Well built, very versatile tool for teaching math. I'm a homeschooling mom with a PhD in Molecular Biology. Math is one of the most fundamental skills that I want to give my kid. At first, I was using duplo blocks to illustrate addition and subtraction, and I didn't see why I might need anything more. Then I found these Mathlink cubes. They turned out to be the single best math learning tool I've used so far.
They are well constructed, snap together well, stay together well, and come apart easily for me (slightly difficult for my 5 year old to assemble, but she can pull them apart easily). You can actually build three dimensional shapes with them (you have to be a little clever about how you rotate each block, but it works). My 5 year old and I might construct a 3 X 3 X 3 cube and talk about why 27 is a cube number, while the the 3 year old uses the cubes to build a "crane" that is 30 blocks high. We use them in place of cuisenaire counting rods. We use them to illustrate concepts in our Singapore Math work book. We use them to illustrate multiplication. We use them for place value (10's and 1's), subtraction with borrowing, etc.
They come in a set of 100, with 10 of each color. For the homeschoolers, I'd recommend buying at least 5 sets of 100. You really need to have about 50 in one color in order to really use this learning tool to its maximum potential. The only downside of these blocks is how many you need to buy to really use them.
Also, note, on each six sided cube, there are 5 "holes" and only one "nubbin" that sticks out. At first, I was wishing there were two "nubbin" sides, to make it easier to build stable 3-D shapes. But after months of using them daily, I've concluded that the 5/1 design gives the toy the most flexibility for math teaching.
Are they a choking hazard? Yes. Can they be chewed up by a toddler? Yes.
How will they hold up after years of use? I don't know. Judging by the slightly rubbery plastic material they are made of, they will probably last a few years with intense use. So these are not quite as durable (or precision engineered) as Lego/Duplo products, which will last for generations. But still, excellent value.
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