Top Brands: Sphero - Wonder Workshop - Makeblock - Amazon Kids
BLACK FRIDAY: Amazon Fire Kids Pro 10"
BLACK FRIDAY: Amazon Fire Kids Pro 10"
NEWS$show=/search/label/news
Here's where you'll find all the latest news about technology for children. We love to follow cool new inventions on Kickstarter and we hunt out all the latest announcements about tech toys and gadgets for the coming Christmas holidays. You'll also get our take on children's technology stories in the media.
REVIEWS$show=/search/label/review
Our kids technology product reviews are intended to help you work out whether a toy, gadget or kit is a good fit for your child or family.
There's lots of cool stuff available, but is it the right choice for the child or teenager that you are buying for?
We'll help you make the right choices and get the best value for money.
GIFT GUIDES$show=/search/label/gift%20guide
Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends assemble. We create gift lists to help you make good choices for kids technology which helps them develop the right skills for the future. We research the best in Coding Toys and Games, Making / Craft Tools and Kits, STEM/STEAM related gifts, Programmable Robots, Electronics Kits and Gadgets for Tech Age Kids and Teens.
PROJECTS$show=/search/label/project
Get crafty with technology. Here we'll post all our ideas and projects using technology to get creative and making with kids. You'll find anything from making a lemon battery to a glow-in-the-dark Minecraft sword. Our projects are tried and tested on our own kids or at events we run, so we are sure you can have a go at home with your kids. Some of our projects use specific tech gadgets which we provide links for you to purchase.
STEM$show=/search/label/stem
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In recent years there is an increased focus in these areas of study. We like to include Art and Design too, so we often talk about STEAM (A stands for Art). At Tech Age Kids we believe Coding is a new literacy and children need to understand how technology works, practice making skills and grow in their curiosity to make a better future for us all.
CODING$show=/search/label/coding
Coding is increasingly being recognised as an important skill for children to learn. Some will learn to code at school or at a coding club, but it's brilliant if they get support at home too.
ELECTRONICS$show=/search/label/electronics
We think it's really important for kids to get hands-on with electronics and learn how to make circuits and write code to control hardware.
Younger kids can start with conductive playdough. For kids who like to combine craft and tech, littleBits are fab. And we love SAM Labs wireless electronics components for making it easy for kids to make Internet of Things inventions.
Lots of electronics kits for kids have support for the Arduino microprocessor environment. The DuinoKit Jr is one of our favourites. Arduino is a fab skill for older kids and teens to develop.
ROBOTICS$show=/search/label/robotics
We love robots at Tech Age Kids, especially programmable ones. We've got lots of them and write reviews and projects that use them.
Our programmable robots for kids buying guide is a good place to start if you're not sure what's available.
Roby the mBot Meccano robot dog is one of our popular projects and has been with us to lots of events. Our Ozobot LEGO trailer is fab for kids who love LEGO and robots.
MAKING AND CRAFT$show=/search/label/making
We're advocates of the creative use of technology, but this needs to be balanced with developing physical skills such as papercraft, woodwork, clay modelling, technical drawing and soldering. If children don't develop these skills as they grow up then physical making projects can become frustrating rather than fun.
The Maker Community uses the term 'making' as a broad term to include all sorts of artisan skills or craft activities. Being able to make things can lead to life-long hobbies or even careers. It's a great feeling to be able to take a project from an idea in your head to a real object that does something.
We're particularly interested to explore products that combine maker skills with tech skills such as electronics but others focus purely on the physical making skills that are still important to modern making.
We're rather fond of programmable robots here at Tech Age Kids and we've been meaning to take a look at the OzoBot Bit for a while. OzoBot Bits are tiny robots that can follow a line and special colour codes either on paper or on a tablet screen.
The robots can also be programmed using the Blockly drag-and-drop graphical programming language.
There's no assembly required so the focus here is on coding and playing with the robots.
This is a first impressions review of the OzoBot bit. I'm sure we'll be featuring these little robots again in the future.
Update: You can find out more about how we got on with Ozobot in these articles:
Size and Appearance
The first thing you notice about the OzoBot Bits is their size - about 1 inch diameter. They are really small! Their size enables them to be used on a tablet screen, more on that later.
