Three-year-old Hannah didn't watch TV all weekend. She had something better to do: play with Neurosmith's Music Blocks. The white and blue plastic contraption looks like a portable boom box, except for the five colored blocks in slots on the top. Push one in and it plays a phrase from Mozart's "A Little Night Music." Rearrange the blocks, and you rearrange the song. Rotating a block changes the instrumentation - from voice to violins to percussion to a full orchestra. There are more than a million combinations. As you play with the blocks, you're playing with the piece of music.
"You should've seen her face when she first saw it!" says Hannah's mom. Kids and parents are immediately drawn to Music Blocks, recommended for ages 2 and up. Hannah called it "my 'puter" and played with it proudly. Sure, the kid loved it, but the main question on my mind was: Did it make her parents crazy? Not at all: "Lots of her toys drive me nuts. But this one didn't bother me ... except when she pushed in the same block over and over. But she didn't do that often."
Still, cautious parents will want to arm themselves with a few musical alternatives. The player lists for $69.95 and comes with a Mozart cartridge. For $19.95 each you can buy "Sounds of the Orchestra" and "Rhythms of the World." More cartridges are planned.
This year has seen an explosion of software for very young children, but most of it is just terrible. Instead of buying a few software titles, parents would be better off buying this one piece of hardware. It's both fun and educational - and it'll keep the drool off Mom and Dad's real 'puter!
Music Blocks: $69.95. Neurosmith: www.neurosmith.com.
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