LEGOs were once thought of as a classic children’s toy that boomed in the 90s and since faded away as kids began discovering new devices to feed their evolving hobbies. It seemed that we hadn’t heard from LEGO in quite some time. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, they returned to the toy scene stronger than ever as if they had never left. Why? Because they and everyone else realized that those connectable toys can be used as building blocks for far more than household castles and transformable structures. They have a legitimate place in STEM education.
Building off of this incredibly popular children’s toy, many innovative companies began coming up with their own spin on the classic and remixing them to better cater to STEM education. We have tools like littleBits, which are self-described as electronic LEGOs, and plenty of other ways to put a technological twist on the old-school building blocks. Now, we’re ready to introduce you to another adaptation of the classic children’s toy. E-Blox has created the next generation of LEGO-based learning and are on the track to disrupt education once again with a line of student-friendly kits that get them working with their hands and exploring key STEM concepts while they have fun.
E-Blox was founded by a family of inventors and innovators who love the challenge of problem solving and believe in the value of persisting through difficulty. With the help of their father, Joseph and James Seymour founded E-Blox on the foundation of providing a customer service-driven business as evidenced by the ‘Customer Care’ section you can find right on their homepage. That father we mentioned? His name’s Arthur and he is the founder of Snap Circuits, so you could say that tinkering and STEM education run in the family.
Now, E-Blox is putting its own spin on LEGOs and on STEM education. The Seymour’s have created a new generation of LEGO-compatible circuitry, inventing E-Blox, which are conductive and can be used to enrich other STEM concepts not unlike our tech bundle concept. They are driven by the belief that every kid can build STEM knowledge and successful 21st century skills so long as there’s a way for that learning to be fun. E-Blox are designed precisely to accomplish just that and help children discover their potential through making, learning, and play.
Their product selection is strategically broken down into need-specific categories. E-Blox offers individual LEGO pieces in all shapes and sizes, including the classic plates, blocks, and slopes, but they also have some pretty inspiring solid LED’s, flashing LED’s, and color changing blocks.
Next, their pARTS kits are designed to advance STEM education, building, and making while also introducing students to the benefits of the arts. These full-scale STEAM starter packs start out simple with the Starter and Standard boxes and progress up to the Pro model and the Plus model before ending with a Deluxe version and an Advanced version, truly providing something for everybody. E-Blox also features some topic-specific kits, including a Metallic kit, LED kit, and Flashing Frenzy Kit so students can experience circuitry and learn specific concepts while they have fun!
Then, there are the Circuit Builder Kits, which come in three sizes and mimic the approach used by Snap Circuits. The three of them are the Circuit Builder 59, 115, and 120. Here, you can see how they have mimicked what was done with Snap Circuits as these numbers indicate how many different projects can be done using each kit! They, of course, get increasingly larger and, in turn, feature more complex challenges for students as they make their way through the kits.
Lastly, the E-Blox team has created a final kit that incorporates storytelling in STEM and making so that children are able to carve out a completely well-rounded education. The Storytellers Kit is intended to encourage kids to build projects that tell a story. They can then use QR codes to pull up online resources and complete their interactive learning experience!
Whether it's one specific STEM niche or you have a classroom that spans the entire STEAM spectrum, E-Blox has created a solution that's right for you. We're very excited to be able to parter with this innovative company and promote and endorse their products for use in 21st century education! They are newly added to our online store and you can shop for any of the products in the E-Blox line below!