Want to build your own Top Secret Spy Box? Bubble-blowing bot? If you answered yes, then you need to get your hands on the littleBits Gizmos and Gadgets Kit! Designed for kids aged eight and up and filled to the brim with LEGO-like, electronic building blocks, this kit will spark your child’s imagination. It's also helps guarantee endless creative opportunities for invention-making!
This is definitely one of littleBits’ most robust and inclusive kits, containing 15 building modules and cool accessories like wheels and brick adapters. The instruction manual is huge, illustrative, and clear. It highlights 12 exciting projects kids can make, like the Mega Blaster and Mischief Machine! All projects vary in complexity, but don’t worry, children definitely won’t shy away! The kit doesn't make kids feel restricted to just the projects inside, either. Rather, they tend to find inspiration to dream up their own mind-blowing inventions. You can even download the free littleBits app to see inventions from other kids and share your own!
I have to admit I was a little afraid that I would be overwhelmed by the amount of pieces in the kit, but I was pleasantly surprised with their intuitive simplicity. The color-coded pieces indicate their function, including power, trigger, extension, and interaction. They also connected extremely easily without any effort at all. Ultimately, I chose to make the Bit Bot, a remote-controlled car that involves kits building both the car and remote.
The instructions were illustrative and easy to follow. I snapped together the right modules and planted them on the molding boards to create the remote and car. Once I ensured my transmitter and receiver were on the same channel, I was able to control my car by sliding the slide dimmers forward and backward. Throughout the project, I was able engage in hands-on, project-based learning while refreshing my circuitry and engineering skills. I learned that, when building with the littleBits module, a trigger piece must always come before an action piece in order to tell it what to do.
Even as an adult, I was completely engaged throughout my experimentation and was left craving more time to create inventions! I highly recommend this kit as a way to promote play-based creativity and shape strong STEM skills before middle school. The benefits of the Gizmos & Gadgets Kit are certainly amazing. Check out all the littleBits kits on the Eduporium store!
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