WOW! GREAT EARLY CODING STEM TOY!!
348368
I was looking for a STEM toy for my son's fourth birthday. I chose wisely on this one! I did a lot of research since there are several interesting products for the age group out there. A review which does an amazing job showing the features, I viewed on you tube by DadDoes, [...]

I was pleasantly surprised to learn there's so much more to this product and app than is even featured in the video. Follow the help menus within the activities to teach your child more about programming. There's so much here but does not interfere with the fun and my son enjoying the games!  That's the key right?- learning without even knowing it!

My son cannot read yet but the entire app  uses pictures and symbols while not looking too babyish.  He is really entertained by nearly every aspect of this robot!  My advice, for the age, the price- this is a super fun toy and smart purchase.
1604302
Bought these for my daughter when she was one years old but she didn't actually play with them until she was 18 months old. She doesn't normally chew on things unless she is teething so I wasn't too worried about colors or wood splinters. Since then she has been building towers with them and they just keep getting taller and taller and more complicated.

I know a lot of reviewers are surprised that they are so small, 1" x 1" x 1", but they are supposed to help children manipulate them and place them and learn about various things like balance. I asked a child development specialist what I should definitely not miss out on in terms of toys and he mentioned 1" blocks! I think they even use them as a milestone test or something.

Now that she's two plus, she enjoys the letters and numbers and has begun using them to make collections of colors or pictures on a theme. I actually think I'm going to get more use out of them in the upcoming months as she starts recognising more and more letters.

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September 2012 update - she can read! :) And I found out thanks to these blocks. Trust me, two weeks earlier she couldn't and then I overhear her putting them together and saying phonetically, 'C', 'U', 'P' - CUP. I then asked her to read and spell out POT, CAT, SAT, HOT, DOT, MAT, BAT etc. :) Her school gets the credit for the phonics, but these blocks get the credit for me getting to watch her in action!
1953511
We got this for my oldest boy on his 8th birthday. He one of those boys who's acing math two grades ahead of his age, so this kind of thing is right up his alley. We have many similar toys in our household: Duplo and Lego, naturally. But also Mechano (i.e. Erector Set), K'nex, and I'd even add "The Learning Journey Techno Gears Marble Mania" and Transformers into this group.

This Thames and Kosmos set is my new favorite, for several reasons...

1) The plastic components are really sturdy. Pieces stick together and stay stuck - you even get a special tool to help pull them apart.
2) The included instruction manual is really high-quality. Eighty pages, bound like a graphic novel, not stapled like the typical Lego booklet. Each of its 21 "experiments" includes a pithy explanation of some "physics principles". Even a few simple formulas here and there: Momentum = Force x Time, and PotentialEnergy = Height x Mass x Gravity.
3) They projects are interesting: a Crane, Trebuchet, All-wheel drive ATV, etc...

Between me liking this for it's cool mathiness, and my boy liking it for its clear instructions and cool projects, we've had a lot of fun together. It's really a great father-son kind of a birthday gift. Highly recommended.
393369
Awesome STEM technology for children's learning here.  We were excited to begin construction. It was slow going, but eventually all the pieces were snapped together and the swing was going. There are 470 pieces, and his has a guide to be able to build two other rides, a ferris wheel and a boom ride. Fascinating how it allows children to learn while having fun.
1342953
<div id="video-block-R2RH205H8ZXSJH" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/B1FrlQWU9qS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1azKWHvRjS.png" class="video-slate-img-url">&nbsp;My 6 year old loves this! He's build 4 things in just the first 8 hours. Great toy for teaching innovative thinking to kids!
4213219
*Disclosure - the seller provided a discounted sample for review purposes*

I honestly had no idea what to expect when I ordered these snapping blocks, but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.  My sister and nephew, who were sitting there with me, said, "oh, these are we use in school for counting."  I see what they mean - these blocks are great for kids learning addition and subtraction.  Connect two blocks, and a third and teach the kids that 2+1 = 3.  Great!

They're also great for building.  My nephew made a creeper face from Minecraft, some buildings, etc.  They snap and unsnap easily enough that even little hands - ages 3 and up - can make use of them.

The blocks themselves are quite small - smaller than expected, honestly; they're about 1 x 1 inch,  but that makes for easy transport (they come with a bag to stow away or take along).  I love educational toys that encourage creativity and imagination and this set of blocks does exactly that.  The colors are bright and vivid and they simply work.

