Machi Blocks are a simple toy designed to teach your child the basics of Mandarin by combining beautifully decorated wooden blocks with an interactive mobile app. Play with the blocks on their own or use them with the augmented reality app to hear accurate Mandarin pronunciation and and enrich your learning experience.
This 20 block set features the numbers 1 through 10 and colors of the rainbow. Each block has English and Chinese translations, as well as Pinyin, the standardized pronunciation system for Mandarin. Includes a canvas carrying bag and instructions on how to download the free Machi mobile app on iOS or Android.
Details:
* 1.5 inch solid wood blocks
* Printed using non-toxic inks
* Includes one canvas carrying bag
* Designed in the US
* Produced in partnership with Taiwan-based manufacturer, using fair working conditions and sustainable environmental practices for factories in China.
* Conforms to ASTM US safety standards
* Ages 3+
Is this product a physical product that needs to be shipped or picked up.
Topics for Early Childhood Education
Product will be delivered only in the below countries:
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We accept returns within 30 days of purchase. Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs.
What is your return policy?
We accept returns within 30 days of purchase. Return shipping costs are the buyer's responsiblity.
How much is shipping?
Shipping is free in the United States. We use USPS Priority shipping and ship within 2 business days. For international shipping, please inquire directly by clicking on our Contact Page.
What materials are used in Machi Blocks and are they safe?
Machi Blocks are made of solid wood and non-toxic inks. As parents, the safety of our product is extremely important to us. Machi Blocks conforms to US (ASTM) safety standards.
What does Machi mean?
It's a word that we made up by mashing together "Mandarin" and "Chinese". We thought it had a nice ring to it!
Which system of Chinese do you use?
We are using Standard Chinese, which is the official language of China. It utilizes the Beijing dialect for pronunciation and simplified Chinese characters for writing. Many language programs across the world are adopting the simplified Chinese system for instruction. Traditional Chinese is not used as much except in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. However, based on recent feedback we are incorporating traditional Chinese into our mobile app as a feature.
No one in our household has a Chinese background. Can we still use this product?
Absolutely! We understand that Mandarin is a daunting language to learn and pronunciation is one of the most difficult aspects. Our augmented reality mobile app can recognize each block and recite the word in both English and Chinese, making it easy for even non-native speakers to learn.
Why did you select numbers and colors as the specific words to include in the set?
These are the first words that are taught in Chinese school and serve as a foundation for learning Mandarin.
When I launch the Android version of the app, why do I get an error message: "Vuforia Engine Initialization Error"?
The Machi Blocks app needs to access the phone's camera to function. When you start the app for the first time you'll be prompted to enable the Camera permission. Go into settings --> Apps & Notifications --> Machi Blocks --> Permissions and enable the Camera.
When I use the app I can see the blocks animate but I can't hear any audio.
Check that your phone is not in "silent mode". If the phone's audio is turned off you will not hear anything.
Why won't the mobile app recognize my blocks?
The mobile app utilizes an augmented reality technology that "reads" the unique patterns on each block face to trigger audio and animation. Please refer to this video for tips on how to optimize app performance. If you are still having problems, you can watch videos of how to pronounce each block by navigating to the "Language" section of the FAQs.