As a Mum, I really like that they don't take up much space to store - storage space for tech is always an issue, but these robots pack away into their included plastic storage cases with all their add-ons and don't take up much space at all.
We also really like that you can see the technology inside the OzoBots, especially with the Crystal clear model.
Line Following
The OzoBots are line-following robots. They follow black lines around 5mm wide on either paper, a whiteboard or a tablet screen.
It's pretty neat to be able to have the OzoBot follow a line you have drawn for it. This feature works pretty well. Line-following can be tricky to get right, but we've found that provided the line is thick and dark the following works well.
Colour Codes
To make things more interesting, OzoBot can also follow commands that are given as colour codes.
When OzoBot is on paper the commands are given using sequences of coloured blocks. On a tablet a special flashing code is used instead.
We've been able to add colour codes to designs on paper. We found that too dark a shade of green didn't work, but once we found good colours then the codes were read reliably. This is lots of fun and very interactive and hands-on.
It was a bit tricky to have to remember to leave gaps for the colour codes when drawing a track. We ended up drawing the codes on sticky labels and then sticking them over a solid black line and that worked just fine and meant you didn't need to do so much forward planning.
We've been able to add colour codes to designs on paper. We found that too dark a shade of green didn't work, but once we found good colours then the codes were read reliably. This is lots of fun and very interactive and hands-on.
It was a bit tricky to have to remember to leave gaps for the colour codes when drawing a track. We ended up drawing the codes on sticky labels and then sticking them over a solid black line and that worked just fine and meant you didn't need to do so much forward planning.
OzoBot App
The main OzoBot app has three different modes that can be used to get the OzoBot to move around the tablet screen following commands. In Freedraw mode you can draw tracks with your finger and then add colour code commands. Playground is similar but you get to add commands to a predrawn track. And then there's Challenge mode which gets you to add codes to complete courses so that the OzoBot can get to the finish - this one is good for showing what OzoBot is capable of.
OzoBlockly
OzoBlockly allows you to program OzoBot using graphical command blocks. This approach will be familiar to kids who have used Scratch, Code.org or other Blockly-based tools.
What wasn't immediately obvious is that OzoBlockly is a web app. It runs in a web browser. You don't need to install an app on your tablet. You do need to have an internet connection. (I was able to continue using some features after loading the OzoBlockly and then disconnecting from Wifi.)
Note that because OzoBlockly runs in the browser and programs the OzoBot via flashing colours it will work on a range of devices. We've successfully programmed the OzoBot from a basic Amazon Fire tablet without needing to install anything else. Holding the OzoBot up to a PC screen worked too. Very neat!
Note that because OzoBlockly runs in the browser and programs the OzoBot via flashing colours it will work on a range of devices. We've successfully programmed the OzoBot from a basic Amazon Fire tablet without needing to install anything else. Holding the OzoBot up to a PC screen worked too. Very neat!
The coding itself is straightforward and works well. There are icon-based versions of the commands for pre-readers and advanced users can choose to view the JavaScript - this makes OzoBlockly suitable for a range of ages.
You can control movement, lights and timing. There are also commands for controlling the line-following and colour-reading capability. This means there's some real depth to what can be achieved with OzoBlockly.
You can control movement, lights and timing. There are also commands for controlling the line-following and colour-reading capability. This means there's some real depth to what can be achieved with OzoBlockly.
Actually loading the program to OzoBot wasn't very intuitive. The process is explained in the tutorial video but the information isn't easily accessible from within the app. There are multiple steps the first time you do this:
- Turn the brightness up on your device.
- Calibrate the OzoBot by pressing the on button for at least two seconds until it flashes white and then place it on the white spot while still flashing. The OzoBot will flash green and then turn off.
- Make sure you turn the OzoBot on before pressing LOAD to load your program into the OzoBot. If the OzoBot doesn't flash green during loading then it isn't working and you need to try again (and your OzoBot may wander off the white spot.)
- Double click the power button to run the code - you can do this as many times as you like.
It's one of those processes that is really easy once you've done it a few times, but takes a bit of thought the first time.
Being able to program the OzoBots with Blockly is a great feature to have.
More Games and Activities
There are also browser-based Blockly games for the OzoBot and more coming soon. This gives additional structured content for learning coding with the OzoBot while having fun.
There are also printable activity sheets for Blockly which provide even more ideas for play.
