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.
StikBot, an internet sensation, is an articulated plastic bot, which you can use to make stop-motion animations. This year, StikBot launched the #StikBot Zanimation Studio, which includes a green screen studio and the free Zing Animation App.
Disclaimer: Brainstorm Ltd kindly sent us StikBot Zanimation Studio to try at home. Our views are our own.
My kids love making stop-motion animation. Back in the day, my eldest made his first animations using LEGO city and putting together elaborate police chase scenes. These days technology has made it much easier for kids to explore animation. In fact there are quite a few different animation kits available on the market to inspire a future film maker.
This week we played with the #StikBot Zanimation Studio Kit and report on our experience below.
What's in the box?
The kit comes in a box, which includes the green screen studio box, with green screen backdrop and 2 prop boxes.The studio can be positioned either as a "green" / "blue" studio.
You also get 2 StikBots (we got a red and yellow one) and a tripod to hold a smartphone.
After taking everything out of the packing, all the parts of the studio can fit inside the studio box for safe keeping.
There's a cardboard support inside the studio box, probably part of the packaging, but we recommend you keep it, for extra stability when using the studio.
The App
The free "Zing Animation App" is available on Andriod and iOS. You don't need to sign up for an account to use it. Once downloaded, it is ready to use to make your first stop-motion animation.There are some tricks to finding your way around the app. Once you're on the main screen click "Stop Motion Video to record your animation. Then click on the "green square" icon to add an image as a backdrop.
In this setting you should select if you're using the "green" / "blue" studio, select a camera backdrop and play around with the sensitivity to get your picture just right.
When you start recording, it's very useful to show the previous frame when you are moving your StikBot. Note when you click the red record "head" button, the head will turn blue. Only move your StikBot when the head has turned back to red. When you're ready, click the red button again. It's normal to only take one frame per movement, but you could experiment with taking 2 frames. Continue this until your animation is complete.
After you completed the filming you can add audio to your movie. There is a rich library of sounds (of course, my boys favourites were the rude farting sounds!) You can select which frame you want to add a sound to. You can also record your own voice.
The app allows you to set the frames per second timing to either speed up or slow your animation down. About 15 fps is standard, but a higher number may give you a smoother movement. Again something to explore and see what you like best.
- TOP TIP: Remember to take 3 - 5 frames (without moving your characters) for the start and end of your video.
We tested the app on my Sony Xperia, and I gave the kids an old Samsung smartphone to use - both Android devices. The app worked perfectly well on the older device too.
Chroma Key
The fun part of the StikBot Zanimation Studio is the ability to add a different background to your animation, at the time of filming. This is known as Chroma Keying. Chroma keying is the process of "keying out" a certain colour in your video or photo. For example, if you use the green screen, everything that is green will be replaced with a different background. In the late 1800s they used black draping to create this effect, and in 1920 Disney used a white sheet to add human character to their animation movies.
The Chroma Keying on the Zing app, isn't perfect, but it really gives you a great understanding of how it works. You need to play around a bit with the sensitivity. This is also why the kit comes with blue and green. If you used a green StikBot, for example, with your green screen, you will not see it when you chroma key the background.
The app comes with a library of backgrounds, but it is really easy to select your own image from your device or take a new picture in the app.
Our Animation
My kids wanted to get started right away to make an animation. The suckers on the arms and legs of the StikBot, makes is easier to keep your character in position.
The trick is to keep things as still as possible, as you move from one position to the next. Sometimes, we found "unsucking" a foot, wobbled the studio and made things move. Just something to watch out for when you make your own animation.
It lends itself really well to adding other toys and construction materials, like LEGO or Play Mobil to build out a story.
We made a short animation of StikBots with their Retro Robot friend going to an event in Bournemouth. We took the picture of the background ourselves, and added the text and icons in the app for our movie title.
Verdict
The StikBot Zanimation Studio is a great little kit to get kids started on making their first animation. We like the fact that you have everything to start straight away, including an easy to use app. Note the app is not very feature rich so you'll not be able to do fancy editing in it.
As the studio is made out of cardboard, it probably will not last forever. However it is not difficult to make your own studio by painting a shoe box green. Alternatively you have also make animations without the studio just using your StikBot, tripod and app.
I found the tripod a little frustrating at times, as the frame pushed down on the volume button on my smartphone. This will vary from device to device, but I just adjusted my phone a little off center to stop the frame "clicking" the buttons.
Another tip is to use stick tack to stop the tripod from moving or accidentally being knocked over during filming.
Don't forget to get creative and add other props, such as LEGO or other toys to make your animation stories. StikBot characters are also sold separately, so you can grow your collection.
- Also See: Animation Kits for Kids
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- apps
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- battling robots
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- big kids
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- binary
- birthday
- bitsbox
- black friday
- blockly
- blogging
- bloxels
- bluetooth
- board games
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- bricks
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- camera
- cameras
- card game
- careers
- catroid
- celebration
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- computational thinking
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- 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
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- 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
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- event
- ewriter
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- fathers day
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- fiction
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- 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
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- ipad
- ipad mini
- iphone
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- java
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- 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