbotic-number-game-e1493722088672.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/marbotic-number-game-e1493722088672-360x154.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/marbotic-number-game-e1493722088672-768x328.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>What Ages?<\/h3>\n<p>The apps suggest ages 2\u20138, depending on which one you&#8217;re looking at. The more basic apps are for a younger part of that range, of course, and the more complicated ones are for the upper area of the range. That&#8217;s probably about right, although if I had to put a general upper limit on the toy, I\u2019d say it\u2019s probably somewhere between 6 and 8, depending on your child\u2019s comfort level with reading and arithmetic. My seven-year-old found it a bit \u201cbabyish\u201d for his taste (his word). The sweet spot, at least in our family, is 3\u20135. My one-year-old loves the blocks for their own sake and can play with them for a good fifteen minutes before losing interest, which is pretty good for that age.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-46923 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_0018-1-e1493805782511.jpg\" alt=\"marbotic 1\" width=\"640\" height=\"390\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_0018-1-e1493805782511.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_0018-1-e1493805782511-360x219.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Parents and Kids\u00a0Take-Aways<\/h3>\n<p>As far as fun and educational value go, I\u2019ll put the rest into two categories: my impressions and the kids&#8217; impressions. I\u2019ll start with mine since that\u2019s the prerogative of the review writer!<\/p>\n<h3>Mom\u2019s Review<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Annoyability, or lack thereof<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I was impressed by how attractive the wooden toys and the apps are. As anyone who allows their kids to use children\u2019s apps on their tablets, you know that there is a great range in what we\u2019ll call &#8220;annoyability&#8221;. I\u2019m not going to name names, but there are several apps out there that were just not worth it because of the awful colors, sounds, etc. I suppose it\u2019s nice for the kids, but it\u2019s a bit more than I can take. All of Marbotic apps, however, are simple, straight-forward, and involve muted colors. At no point did I feel a migraine coming on or consider defenestrating an expensive piece of technology.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Educational value<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I give it a 9\/10 in this category, mainly because the tools these apps teach require a lot of reinforcing, and these apps make them fun to practice. Although there are only so many different kinds of games that are offered through the apps, there are probably only so many kinds of games that the kids would be prepared to do anyway, so I see that as a positive rather than a negative. If the apps went much further, they would trade simplicity and ease-of-use for more features, and they would probably lose both their charm and audience.<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content-asset videofit\"><iframe title=\"Vocabubble : Learn the alphabet and vocabulary\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/REakQ5W0R-U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h4>Cons<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Be careful with my tablet!<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>First, although the letters and numbers have pads on them, you really need to remind your kids to be gentle when they\u2019re using them. The very thing that makes these letters and numbers so great\u2014their sturdiness\u2014turns into a potential weakness when using them with tablets. I don\u2019t know your kids, but mine get very excited when they\u2019re having a good time, and in this case that meant slamming the numbers down on the tablet as soon as they knew the answers. On the one hand, it was great to see them having so much fun. On the other, I really like my tablet, and it does not deserve to die this way.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-46892\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/marbotic-number-game-1-e1493722460533.jpg\" alt=\"marbotic number game app\" width=\"1000\" height=\"210\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/marbotic-number-game-1-e1493722460533.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/marbotic-number-game-1-e1493722460533-360x76.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/marbotic-number-game-1-e1493722460533-768x161.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Too many apps?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Secondly, it would\u2019ve been nice to combine all the number games into one app and all the letter games into another.This is not a deal-breaker by any means, but I would prefer it as an adult, and my three- and five-year-old would certainly find it much easier. They do very well navigating other child-friendly apps where it\u2019s simply a matter of going \u201chome\u201d and finding another game. With Marbotic though, it has taken them a while to figure out which icon leads to which game\u2014remember, there are six apps you can use\u2014and this confusion occasionally leads to some frustration. Again, not the end of the world\u2014but when you\u2019re using an app both for education and, say, because you\u2019d really like a few minutes to make dinner, it\u2019s very helpful if the app keeps the kids engaged and doesn\u2019t end up either frustrating them or leading them to find you to help them out.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-46893\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/marbotic-smart-letters-1-e1493722530517.png\" alt=\"marbotic smart letters app\" width=\"620\" height=\"215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/marbotic-smart-letters-1-e1493722530517.png 620w, https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/marbotic-smart-letters-1-e1493722530517-360x125.png 360w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Kids Reviews<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The fun factor<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Well, they keep asking to play, so I take that as a pretty good sign. As any parent knows, kids frequently get very excited about anything new and then discard it after an hour, when it has become old news. Two weeks in and counting, and they still get this out once a day or so.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pride in learning<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>My five-year-old daughter is especially pleased with herself for what she\u2019s picked up so far in her experimenting with these games. Using the app <a href=\"http:\/\/www.marbotic.fr\/more-or-less\/\">More or Less<\/a>, she has become more comfortable with addition than she was before\u2014it\u2019s great to see her feeling more confident and happy with herself.<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content-asset videofit\"><iframe title=\"Learn to count with Smart Numbers\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Yg0afnhYWgA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h3>Would We Recommend?<\/h3>\n<p>Definitely! At least to families who have children under the age of seven. It\u2019s perfect for us because it can engage children zero to seven, so that\u2019s three out of four. And if families have children who are struggling a bit with reading and arithmetic, this would very likely keep kids engaged more than, say, sitting next to them and hectoring them. I\u2019ve certainly spent this amount of money on toys that the kids spent less time on, and this one can be written off as education.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Product Marbotic offers wooden letters and numbers that work with six apps (free with the purchase of the letter and number blocks), which together allow your child to practice number- and letter-recognition, addition, subtraction, tens and ones units, spelling,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1358,"featured_media":46921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Marbotics smart letters & numbers combine \"traditional wooden toys and touchscreen technology\" for the \"ultimate learning experience\" and 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