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.
Tech Will Save Us have upgraded their previous Electro Dough kit (review here) and made it much more accessible for younger kids to use. We've asked Phil Wickins from Run Don't Walk to play with the kits with his children and write about their findings. We're really excited to have Phil on board with his younger kids, as ours are growing up way too fast. {Elbrie de Kock}
This review covers 3 separate kits from ‘Tech Will Save Us’:
- Bright Creatures kit (lights) - available from Tech Will Save Us Shop
- Electro Machines kit (movement)available from Tech Will Save Us Shop
- Techno Sounds kit (sound)available from Tech Will Save Us Shop
Disclaimer: The kits were sent to us by ‘Tech Will Save Us’ to review; all opinions are our own.
Unboxing
Each box includes a cleverly encased micro controller, 3 pots of Electro Dough, cables, the relevant electronic component (motor/ light - in the case of the buzzer, it’s housed within the micro controller casing) and dough shape cutters. There is also an instruction card and free access to the Dough Universe Storybook App. Batteries come included (there is a power preventer tab sticking out of the micro controller battery compartment that needs to be removed to allow the batteries to connect).
The boxes themselves are fairly sturdy, however we found it easier to use plastic containers to store all of the components once unpackaged, however the instructions are on card and do not fold easily, so it may be wiser to keep them in the original box all together.
Bright Creatures Kit - Lights |
Electro Machines Kit - Movement |
Techno Sounds Kit - Sound |
Getting started
As the age on the boxes state 4+, I decided to introduce them to my children (10, 8, 6 and 4) without any intervention from me and allowed them to investigate independently. My 10 year old immediately saw the pictures of the children on the front and assumed it was too young for her. My 4 year old had absolutely no clue what it was, or did, or what to do first and so went off to play with something else. My 6 year old was very inquisitive and began building with the electro dough first, attempting to mimic the pictures on the box. My 8 year old went straight for the electronics and created the circuits first.
The idea of these kits is that the dough forms the circuit for the microcontroller to activate either lights, motors or sound, by passing an electric current through the dough (except in the case of the movement kit, where the dough is purely cosmetic).
Electro Dough
One of the things we noticed straight away (much to my 6 year old’s annoyance) was the dough included in the kits was a) not the same colours as shown on the pictures on the boxes and b) nowhere near enough to create the models demonstrated in the same pictures.
Once my 8-year-old had built his circuits and tested them, he began building with the dough, although it became apparent very quickly that it was too soft and malleable to create models with (particularly with the movement kit; it kept falling off/ falling apart) and would often not even stay attached to the plastic or metal components for the kits to function.
Once my 8-year-old had built his circuits and tested them, he began building with the dough, although it became apparent very quickly that it was too soft and malleable to create models with (particularly with the movement kit; it kept falling off/ falling apart) and would often not even stay attached to the plastic or metal components for the kits to function.
In addition, the amount of dough demonstrated in the pictures of the light kit meant that the current became too weak to travel through and activate the LEDs (we found this out by combining all the dough from all three kits). In fact, even just 3 LEDs in series was enough to make them hardly light up at all. In parallel, you could get all 6 LED’s lit up brightly, but then this limits the creative shapes you could make (and certainly not the monster shown on the box!).
Apparently, you can make your own Electro Dough should you require more, and where we have not tested every brand, other leading dough brands seem to work just as well as Electro Dough at conducting electricity to complete circuits. Thus, you can always add to the amount as needed with your own supply! However, and this suggestion came directly from my children; couldn’t the Electro Dough be more like plasticine? I’m inclined to agree. Plasticine delivers more of a modelling clay feel and although may be tougher for smaller hands to work into shapes, would be much more likely to maintain shape when stuck to a moving part, or maintain a connection to the electrodes without falling off (more like a blu-tac substance). This would create more creativity (heads and wings would not keep falling off) and less frustration. If you think about it, most leading dough products are based on squeezing the dough through things like ice cream machines, icing bags, hair growing toys, cookie/ lollypop makers, rather than sculpting actual models. Therefore, as this product relies on the dough to sculpt with, it definitely needs harder and stickier properties.
Components
The microcontrollers are extremely well thought out, as are the motors, lights, and cables. The cables are easy for children to use and do not rely on crocodile type clips, but more secure and robust connectors such as mini jacks.
The LEDs and Microcontrollers have very obvious + and – signs on the connector plates (that go in the dough) which are great until they are embedded within the dough and you can’t see which way round the next one needs to go. A child would rarely lay out all the pieces first, then connect with dough, so my 6-year-old found herself constantly uncovering the contacts to see which way round positive and negative had to be.
One drawback in the movement pack (as you can see from the video) is that the cable connecting the micro controller to the motor is extremely short. This means the operator has to either chase the motor around at close proximity or the cable literally drags the motor around as the child moves it.
Instructions
The instructions are in pictorial format, which is perfect for younger ones. My 6-year-old was able to follow the diagrams and set up the circuit correctly, which was essential for holding her attention to the project. Considering that any written instructions would need to contain correct technical vocabulary, I think what ‘Tech Will Save Us’ have done here is genius for younger children.
The systems were really simple to set up and allowed a certain amount of find-out-for-yourself initiative from the children. As I mentioned before, I allowed them to play completely independently and only observed.
You can download the Dough Universe app on iOS and Andriod devices and follow step by step tutorials for each of the three kits. You will need to create a Make Club account in order to access the content.
Does it teach electronics?
Yes it does, absolutely. The principles behind electronics, creating a complete circuit, power, positive and negative, lights, buzzers and motors all come to life in the child’s hands. By safely being able to get it wrong, trial and error leads to achievement, satisfaction and learning. Both of my children were enthusiastic and delighted when they succeeded in creating something that worked. Add the element of artistic creativity to the mix and you can sustain play and attention much longer than with just the electronics itself.
Verdict
The dough is too soft to sculpt with and maintain decent connections; if you can find a plasticine that conducts, use that!
Secondly, the cable for the motor kit needs to be longer. You could probably make a longer cable yourself with a bit of careful soldering, possibly introducing that as a project in itself (Supervised, of course…)!
The components were all of a high quality build, robust, and worked straight away. My children were able to get started independently immediately, directly out of the box, with instant success (I’d possibly recommend the age to be 5+ minimum, if we are talking fully independent play).
3 well-made kits, which with a bit of tweaking, could hold children’s imagination and attention for hours, whilst learning all about circuits and electricity. Beware though, the pictures on the box are misleading in many ways!
The Complete Dough Universe Pack (all 3 kits) are available from Tech Will Save Us Shop.
National Curriculum links
KS2 Science:
Year 4- construct a simple series electrical circuit, identifying and naming its basic parts, including cells, wires, bulbs, switches and buzzers
- identify whether or not a lamp will light in a simple series circuit, based on whether or not the lamp is part of a complete loop with a battery
- recognise that a switch opens and closes a circuit and associate this with whether or not a lamp lights in a simple series circuit
- recognise some common conductors and insulators, and associate metals with being good conductors.
Year 6
- compare and give reasons for variations in how components function, including the brightness of bulbs, the loudness of buzzers and the on/off position of switches
KS2 Design Technology
Technical Knowledge- understand and use electrical systems in their products [for example, series circuits incorporating switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors]
Art and Design
KS1- to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination
KS2
- to improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials [for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay]
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/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