Options for Creativity
Our OzoBots came with a cool helmet each but it's also fun to find or make other accessories for them to wear.
Their small size means that it's easy for kids to make an environment for the OzoBots to explore. I can see our play table being converted into OzoWorld in the near future.
With larger robots this just isn't feasible to the same extent as it would take up so much space.
Power
OzoBot charges quickly via USB (30-40 mins for a full charge) and a compact cable is included. This is really convenient and works well. OzoBot claim around 90 mins of play from a full charge. This is quite a long play session. It's a good idea to charge to OzoBot after play (the light goes solid green when fully charged) so it's ready to go next time.
Flashing Lights Warning
OzoBot uses fast flashing lights a lot, both on the robot and on the tablet. Unfortunately for me this is a migraine trigger so I have to be careful when using the features that use flashing lights. Luckily my kids don't have this problem.
The OzoBot is small so I can cover it with my hand and avoid the issue now that I know it's a problem.
Value for Money
The OzoBit Bit might be small but it's packed with cool technology. It's a really well thought through package. The technology itself is great, the charging works well, practical storage is included and there's plenty of content available at no extra cost and multiple modes of play and learning. It's also suitable for a wide age range so it's a great choice for a family with a range of ages (though they will want one each!) and it's a good tech toy to grow with a child rather than quickly get outgrown.
When you take all of this into account the OzoBot Bit definitely represents good value for money.
Conclusion
The OzoBot Bit is a great portable programmable robot. It can be used for both entertainment and real coding. It's a great choice if you have a small home or if you need to keep tech up on a table out of reach of younger siblings. There's plenty of fun and educational content available so kids won't be stuck for things to try with their OzoBots and there's plenty of opportunity for free play with the skills they've learned.
You get a small close-fitting case so that the OzoBot can safely be put in a bag to take to a friends house and there's also a larger case that takes the OzoBot and all of its accessories. This is really well thought through and much appreciated!
The line-following and colour code reading doesn't always work perfectly, but figuring out why is part of the process, and it is much more reliable than I was expecting. Loading code onto the OzoBot was a bit confusing the first time, but is straightforward after a few practices.
You get a small close-fitting case so that the OzoBot can safely be put in a bag to take to a friends house and there's also a larger case that takes the OzoBot and all of its accessories. This is really well thought through and much appreciated!
The line-following and colour code reading doesn't always work perfectly, but figuring out why is part of the process, and it is much more reliable than I was expecting. Loading code onto the OzoBot was a bit confusing the first time, but is straightforward after a few practices.
For us it's the OzoBlockly coding that's the best feature. Having small robots that can be properly programmed from my kids' tablets and easily moved to wherever they want to play is definitely a set up that suits my family.
You can compare Ozobot with alternatives in our programmable robots buying guide.
You can compare Ozobot with alternatives in our programmable robots buying guide.
/fa-fire/ MONTH TRENDING$type=list
-
Considering a Fitbit fitness tracker for your teen? Let's take a look at the options and see which Fitbit makes the most sense for you a...
-
At Tech Age Kids we've been testing and writing about kids coding toys for over 10 years. This post is our round up of the current optio...
-
It's getting close to December so we've been thinking about coding,tech and video game themed advent calendars for kids and teens....
