littleBits

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littleBits has created a collection of functional components that snap together easily allowing the creator to invent anything from a robot that draws to an auto pet feeder to a synthesizer! No engineer degree required.

We gave our daughter the Star Wars Droid kit last Christmas and she loved it! While she could have built it herself, it was provided some nice daddy/daughter time when they worked on it together. Once you build the first configuration, there are missions and challenges to complete and as you do you continue to "upgrade" your droid so it can do more and more. It even makes cute sounds like R2D2. 

I highly recommend the Droid kit, especially if your household loves Star Wars. It is a really fun way to bring a STEM activity into your home. 

They have many kits to choose from providing you with a nice starting point from which you can add onto later on if you wish. More recently they came out with 4 starter kits each for about $40, which could be a good introduction, especially for younger children. Kit prices go up from there with the Droid Kit at $84 on Amazon.  

A fantastic gift for anyone who likes to tinker and loves technology. Fun for adults and kids will love littleBits too; they are like Legos for this generation. A great opportunity for a parent/child project.

 

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Piper Computer Kit

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Does your child love Minecraft? Do they like to build things? Would you like to increase your child's understanding of how technology works? If yes to any of these, you should get them Piper Computer Kit. My daughter got it for Christmas two years ago and had a great time building and playing on it. Once built, kids have to play and make it through obstacles, which include reworking some of the computer connections along the way. It is a really fantastic way to help kids learn about the inner workings of a computer and circuits in general. I highly recommend it as a great STEM gift.

Recommended for kids ages 7 - 13.

Product Description (Amazon): 

Today's kids grow up with "black box" phones, computers and gadgets that come in beautiful packages, but leave no room for tinkering or understanding how they work. At Piper, we believe it is critical to understand how technology works in order to make sense of our environment and invent the future. 

The Piper Computer Kit comes with everything you need to assemble your own computer. Inside, you will also find our revolutionary learning system that teaches kids engineering and programming through a combination of engaging storyline, physical building, and Minecraft gameplay. 

The kit contains:
● Beautiful, hand­crafted wooden computer case with HD LCD display
● Fully functioning computer running on a Raspberry Pi 3 Project Board. 1GB RAM. 1200 MHz Quad­Core CPU
● Electronic gadgets including LED lights, buzzers, buttons, switches, sensors and more
● Cables to connect the screen, Pi and 6600 mAh powerbank together
● 8 square foot laminated blueprint explaining how to assemble your Piper Computer
● USB mouse with a retractable cable
● An 8GB SD card that holds your game progress and keeps your creations safe
● Custom Minecraft Pi adventure that you play by building and programming electronic modules
● Wifi enabled gameplay for multiplayer, new downloadable levels, and sharing capabilities
● Free automatic level updates
● It even comes with a Piper Screwdriver!

Available on Amazon // $213.03

 

In order to help support this site, we are an affiliate of a curated group of companies and receive a commission on sales through those links on our site. Please be assured that we only recommend products we truly love. Take a look at our "Shop Partners" section to see who we have partnered with. Not all recommendations are from partner companies as we recommend all things we love regardless of whether we are partnered or not to bring you the best recommendations possible. 

Osmo

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By now, most have heard about Osmo - an award-winning hands-on game system which fosters creativity and problem solving skills. To play you have to react, solve problems, be creative and manipulate real world components. 

Osmo is honestly really pretty great. We have had it since it was first released and a few years later our daughter still plays with it. There are so many levels and new games that it is growing with her and continues to interest and challenge. The company also keeps coming out with additional games to add on which have all been top notch. Masterpiece remains fun and challenging even now that she is 10.

A few years ago my daughter's class used Osmo Masterpiece to draw self portraits. Masterpiece transforms a snapshot of anything you choose into an outline that you can then follow to essentially trace it onto paper with a pen, pencil, marker, or anything you want. It was very great project. I loved seeing cool to see each child's work.

You will need to start with a base kit (Genius Kit) which comes with key components for all games along with a bundle of starter games.

The Genius Kit includes: 

  1. Osmo Stand and Mirror
  2. Numbers: Free form math (count, add & multiply)
  3. Tangram: Expand your visual thinking.
  4. Words: puzzle form spelling
  5. Masterpiece: supercharge your drawing.
  6. Newton: creative problem solving

Designed for kids 5-12

Great add on components and games include: 

  • Osmo Pizza - kids get to run their own pizza shop and work on their math skills at the same time.
  • Osmo Coding Jam
  • Osmo Hot Wheels
  • Osmo Monster Game - follow along with Monster, draw the things he asks for and then he “grabs” (via the camera) the drawings and interacts with them on the screen. It is really so cool! 
  • Coding Awbie Game - great intro to basic coding concepts for younger kids. Not for a child who has had coding experience. 
  • Osmo Coding Jam - coding through music! Kids get to layer melodies and beats to compose their own music. This is a bit more fun for older kids vs the Awbie game.

From Osmo: 

Bridge the physical and digital

In this digital age, the iPad offers young minds a great platform for learning and playing. But, when kids are interacting only with a touchscreen, they're spending less time engaging with their physical world. Osmo is a technology system that bridges the physical and digital worlds by taking gameplay beyond the screen.

Anyone, anytime, anywhere

Osmo isn't just for kids. Designed for anyone aged 6 and up, this educational toy can be enjoyed by nearly everyone in the family. Siblings can challenge each other in Words, best friends can work together in Newton, or dad and daughter can sweat it out in Tangram. Kids, parents, grandparents, and friends alike can play with Osmo anywhere, anytime. Even at Grandma's house, where there's no WiFi connection.

 

In order to help support this site, we are an affiliate of a curated group of companies and receive a commission on sales through those links on our site. Please be assured that we only recommend products we truly love. Take a look at our "Shop Partners" section to see who we have partnered with. Not all recommendations are from partner companies as we recommend all things we love regardless of whether we are partnered or not to bring you the best recommendations possible.