INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Welcome to TechCrunch 2019 Holiday Gift Guide! Need help with gift ideas? We&re here to help! We&ll be rolling out gift guides from now
through the end of December, so check back regularly.
We&ve refreshed our annual STEM toy gift guide with the latest wares clamoring to
entice and inspire kids with coding tricks and electronic wizardry
Yes folks! Another year, another clutch of shiny gizmos making grand claims of computing smarts in child-friendly packaging.
But lean in to
this market and you&ll find a number of STEM toy makers have winked out of existence since this time last year, or else been folded into
Such as littleBits selling to Sphero this fall, or Root Robotics being picked up by robot vac giant iRobot in June.
Some of the remaining
indie players are leaning heavily on IP licensing deals from big brands (e.g Kano co-branded Disney kit) as a tactic to grab attention
Others are concentrating their effort on selling direct to schools (e.g
Sphero, after a pivot last year — now with an expanded educational toolbox having picked up littleBits)
Ozobot is another that been dialing up its focus on classrooms
Though, as we&ve reported, selling complex STEM learning devices to schools isn&t always easy
More consolidation and exits seem highly likely.
It perhaps also a sign of tricky times in the kid-tech/edtech category that Kano, one of
the earliest of the alternative STEM computer makers, has jumped into bed with tech giant Microsoft too — selling its first Windows
powered PC this year.
It clear that some of the experimental energy which fired up the category a few years ago has faded, as sales and
outcomes haven&t gone the distance or lived up to the hype
Kids are fickle customers, as parents know
The market has responded by shaking out a bit
It also means some of what offered is starting to feel a bit formulaic and same-y
(And, well, Disney.)
Still, kids of all ages remain roundly spoilt for techie stuff to interact with
Not least because it never been easier for toymakers to bolt-on a bit of drag-and-drop in-app coding to give their plaything a STEM
Mainstream giants like LEGO are also staying the course to try and grab a bigger chunk of the action
Generally you&ll find products with more polish than in years past, if not always as original and ambitious.
It also fair to say that
promises of clever gadgets to power a kids& coding revolution are looking rather less pristine than they used to after all the unboxing and,
Reality bytes, you could say.
Affordable smartphones and tablets maintain their competitive squeeze at the top of the category
They can be a more versatile option than most STEM gizmos, though rising concern about children screen time may push parents to seek out
physical and tactile alternatives
Meanwhile, a mobile device is typically required to bring a STEM toy to life — as most (though not all) are essentially Bluetooth
add-ons.
All that said there are still original and inspiring gifts to be had — and it good to see more focus on teaching creative skills,
not only tech and engineering
Of course it always a case of horses for courses in this category
If your child won&t touch anything unless it wearing a Frozen princess dress/Star Wars cloak then you&ll be resigned to shelling out for the
May the tech force be with you as you search!
Adafruit
Product: Python for Kids
Price: $35
Age: 10+
Description:Maker-focused and
electronics hobbyist brand Adafruit sells all sorts of electronics goodies
It also has a dedicated sub-section for Young Engineers where it offers a range of own brand kits and third party wares for kids of all ages
with the aim of sparking an interest in computing and electronics
Such as this Python for Kids book which takes a child-friendly approaching to seriously learning the Python programming language — so
instead of a dull grey textbook you get text interspersed with cartoony illustrations, fun examples, puzzles and plenty of color
The book is intended for kids aged 10+.
For even younger children Adafruit is ranging this Snap Circuits Jr kit: A tool-free box for kids
aged 8+ which gives them more than 100 projects to build from snap together modules.
For older children comfortable with a little soldering,
there this Solar Powered SKULL Blinky LED Pendant, devised by Lumen Electronic Jewellery — for a little creative, battery-less maker
bling.
Adafruit also ranges kits from UK startup, Tech Will Save Us — such as this DIY Gamer Kit for budding techies
The first challenge is to put all its pieces together (soldering required)
If done right your child will have an Arduino-based handheld games console with a matrix screen perfect for playing classics like Snake and
Tetris.
That just a taster
Adafruit marketplace site offers plenty more ideas and kits for little makers.
Brilliant
Product: Gift subscription coursesPrice: From
$25 for one month
Age: 13+
Description: If you don&t want to gift a learning toy, Brilliant.org has you covered with gift subscriptions for
its STEM-focused digital courses (options include one month, or a full year)
The philosophy behind its courses is to teach core concepts in math, science, and engineering through fun but challenging puzzles and
problem solving — with the visual sweetener of surreal cartoony illustrations to keep you inspired.
The courses aren&t exclusively
designed for children so may not suit every teen
But for children already firmly engaged with math and science there plenty of mind-tickling stuff here to push logic and curiosity
further.
