Review of Learning Essential's STEM Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set
PRODUCT DETAILS
UPC: 765023028317
Available at: Toys R Us, Amazon, Ebay, Target, Walmart, a bunch of places.
Still in production: Yes
Price: This set seems to start at $35.99 but can be more expensive elsewhere. Be aware too that there are different sets.
Grades: K+
Recommended age: 5+
Website: www.LearningResources.com
Made in China
Complies with Part 15 of FCC rules that it cannot cause harmful interference and it must accept any interference received--even if it causes undesirable operation.
Languages: English, Spanish, French, and I think German (It has DE on top, but it looks like German).
Box includes: 32 coding cards, 22 maze walls, 16 grid pieces, 10 double-sided activity cards, 3 tunnels, 1 robot mouse named Colby, and 1 cheese wedge.
Batteries: The mouse takes 3 1.5V AAA batteries.
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I noticed this year that many toys and games for children involved coding. I unashamedly indulge my inner child, as I couldn't appreciate many things when I was a child (i.e. dolls). I have to admit, though, I often prefer getting kits meant for children because they are better about cutting down basic concepts into more easily digestible tidbits. I find that my brain needs to be slowly fed knowledge or it gets overwhelmed. This made school a nightmare for me, because I was always forced to learn information faster than I could process it--and the result was I learned it well enough to pass the test but not to retain it.
I tend to pay attention when they are encouraging kids towards an activity. Sometimes they are just making kids aware of future careers, but sometimes the skills may be needed for daily activities in the future. When I was in sixth grade, we were being introduced to computers. I remember doing simple codes to make the computer ask yes/no questions and give a response depending on which answer was chosen. I believe that introduction, even though I never used that knowledge again, helped me feel comfortable around computers as they became more a part of our lives. Coding is already a part of our lives, but if they are really stressing it with the young generation...I figure it doesn't hurt to learn the basics so I don't get overwhelmed when I'm in my sixties.
Though this is meant for kids, it actually is pretty fun and challenging for adults. Of course, I'm an old fogey that still doesn't know how to send a text message, so it may be that it is just challenging for me...and youngsters today may think it is babyish.
The pros listed that this activity set teaches:
- problem solving
- self-correcting errors
- critical thinking
- analytical thinking
- if-then logic
- working collaboratively with others
- discussion and communication skills
- calculating distance
- spatial concepts
I like to add to the above list that it also teaches you to give directions, because hey--GPS is not always accurate.
Possible cons:
- Though I see toddlers manipulating phones, the age for this set may be a bit too young for a child to do it by itself. Reviews I read had parents complaining that their children needed help with it. I think part of the "discussion and communication skills" is having parents and children working on this together, which certainly isn't a bad thing. However, if you want your child to play quietly while you watch the game or do housework, this may not be the set to give them.
- This could possibly lead to a lot of fighting and name-calling if several children are playing with it, particularly if they have to share the mouse. You can buy another mouse, but as it is around $22, you may as well buy another set and have more pieces to play with.
- This may require some room to spread out. Care should be taken that there is nothing breakable or spillable in the area.
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| What all the buttons mean |
So, first thing is first...the mouse (whose name is Colby). He has buttons on top that are used to program him. He can accept up to 40 commands at once.
Things that you should know (and some of these things are not always obvious in the instructions):
1. Colby's objective is to find the cheese, preferably the shortest path possible (oddly enough, 40 commands are not a lot). The cheese is just a piece of plastic, and Colby can only find it by his program.
2. The Action button makes Colby perform one of three random actions like move forward and back, squeak, chirp and light up his eyes. What they don't tell you is that sometimes the action button can make Colby act weird with the rest of his commands. I find it particularly a problem if he does the forward-backward action. You use the action button to give Colby a reaction. I like using it as the last command when he finds his cheese.
3. If you make a mistake, you press the clear button. When you hear the tone, you know the commands have been erased. However, what you also need to know is that you need to press the clear button whenever you want Colby to do a different set a commands. Even after Colby has completed a set of commands, they remain in his memory. If you try to program him to do something else without hitting clear, he will either do the commands from the previous set, or he will just act strangely. You can also turn him off to erase his memory.
4. Go is always the last button you push. Go tells Colby to execute the commands. However, if you want Colby to repeat the last sequence he was commanded with, then you just hit go again. Colby will remember his last programmed sequence unless you hit clear or turn him off.
5. When you are programming Colby to navigate the grid, remember that you have to program the directions according to Colby's left or right--not yours. Colby's left and right will change with turns.
6. When you program Colby to turn, he only turns. He does not turn and go forward or backward. Let us say you want Colby to move two spaces forward, turn right, and move one space forward. The command sequence would be: forward, forward, turn right, forward.
7. Colby moves one grid space at a time.
8. You don't need to use the grid to play with Colby. If you want to create an obstacle course on the floor using Legos, you can do this. You need to know, though, that Colby moves 5" forward or backward (or 12.5 cm). He turns left or right 90 degrees. If he begins to move off the programmed course or fails to turn fully, it is a sign his batteries are running low. Keep in mind that some surfaces may interfere with movement (like carpet)--and you may not want to play on tables if you don't know Colby's movements well.
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| Colby's underside |
Flip Colby over to change his batteries (3 AAA). The on/off switch is beneath the battery compartment. On has two settings: Normal and Hyper. Normal is used for the grid, and Hyper is used for other surfaces. Maybe Hyper gives it more power to move. It certainly doesn't make him zip across the floor like Speedy Gonzalez. All programmed sequences will be erased when he is turned off.
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| Two of the ten double sided activity cards |
The ten double-sided activity cards show you ways you can set up the grid. Card 1 starts out very simple, and Card 10 (since it is double-sided, it is actually Card 20), has a more advanced set-up. These are useful while you are getting the hang of this, but you will probably opt to abandon them to make your own designs.
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| The above pictures show how the grid interlocks |
The grid pieces go together easily and can be easily taken apart. They will stay together while Colby moves around on top of them. Two sides have tabs, and two sides have spaces the tabs lock into. It is much like a jigsaw puzzle, turning the piece to connect the outies to the innies.
Tunnels (shown above) are a little larger than the grid squares. Be certain to make sure that they don't block Colby's path in any way. Unless Colby ends his search there, you never want to have a tunnel on a corner piece which requires Colby to turn.
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| Purple plastic walls |
If the grid is put together securely, the walls will slide easily into the cracks. They will remain standing--even if Colby runs into them. Walls are meant to be obstructions that prevent Colby from going further. You may only be able to use one maze wall per crack if you are doing a complicated set-up. Twenty-two maze walls seems plentiful but can be used up quickly.
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| The prize |
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| One of my set-ups |
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| Coding cards |
Forty commands can be a lot to remember, and so the activity set gives you coding cards that you can put in a sequence to help you remember. Unfortunately, sometimes there isn't enough of one particular command. The red lightning represents the Action button (the red button). Pay attention to the colors of the arrows! They match the color of the buttons on the mouse. A yellow arrow means reverse, and a blue arrow means forward. A purple arrow means turn right and an orange arrow means turn left. There are no coding cards for Go and Clear.
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| Colby's eyes light up! |
You could add a domino track. I'm certain it will amuse pets. I'm planning on having the mouse be a droid used by my evil baby doll in her nefarious plans for world domination (she drank her elder sister's science project and became a genius...and evil).
It has a lot of potential for fun.
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