All three of the younger kids had a blast with them.  Very recommended.
1537210
This is my childs inspiration to become potty trained. Along with the Alphabet (a different manufacturer from Japan). While these are Extremely well made, they do squeak. Also the 0 has arms that can easily be pushed in the wrong direction and break the entire toy. The alphabet and number combinations are amazing for dexterity and and manual fine motor skills in small children. They are adorable, brightly colored, and pretty choke proof for kids over the age of putting things in their mouth (in my household that is 15months+). This is an exciting, engaging STEM toy that is helping child, who is clever IMO to learn algebra concepts at such a young age. Mirrored with programs like Alphblocks and Numberjacks, this is incredibly educational and useful for children like mine who are all about literacy and math from an early age. I don't know if plastic is the best kinid of toy, but I know this is better than about any other toys I could have offered my child at this stage in his development. It offers comprehensive engineering, STEM, and literacy development, at the same time these guys take on their own personalities, dramas and other free-based play (i.e. my sons were riding in the truck to the pumpkin patch)... so if you can afford them and you know your child will like it, this is the toy for you. I have boy and girl and the boy especially likes them, but both kids use them. What I like the most is that THIS math set comes with math equation tool signs which means... algebra!
4344689
This is not just for boys!  My 11 year old daughter put this together in about 5 hours all by herself with me only near her for support and guidance.

They joy on her face when it fired up the first time is priceless. She had it walking beside her around the house, telling it's jokes, and learning the date and time among other things.

If your child loves STEM like my daughter does, you can't go wrong here.
1760674
I spent an extensive amount of time reviewing available programs and settled on this one! We are homeschooling and I actually bought this program (Platinum version for Windows) for my 1st grader.  He is pretty adept at computers (for his age) so I figured "no time like the present to start learning proper keys"! He REALLY likes it! It progresses through exercises that address both accuracy & speed and you set your own goals. You can pick a variety of different background music-(if you want any - my son likes the jazz!), and it has great graphics with a super variety of different games & adventures that are very fun and challenging - lots of different ways to learn!
-------- As an Adult I have enjoyed challenging myself on speed/accuracy to see how high a score I can get.  You can choose to work on specific keys/rows/combinations/numbers or even 10 key-right side #s. OR, you can go to the story area and work with real words/paragraphs/stories. Lots of bells and whistles so there was a bit of a learning curve figuring out the extent of what you can do with this program, so my only negative would be wishing the instructions were clearer.  But hey, my 7 year old can figure it out so I'll blame that on me (user error)!  --- As an FYI my 5 yr old loves to get on and play the games even though he is not using the right fingers on the keys - so, know that it has definate entertainment value!
4847548
I ordered and received The ETI Lil' Engineer set.  The product is a great way to encourage thinking and observation skills in very young children.  The tools fit specific bolts, but they have been easy for my grandchildren to use.  Depending on past experience, you may need to offer a little help by pointing out how the different tools fit the appropriate parts.  The parts in the sets I have are colorful and durable.  I suspect they will be in perfect condition for many years.  I plan to purchase additional toys that allow freedom to create and learn from this company.&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/163-Piece-STEM-Toys-Kit-Educational-Construction-Engineering-Building-Blocks-Learning-Set-for-Ages-3-4-5-6-7-Year-Old-Boys-Girls-by-Brickyard-Best-Kids-Toy-Creative-Games-Fun-Activities/dp/B075N8W9VK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">163 Piece STEM Toys Kit | Educational Construction Engineering Building Blocks Learning Set for Ages 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Year Old Boys & Girls by Brickyard | Best Kids Toy | Creative Games & Fun Activities</a>
2189642
I bought this as a summer activity for my 6.5 year old.
He's very into electronics, but a bit "young" for his age.
Still....it is an absolutely TERRIFIC product.
We briefly learned about the parts included, what a circuit is, main components of a circuit, and safety (including DO NOT add your own electronic parts or try to connect to the house outlets!).
Even though he has a short attention span, we kept it simple and then jumped into the first circuit -- having him do as much as possible so he could understand how to read the instruction booklet, and stopping periodically to understand what was happening.
It is a great opportunity for him to learn to take care of things (keeping parts organized), and how to follow directions.
We learn a little together, and then he does something on his own.
The plethora of components makes this a STEAL!
GET ONE!!!
2525099
I did not receive this item for free, I paid for it!

This is a review of Learning Resources Robot Mouse Coding Activity Set.

I am a middle school math teacher who retired from programming mainframe computers.  I have taught procedural programming languages like Fortran, COBOL, and BASIC.  This past year I taught a graphics-based programming language, Scratch.  Languages like Scratch and this activity set are good at getting kids interested in computer programming, or coding.

It seems that most kids today are much more interested in playing computer games than creating them, not surprisingly I guess.  Eventually these kids will come to realize that, while nobody will pay them to play games, many good companies will pay them (handsomely) to create games and programs.  This activity set introduces the idea of solving a problem with a well-thought-out, step-by-step approach.  And kids will enjoy doing it because it is just fun.