/fa-calendar/ RECENT$type=blogging$m=0$cate=0$sn=0$rm=0$c=3$va=0
- 2013
- 2023
- 3d printing
- 3DTin
- accessories
- activities
- adafruit
- advent calendar
- adventure games
- amazon
- amazon fire
- amazon prime
- android
- angry birds
- animation
- anki
- app
- app toy
- app toys
- appcessories
- apple
- apps
- arcbotics
- architecture
- arckit
- arduino
- art
- artificial intelligence
- astronauts
- astronomy
- augmented reality
- automaton
- awards
- battle bots
- battling robots
- bedtime
- big kids
- big tablets
- bigtrak
- bike
- binary
- birthday
- bitsbox
- black friday
- blockly
- blogging
- bloxels
- bluetooth
- board games
- book
- books
- boolean box
- breadboard
- bricks
- brixo
- buying guide
- camera
- cameras
- card game
- careers
- catroid
- celebration
- cellphone
- ces
- chemistry
- chess
- christmas
- circuit cubes
- circuit playground
- circuit scribe
- cleaning
- climbing
- code clubs
- code-a-pillar
- codebug
- coder
- coding
- cognitive learning
- communication
- comparison
- competition/challenges
- computational thinking
- computer
- computer games
- computer science
- computer vision
- computers
- computing
- conductive playdough
- connected toys
- construction
- conversational ai
- cozmo
- craft
- craft cutter
- creative thinking
- creativity
- crochet
- crowdfunding
- css
- cubs
- curiosity
- curious chip
- cyber monday
- dads
- data
- deals
- dens
- design
- design process
- design thinking
- digital parenting
- digital skills
- disability
- disney infinity
- dog tech
- dolls
- drawing
- drones
- duinokit
- earth day
- Easter
- ebooks
- eco
- edblocks
- edison
- edtech
- education
- egypt
- electricity
- electronic pets
- electronic toys
- electronics
- electronics kit
- electronics kits
- electtronics
- elementary
- elenco
- energy
- engineering
- entertainment
- ereader
- ereaders
- esafety
- escape the room
- event
- ewriter
- exercise
- family
- family tech
- fathers day
- Festival of Code
- fiction
- fire
- fitbit
- fitness
- fitness tracker
- flotilla
- flow charts
- flutterbye fairy
- flying
- force awakens
- force friday
- future
- gadgets
- games
- games console
- games consoles
- gaming
- gift guide
- gifts
- girls
- giveaway
- glow in the dark
- grace hopper
- grove
- hackaball
- hacksoton
- halloween
- halloween costumes
- hardware
- headphones
- health
- hexbug
- hexbug aquabots
- hexbug project
- high school
- history
- home
- home education
- homeschool
- hot toys
- hour of code
- html
- humanoid
- ICT
- in app purchasing
- indiegogo
- industry event
- innotab
- innotab 3
- innotab 3s
- internet access
- interviews
- invention
- ios
- IoT
- ipad
- ipad mini
- iphone
- jacquard
- japan
- java
- javascript
- k'nex
- k'nex robotics
- kano
- keyboard
- kickstarter
- kids
- kindle
- kindle fire
- kit
- kits
- kodu
- kubo
- label printer
- languages
- laptop
- laptops
- last minute
- leap motion
- leapfrog
- leappad
- leappad 2
- leappad ultra
- leappad2
- leapreader
- learning
- learning resources
- learning tablet
- learning tablets
- leds
- lego
- lego boost
- lego chain reactions
- lego mindstorms ev3
- lego power functions
- lego technic
- lego wedo
- let's start coding
- lights
- lightseekers
- little kids
- littlebits
- logiblocs
- logic
- logical thinking
- loom
- machines
- magnetic
- make it
- makeblock
- makedo
- maker
- makey makey
- making
- mardles
- mars
- mars rover
- marty
- math
- maths
- mbot
- mbot ranger
- me arm
- meccano
- meccanoid
- meccanoid 2.0
- merge vr
- mews
- michael faraday
- micro:bit
- microbit
- microcontroller
- microscope
- microsoft
- middle school
- miles kelly
- mindstorms
- minecraft
- minecraft mods
- mixed reality
- mobile
- modular electronics
- monsters university
- morse code
- mothers day
- motion capture
- motors
- mover kit
- movie
- movies
- mu
- mu toys
- munzee
- music
- my first robot
- national dog day
- nature
- new
- new year
- news
- news coding
- nikola tesla
- nintendo
- nintendo switch
- ohbot
- ollie
- on the web
- opinion
- origami
- osmo
- outdoors
- ouya
- ozobot