GoldieBlox
Product: DIY Floating Cloud LightPrice: $30
Age: 8+
Description:Slime-wrangling, glitter-bespeckled tween YouTuber
(stuff) hackers, GoldieBlox, have put a crafty twist on STEM maker kits this year
The children multimedia company has built up a maker following online for its DIY project videos
You can see them assemble this DIY cloud lightin this video — and gift it to your own budding hardware hacker in handy kit form
The box includes all the necessary parts to put the lamp together, plus a couple of cards offering STEM facts
It pretty light touch learning, though
The main focus is clearly on fun and practical making
Glue and scissors at the ready!
Kano
Product: Disney Frozen II Coding KitPrice: $80
Age: 6+
Description: UK startup Kano was one of the
first in the modern wave of STEM device builders
It began with the idea of offering kids a build-it-yourself computer to learn coding, before expanding into brightly colored DIY IoT gizmos
More recently it got into co-branded e-products
First a Harry Potter Coding Kit — offering a motion-sensitive wand as the interface between real-world gestures and on-screen code
Now it thrown its lot in with Disney, inking a two-year IP licensing deal
So enter the Disney Frozen II Coding Kit, new for 2019, which packages a build-it-yourself gesture-sensor with a Disney-flavored block-based
coding bundle accessed via the companion app
Kids use hand gestures to manipulate cartoon versions of their favorite characters and Disney landscapes on screen
So the e-product requires a compatible tablet or computer to function.
For parents of youngsters who prefer Disney other mega franchise,
Star Wars, to Frozen‘s singing princesses and snowmen you only need point your peepers at Kano The Force Coding Kit instead, which offers
much the same experience — but in a sci-fi wrapper.
Product: Kano PC
Price: $300
Age: K-12 (from 4+ to 19)
Description: Kano has more
learn-to-code machinery to sell you this year
It latest DIY computer — the Kano PC — is a fully fledged Windows 10 computer
This is a radical departure from its alternative origins building atop the single-board Raspberry Pi
Now your Kano dollars get you an Intel Atom Quad core chipset running at 1.44 GHz powering a plug-and-play hardware bundle comprised of a
touchscreen unit plus keyboard case
If the Microsoft Surface had a kid this would basically be it.
At this point, and at this price-point, you might be wondering why not just
buy an actual Windows PC? To try to answer that Kano is touting &exclusive apps& of its own design that come pre-loaded on the device —
offering guided learning in the areas of coding skills, programmable graphics and for understanding the inner workings of computers
The company approach to teaching coding runs the gamut from block-based drag-and-drop interfaces through to typed code, with projects
offered in Python, Javascript and Terminal commands
Hence the Kano PC is targeted at a very broad age range
Though, as it also a Windows PC, you might find your kids just using it to play Minecraft instead…
KinderLab
Product: KIBO robot
kits
Price: From $200
Age: 4-7
Description: KinderLab has been making screen-free programmable STEAM (that ‘A& is for arts) robotics kits
since 2014 but the company is now making a wider push to get individual parents on board by selling its kits on Amazon
How does Kibo work? Kids play and learn by plugging a variety of proprietary sensors and outputs into ports on the wheeled bot
Such as motion and light sensors
Another add-on, which company calls an &art platform&, lets kids embellish and customize the robot by designing paper hats to stick on it to
dress it in a new context or character
The coding element comes in via a built in barcode scanner that used to read instructions off of physical wooden code blocks
This means kids can ‘program& the robot without using any screens at all.
KinderLab approach to teaching foundational engineering design
concepts began life as a publicly funded research project
The company says Kibo draws on 20 years of learning science (as well as several years of active prototype testing in classrooms) to firm up
The academic backstory means there a wealth of curriculum-aligned content accompanying Kibo
This definitely feels like one of the more substantial and thoughtful STEM products on the market
It also great to see a product that leaves room for kids to introduce their own ideas.
Learning Resources
Product: Coding CrittersPrice:
$40Age: 4-10
Description: Learning Resources has been teaching young kids to grok the basics of sequential coding since late 2017, with its
Botley programmable robot
New in its range of STEM toys for 2019 are Coding Critters: Remote control programmable pets targeted at young preschoolers
The entirely screen-free approach to teaching basic STEM concepts combines button-based controls on the battery-powered animal characters,
themed code cards for reference and a storybook for parents to play a role in the narrative.
LEGO
Product: Star Wars Boost Droid Commander
set
Price: $200
Age: 8+
Another one for Star Wars fans: This Lego Boost kit gives kids a bunch of Lego bricks and robot parts to put
together three classic droids from the Disney-owned movie franchise
Boost being Lego more elementary robotics kit offering (vs the veteran Mindstorms platform)
Once the Bluetooth-controlled droids have been assembled the companion app lets kids control and program them to carry out a series of
missions, using a simple, block-based drag-and-drop coding interface.
Star Wars sound effects and music are included
But you&ll need to supply your own tablet to run the software
Or, well, you could just buy your kids a box of basic Lego bricks and let their imagination go wild.
