One hundred wooden blocks in cubes, arches, triangles, cylinders and half-rounds, painted in fresh colours. The sides carry animals — panda, lion, giraffe, zebra, crocodile, whale, chameleon — and alongside them letters, numbers and arithmetic signs.
A toddler starts by simply stacking as high as possible and tipping the lot over again. Later they become gateways, towers and whole streets, and the letters and numbers come in handy for laying out a name or copying a small sum.
The set includes 10 tangram cards with example figures to copy. The blocks are wooden; Classic World gives 12 months and up.
A box of blocks does not get played out quickly: first stacking, then building, later still letters and sums. A fine present from grandparents or a godparent.