- papercraft
- paperwhite
- parental controls
- parenting
- parrot
- pc
- people
- pet tech
- pets
- phone
- photography
- photon
- physics
- pi day
- picks
- pimoroni
- pinoccio
- pixel kit
- pixelart
- play
- playstation 4
- plezmo
- pocket code
- pocket money
- pokemon
- pokemon go
- poll
- pre order
- pre-teens
- prehistory
- preschoolers
- primary
- printable
- products
- professor einstein
- programming
- project
- projects
- puzzles
- python
- racing
- raspberry pi
- reading
- reivew
- remote control
- research
- resource
- resources
- retro
- review
- rights
- robot
- robot dog
- robot fish
- robot wars
- ROBOTERRA
- roboticals
- robotics
- robots
- role models
- role play
- romo
- romotive
- root
- rover
- safety
- sam labs
- samuel morse
- sandbox
- schools
- science
- scratch
- scratchjr
- screen time
- screenless
- screens
- sensors
- servos
- simbrix
- skills
- skylanders
- skylanders superchargers
- skylanders swap force
- smart pens
- smartphone
- smartwatch
- snap circuits
- social media
- solar power
- soldering
- sonic pi
- sony koov
- sound
- space
- sparki
- speaker
- speech sythesis
- sphero
- sphero mini
- spider
- star wars
- stars
- STEAM
- stem
- stikbot
- stop motion
- stop motion studio
- storage
- story
- strawbees
- students
- subscription
- subscriptions
- sugru
- summer
- swift
- tablet
- tablets
- tangible coding
- tech
- tech age
- tech craft
- tech is bad
- tech is good
- tech toys
- tech will save us
- technology
- technology will save us
- teens
- teknikio
- tekno
- teksta
- tenka labs
- tesla
- textiles
- thames & kosmos
- the extraordinaires
- tim berners lee
- tinkercad
- tinybop
- toddlers
- toot-toot
- top pick
- touch
- toy
- toys
- travelling
- TTS
- TV
- tween
- tweens
- tynker
- typing
- ux
- vehicles
- videos
- view-master
- views
- virtual reality
- voice assistants
- voice recognition
- vr
- vtech
- web
- websites
- wifi
- wii
- wii u
- windows 8
- wonder workshop
- wowwee
- writing
- writing. education
- xbox one
- xyzprinting
/fa-dice/ RANDOM$type=blogging$m=0$cate=0$sn=0$rm=0$c=3$va=0$src=random-posts
- 2013
- 2023
- 3d printing
- 3DTin
- accessories
- activities
- adafruit
- advent calendar
- adventure games
- amazon
- amazon fire
- amazon prime
- android
- angry birds
- animation
- anki
- app
- app toy
- app toys
- appcessories
- apple
- apps
- arcbotics
- architecture
- arckit
- arduino
- art
- artificial intelligence
- astronauts
- astronomy
- augmented reality
- automaton
- awards
- battle bots
- battling robots
- bedtime
- big kids
- big tablets
- bigtrak
- bike
- binary
- birthday
- bitsbox
- black friday
- blockly
- blogging
- bloxels
- bluetooth
- board games
- book
- books
- boolean box
- breadboard
- bricks
- brixo
- buying guide
- camera
- cameras
- card game
- careers
- catroid
- celebration
- cellphone
- ces
- chemistry
- chess
- christmas
- circuit cubes
- circuit playground
- circuit scribe
- cleaning
- climbing
- code clubs
- code-a-pillar
- codebug
- coder
- coding
- cognitive learning
- communication
- comparison
- competition/challenges
- computational thinking
- computer
- computer games
- computer science
- computer vision
- computers
- computing
- conductive playdough
- connected toys
- construction
- conversational ai
- cozmo
- craft
- craft cutter
- creative thinking
- creativity
- crochet
- crowdfunding
- css
- cubs
- curiosity
- curious chip
- cyber monday
- dads
- data
- deals
- dens
- design
- design process
- design thinking
- digital parenting
- digital skills
- disability
- disney infinity
- dog tech
- dolls
- drawing
- drones
- duinokit
- earth day
- Easter
- ebooks
- eco
- edblocks
- edison
- edtech
- education
- egypt
- electricity
- electronic pets
- electronic toys
- electronics
- electronics kit
- electronics kits
- electtronics
- elementary
- elenco
- energy
- engineering
- entertainment
- ereader
- ereaders
- esafety
- escape the room
- event
- ewriter
- exercise
- family
- family tech
- fathers day
- Festival of Code
- fiction
- fire
- fitbit
- fitness
- fitness tracker