Everyone knows that a mouse likes to find the cheese.  That is the basis of this set.  Ten activity cards, containing twenty problems, show the initial setup of each problem, including a maze where the mouse has to get to the cheese.  He does that by being "programmed" by the player, which involves pressing colored buttons on the mouse that cause the mouse to move through the maze, making the correct turns at the correct times.  The first step is to assemble the board from the 16 pieces; this is not hard to figure out.  Then you place things on the board like walls and tunnels.  Then you figure out the step-by-step path the mouse must take to get to the cheese, and you layout little programming cards from which you will actually program the mouse.  Then you program the mouse and press the green GO button to start him on his course.  If you have entered the steps correctly, the mouse will arrive at the cheese and make a noise.  Congratulations!

There is one programmable move called "action".  This will cause the mouse to randomly do one of three things, one of which is to move forward and backward.  You must plan for this possibility, because if you don't the mouse might leave the board and will never get to the cheese.  This makes kids think.

As others have mentioned, sometimes the mouse doesn't move in a truly straight line, but if you carefully align the mouse before you press the GO button, he will usually find the cheese (you might have to gently nudge him occasionally).

The ten activity cards are excellent for learning how the set works, but what will really challenge the kids is to create their own mazes and program the mouse to complete them.

This activity set teaches the value of a well-thought-out process for solving a problem using a step-by-step procedure.  That's what real programmers do too.  There is an old saying among air traffic controllers:  make a plan and make it work.  That's what this set teaches, and it is a great and valuable lesson to learn.

The instruction manual accompanying the set is very good; it says the set includes 22 walls, you actually get 40.  You can program up to 40 steps into the mouse.  You can also buy a second mouse (for about $25) that includes 30 additional programming step cards, which is nice because I ran out of programming step cards for some of the more complex mazes I created.  You don't absolutely need the programming step cards to create a program, but I have found that they are very helpful.

For the money, this set is a great value and I know my students will find it fun while they learn the value of solving problems with a well-thought-out procedure.
903561
this toy is fantastic for the price. you can use web sites that allow you to build programs and upload them on the unit. that's how kids learn basiscs of programming. highly recommended for a 7-12 year old w/ a technical mind set.
420803
This gear set is really outstanding!  Santa brought it for my one year old and he intuitively figured it out on the first try.  It held his interest for a long time and he kept going back to it.  My three year old really likes it as well, and played with it a little bit differently.  He instantly started stacking the gears and adding small toys on top of the towers to watch them spin.  I like that this is educational for my son as well.  It is a different way to look at puzzles and is a really early STEM toy in my opinion.
1631980
Hands on!  That says it all for me.  Im constantly looking for new and engaging ways to interest my students and get their hands on items that will help them learn.  So when the folks at Learning Resources sent me their new Dive into Shapes, I knew my students were going to go crazy over it.
My little guys can never seem to get enough fine motor work, and if I can couple fine motor and working with shapes then I'm one happy teacher.  Plus, look at all those bright fun colors.  I have to admit, I couldn't resist diving in and working with these fun manipulatives. (It was actually a little bit addictive to tell you the truth.)
Dive into Shapes comes with a ton of colorful curves and straight plastic pieces including connecting balls.  These coupled with the playing cards included, had my kinder friends loving this activity during our learning stations.  The easily manipulated the pieces and quickly got into the groove of replicating the different shapes on the cards.
The cards provided just enough guidance for those that needed it, but also differentiated and extended learning by offering challenges beyond the basic shapes.  As an instructor, I could quickly assess to see which of my students could easily replicate the pictures and identify those that really needed more practice.
Since we had been studying 3D shapes as well, this activity was especially fun for students when I challenged them to make a cylinder, sphere, cube or cone (that was a tricky one).
They loved the bright colors to make patterns and come up with their own designs and creations or just work off from some of the ones on the cards.  This was definitely one of the quietest stations this go around as they seemed to engaged and were really concentrating on getting the pieces to fit 'just so.'
3340738
I never bother to write reviews but I'm making an exception for this game.  We just got it after a friend recommended it (we both do a lot of programming for our jobs and this game teaches programming skills).  My 4 year old daughter loves it.  Not only is she learning but she's more engaged by this game than by any other game she's played.  I could see the gears turning as she thought through her moves - and she doesn't want to stop playing.  I hope the inventor follows up with more games that are this clever!
3963781
My daughter received this for her 5th birthday and absolutely loved it!  It was simple enough she could do it on her own once I explained it, but challenging enough that she'd do a few pieces, do something else, do a few pieces, etc.  She ended up finishing it over 4 or 5 days, and now proudly displays it on her bedroom window.  It's wonderful as a craft, but also helps teach spacial recognition and number recognition.  I plan to buy more of these sets as she's had so much fun with this one.  I believe 4 is the youngest age that could do this...but it would also be fun for as old as 10 or 11.  Even as and adult I would enjoy a craft like this!  I would highly recommend this and plan to buy other sets!