Makeblock
Product: mTiny
Price:
$180
Age: 4+
Description: Shenzhen-based STEM kit maker, Makeblock, has unboxed a new cutesy learning robot for toddlers this year
Given the preschooler target there no screens on mTiny (unless you count the bot emotive, shape-shifting eyes)
Instead the package includes coding cards, themed map pieces and a storybook for controlling and interacting with the sensor-laden bot
The company says the product is designed to foster logical thinking via interactive play
And its marketing materials make grand claims about exposing kids to a range of cross-curricular concepts, from math to art, as well as
coding logic.
To control mTiny, kids use the companion tap pen
Either as a joystick, or to execute code-based programming — by tapping it on the code cards
The sequence of these cards determines its movements and actions
The bot can also read and respond to scenery markings on the themed floor tiles.
Mand Labs
Produce: KIT-1Price: $150Age: 8+
Description:
Budding engineers won&t be short of experiments if gifted this electronics breadboarding project kit from Mand Labs
Kit-1 contains 165 electronics components — the real-deal; not adapted for child play — plus tools and reference books for carrying out
54+ projects and experiments
Step-by-step projects like building an automatic night lamp, a security alarm or temperature sensor
The kit is intended as an entry into electronics so kids build circuits on a breadboard, rather than messing around with soldering
The kit is housed in a toolbox-style carry-case so it portable enough to take to a friend house
The product also comes with nine-hours& worth of HD learning videos for extended learning support.
Pai Technology
Product: Botzees
Robotics KitPrice: $100
Age: 4+
Description:Pai Technology‘s range of STEM toys have an augmented reality twist
So as well as physical stuff to play with — block-based robots in this case — there a ‘code your own& virtual adventure element adding
New in its range for this year is the Botzees Robotics Kit
In the box are six sensor-laden programmable robots in press-together block form
They&re controlled via a companion app with a basic, block-based coding interface
The app also offers 30 interactive AR puzzles for blended real-and-virtual world play, which the company says help teach foundational coding
concepts like sequencing, looping, and conditional coding
Although tor parents wanting to reduce kids& screen time the focus on AR probably won&t be welcomed as kids will need to be stuck in front
of a tablet to get the most out of Botzees.
Raspberry Pi
Product: Raspberry Pi 4 Model BPrice: $35Age: It depends
Description: The latest
Raspberry Pi single board computer, the Pi 4, dials up memory, speed and power, packs plenty of ports and boasts onboard wireless networking
For seasoned makers the possibilities really are endless
But for parents wanting to inspire kids to learn coding the Pi Foundation‘s philosophy may look daunting
It not one of lots of hand-holding out of the box
The theory is that hard challenge to required to really learn
That means if you buy Pi as is you&re getting the raw board, an OS to grapple with and an engaged community for learning support
It certainly won&t suit every child — but if you want to challenge a capable young mind that already showing a talent for digging into
detail and figuring things out the Pi 4 is a low budget, high potential option vs the many more basic (but pricey) plug-and-play devices
which have piled into the market since Pi arrived to shake up the microprocessor scene.
Sphero
Product: RVR
Price: $250
Age:
5+
Description:Sphero is best know for its spherical remote-controlled robots but the company has this year branched out with a crowdsourced
rover robot design called RVR
The more traditional four-wheeled design is sensor-packed and touted as an all terrain beast
The RVR can be driven (via app) right out of the box but has been designed for customization, with ports to accommodate third-party hardware
— such as Raspberry Pi, Arduino, BBC micro:bit, or Sphero own littleBits
So it an extensible, hardware hackable, programmable robotics platform
On the software side, the Sphero Edu app offers a choice of coding styles to expand its educational potential — namely: Draw - Drive,
Scratch Blocks and JavaScript.
Product: Specdrums
Price: From $65Age: 5+
Description: Musical edtech startup Specdrums is another Sphero
The premise behind its learning product is simple: Tap a color to make a sound
It achieves this with a wearable — a Bluetooth-connected, light-sensing ring (or pair of rings) — linked to its app
So it learning to jam, rather than learning to code but with plenty of techie smarts
The Specdrums& Mix app offers musical loops and curated sound packs; playback and sound production tools; plus the ability to record your
Aka everything a budding musician needs to tap out and mix impromptu beats, while looping in the real world as their musical
playground.
Note the standard kit only contains one ring plus a colored playpad; for two rings the price steps up to $100
For the kit to work your child needs access to a smartphone or tablet to run the app and playback the music.
Ubtech
Product: JIMU Robot
Mythical Series: FireBot KitPrice: $130Age: 8+
Description: Shenzhen-based Ubtech has been in the STEM robotics kit game for a number of
New for 2019 is this motorized, LED-light-breathing dragon
As with previous kits in its brick-based JIMU series, the first step for the budding techie is to follow instructions and assemble their
robot from all the constituent parts
Then the companion app offers a drag-and-drop code-block interface for programming FireBot and bringing its sensing powers to life.
