There are a lot of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Mathematics) products available for kids today that make learning fun.
We have tested many of them. There are some great robot and coding toys, but just like regular toys, if the toy is not engaging, kids will move on.
Certain STEAM toys might promise the world about what your child will learn, but can be too complicated.
When I first opened my son’s STEAM makerspace at his school, I found that the most simplistic toys garnered the most attention and interest.
One of the biggest draws to our makerspace are the Sphero robot balls. Everyone clamors to give the balls a spin.
Sphero robotic balls are controlled remotely by the Sphero app. It’s a blast to move the app’s “joystick” and watch the ball move in the direction you steer it.
Sphero also has smaller mini robot balls that are more affordable and include fun accessories that make maneuvering your Sphero robot ball around them more fun and challenging.
Sphero added new fun ways to control their robot balls other than the direct “joystick.” In their app, kids have options to control the ball in fun ways:
1 . Tilt – tilting the tablet causes the ball to go in that direction.
2. Kick – flick the ball on the app screen to kick the Sphero robotic ball. You can also curve the ball and do other tricks.
3. Blocks – simple building blocks to make the Sphero ball move in whatever direction and change colors.
4. Expressions – kids can even control the ball by their facial expressions as captured by the tablet’s front-facing camera.
In addition, the Sphero app has a number of handheld games where kids hold the Sphero in their hands and manipulate it to move their player in the game on the app.
Sphero helps kids understand simple coding, augmented reality (AR), and ways in which the app can control the ball or the ball can control the app.
There is no doubt, kids are engaged with the Sphero robot balls. Through the games, they are interacting with augmented reality, in how their facial expressions can move the ball.
Now that kids are engaged, moving to the next step, coding, is a natural progression.
For those kids who would like to learn more about STEAM, Sphero has another app more thorough app called Sphero Edu that teaches kids to draw paths or use blocks, representing code.
Once they get the gist of this easy interface type of coding, they can move on to JavaScrpt text programs to begin to better understand coding and how to move robotic balls.
Sphero has it figured out.
Draw kids in through play, pique their curiosity through simple scratch coding to control the ball to their preference, then, if there is further interest, provide kids with truer-to-life coding to introduce them into a larger world of how electronics are coded.
For some kids, they won’t go any further than understanding the ways to control a robotic ball through an app.
For others, they will go on to discover a world opened to them through play.
Sphero robot balls include a gyroscope, accelerometer, and LED lights. They keep their charge pretty well for around 15 minutes of continuous use.
The Sphero mini balls have shells that are interchangeable. The Mini Soccer robot ball comes with a soccer shell but you can trade it for any accessory shell you want, available from Sphero.com.
The Sphero Mini Soccer comes with 3 Mini Traffic Cones and 6 Mini Bowling Pins. Kids love trying to knock down the pins. It isn’t easy at first, but they get the hang of it.
The Sphero Mini Activity Kit comes with cones, bowling pins, a construction kit to make arches and other things, and 15 STEAM-based activity cards to help kids build mazes, towers, activity courses, and more.
Sphero makes a bigger robot ball called the BOLT. It’s a lot bigger, rolls faster, and knocks more things over.
The BOLT includes a visible 8×8 matrix light inside its protective shell that adds pizzaz to its roll as well as endless coding and gaming possibilities.
It can track speed, acceleration, and direction and even communicates with the other Sphero mini balls.
The BOLT’s advanced sensors open up the door to new games and higher-level coding not accessible to the Sphero Mini’s.
Regardless of which Sphero robot balls you purchase, all of them give your kids the ability to learn to code either through Scratch blocks, drawing on the app screen, or even more advanced JavaScript.
Coding allows kids to program the balls to go through a maze they create, to knock down cones, or even perform a custom “dance” routine.
The Sphero mini balls and the programmable BOLT are the most popular items in the Makerspace I work in at my son’s school. Kids love them.
The Sphero Mini Soccer ball provides hours of fun, whether coding or using the inherent controls and games of the Sphero app.
Sphero robot balls are a perfect STEAM gift idea.
Purchase the Sphero Mini Soccer robotic ball on Amazon for $49.99, the Sphero Mini Activity Kit is on Amazon for $59.99, the Sphero BOLT on Amazon for $119.99 at Amazon, all with free shipping. Right now you can save over $20 on the Mini Activity Kit and BOLT as a part of pre-Black Friday pricing.
*I was given the Sphero robot balls in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own. All balls were donated to a public school’s STEAM makerspace.
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