- flotilla
- flow charts
- flutterbye fairy
- flying
- force awakens
- force friday
- future
- gadgets
- games
- games console
- games consoles
- gaming
- gift guide
- gifts
- girls
- giveaway
- glow in the dark
- grace hopper
- grove
- hackaball
- hacksoton
- halloween
- halloween costumes
- hardware
- headphones
- health
- hexbug
- hexbug aquabots
- hexbug project
- high school
- history
- home
- home education
- homeschool
- hot toys
- hour of code
- html
- humanoid
- ICT
- in app purchasing
- indiegogo
- industry event
- innotab
- innotab 3
- innotab 3s
- internet access
- interviews
- invention
- ios
- IoT
- ipad
- ipad mini
- iphone
- jacquard
- japan
- java
- javascript
- k'nex
- k'nex robotics
- kano
- keyboard
- kickstarter
- kids
- kindle
- kindle fire
- kit
- kits
- kodu
- kubo
- label printer
- languages
- laptop
- laptops
- last minute
- leap motion
- leapfrog
- leappad
- leappad 2
- leappad ultra
- leappad2
- leapreader
- learning
- learning resources
- learning tablet
- learning tablets
- leds
- lego
- lego boost
- lego chain reactions
- lego mindstorms ev3
- lego power functions
- lego technic
- lego wedo
- let's start coding
- lights
- lightseekers
- little kids
- littlebits
- logiblocs
- logic
- logical thinking
- loom
- machines
- magnetic
- make it
- makeblock
- makedo
- maker
- makey makey
- making
- mardles
- mars
- mars rover
- marty
- math
- maths
- mbot
- mbot ranger
- me arm
- meccano
- meccanoid
- meccanoid 2.0
- merge vr
- mews
- michael faraday
- micro:bit
- microbit
- microcontroller
- microscope
- microsoft
- middle school
- miles kelly
- mindstorms
- minecraft
- minecraft mods
- mixed reality
- mobile
- modular electronics
- monsters university
- morse code
- mothers day
- motion capture
- motors
- mover kit
- movie
- movies
- mu
- mu toys
- munzee
- music
- my first robot
- national dog day
- nature
- new
- new year
- news
- news coding
- nikola tesla
- nintendo
- nintendo switch
- ohbot
- ollie
- on the web
- opinion
- origami
- osmo
- outdoors
- ouya
- ozobot
- papercraft
- paperwhite
- parental controls
- parenting
- parrot
- pc
- people
- pet tech
- pets
- phone
- photography
- photon
- physics
- pi day
- picks
- pimoroni
- pinoccio
- pixel kit
- pixelart
- play
- playstation 4
- plezmo
- pocket code
- pocket money
- pokemon
- pokemon go
- poll
- pre order
- pre-teens
- prehistory
- preschoolers
- primary
- printable
- products
- professor einstein
- programming
- project
- projects
- puzzles
- python
- racing
- raspberry pi
- reading
- reivew
- remote control
- research
- resource
- resources
- retro
- review
- rights
- robot
- robot dog
- robot fish
- robot wars
- ROBOTERRA
- roboticals
- robotics
- robots
- role models
- role play
- romo
- romotive
- root
- rover
- safety
- sam labs
- samuel morse
- sandbox
- schools
- science
- scratch
- scratchjr
- screen time
- screenless
- screens
- sensors
- servos
- simbrix
- skills
- skylanders
- skylanders superchargers
- skylanders swap force
- smart pens
- smartphone
- smartwatch
- snap circuits
- social media
- solar power
- soldering
- sonic pi
- sony koov
- sound
- space
- sparki
- speaker
- speech sythesis
- sphero
- sphero mini
- spider
- star wars
- stars
- STEAM
- stem
- stikbot
- stop motion
- stop motion studio
- storage
- story
- strawbees
- students
- subscription
- subscriptions
- sugru
- summer
- swift
- tablet
- tablets
- tangible coding
- tech
- tech age
- tech craft
- tech is bad
- tech is good
- tech toys
- tech will save us
- technology
- technology will save us
- teens
- teknikio
- tekno
- teksta
- tenka labs
- tesla
- textiles
- thames & kosmos
- the extraordinaires
- tim berners lee
- tinkercad
- tinybop
- toddlers
- toot-toot
- top pick
- touch
- toy
- toys
- travelling
- TTS
- TV
- tween
- tweens
- tynker
- typing
- ux
- vehicles
- videos
- view-master
- views
- virtual reality
- voice assistants
- voice recognition
- vr
- vtech
- web
- websites
- wifi
- wii
- wii u
- windows 8
- wonder workshop
- wowwee
- writing
- writing. education
- xbox one
- xyzprinting