Blocks Rock! App Design Competition

Combine engineering skills with technology by entering this STEM competition with one of our all-time favorite games, Blocks Rock!

We were kindly gifted this Blocks Rock! game for purpose of review. All opinions and images are our own and completely genuine.

We've used our Blocks Rock! game in so many different ways. From playing the game as intended, to graph work, puzzle card creating, and even advent calendar building, it definitely is a diverse STEM tool. There is an entirely different element to the game which we also enjoy exploring, the free Blocks Rock! 3D Companion App.

In the App you can explore different modes, including 1 player, 2 player and classroom set ups. My 6 year old loves the 1 player mode where he has to build against a timer. The quicker you build the more points you score. The builds rotate so that kids can see them in 3D which is awesome for their engineering skills, as well as their ability to problem solve.

Blocks Rock! currently have an App design competition running until February 14. Open to students under 18 years old, this is a great opportunity to get your own kids or even your class thinking creatively and using technology to support their STEM learning. To enter you simply have to come up with a build challenge using the Blocks Rock! blocks which is not currently on the App. Snap some pics and submit your entry through the entry form on the Blocks Rock! website. If your child's design is selected as a winner, they win two Blocks Rock! games and a pizza party for their class, as well as having their design added to the App!

My 6 year old loves STEM challenges, especially when they involve any form of building block. Throw in the opportunity to use an App and photograph his creation and he is 100% on board. I explained the challenge to him and he got straight to work looking through the App to see which designs were already used. He was delighted to find that his number 1 passion, trains, were not represented already. He was full steam ahead, experimenting with the blocks to build a steam train.

The process of trial and error and problem solving was awesome to see. He had to figure out how to create the wheels on the trains without any circular shapes, as well as being limited by the number of blocks.

He tried to add a tender to his steam train but soon realized he just didn't have enough blocks. I loved watching him design the build and have the confidence to try structures and then deal with the disappointment when they didn't work. His end design turned out great and he couldn't wait to photograph it from all four sides and the top and submit his entry.

Of course his next question was 'can I build another one?'. And the great thing is that kids can enter as many times as they like. So he got to work and this time attempted to create a Space Rocket.

This build required a completely different design and he was determined to try and make it a higher difficulty level by using every single one of the 24 blocks. This required very careful planning, as well as accurate fine motor skills.

He nailed it! A Space Rocket using all 24 blocks...

This really was a big success for my 6 year old. There were so many different processes and skills involved. The biggest success for me was watching him problem solve. He sometimes struggles with frustration, so to see him patiently testing out his designs and persevering to create the best builds possible was really rewarding. So if you can, encourage your kids or students to get creating and submit their Blocks Rock! 3D App Designs!