Ruby was pretty excited about making her own droid. Beep wee-ooo-boop! (Courtesy of reviewer)
Makers. If you know what it means, hey, you know.
For those who don't, 'making' is a combination of computer coding and hands-on invention that is an amazing way to satisfy your creativeness. Maker clubs and conferences are found all across North America, but it can be a bit of an intimidating world to enter if you're a first-timer.
How do you code? What wires and circuits do I need? How can I connect it to my phone?
You get the idea.
That's why kits like the Inventor series from littleBits are so great. They understand that sometimes all you need is a little push and some guidance to discover a new passion. And if you can combine this all with the iconic robots from Star Wars, well, sign us up!
(Courtesy of reviewer)
We gave the littleBits Droid Inventor kit to OWL reader Ruby, 11, a Grade 6 student who is keen to start some maker magic of her own. What did she think? Read her terrific review for yourself!
Ruby's review
Hi. My name's Ruby. I'm 11 years old and in grade 6. I reviewed the littleBits Droid Inventor kit and it was great! For those of you who haven't heard of this toy, it's an immersive hands-on coding and building toy. Just like in the Star Wars movies, you get to build, code, and personalize your very own droid. I built the droid with a friend to make it a lot more fun.
(Courtesy of reviewer)
When I opened the box, all of the pieces were organized and there was no confusion as to which pieces were which. The instructions were in the app, which was good and bad; good because it saves paper, but bad because it takes time just to start building your droid. Once we downloaded the app, the instructions were easy to understand so the robot was fairly easy to build. The one criticism I would have for the building process is that the pieces were not easy to snap together.
After the robot was built, we got to put stickers on it to personalize our robot. We went with red and black stickers and named our robot NORMAN THE SECOND! The app was easy-to-use and the coding was lots of fun. The app has different levels for you to complete. One of my favourite levels was one where you attached a marker to the droids’ back and moved it around on paper so it could draw.
Meet Norman! (Courtesy of reviewer)
I would recommend this toy for ages 7-11. Overall, I think this toy is a great start for kids who want to learn how to code. Even if you don't like to code, this toy has something for everybody. Whether it's building, coding, or a love of Star Wars, everybody can find something they like about this kit.
(littleBits)
Thanks for the review, Ruby—it really helped us get a feel for it!
What do you think? Are you interested in making your own bot?
YES?! Well then you'll want to enter the contest below!
Enter for a chance to WIN a littleBits Droid Inventor kit
We're giving away one of these kits to a lucky OWLconnected reader like yourself! Ready for it?
To enter, just comment below with your answer to the following question:
If you could invent anything, what would it be?
Contest is open to residents of Canada only. Contest closes on Monday, November 12th at 11:59PM EST. Winners will be randomly chosen. Prize courtesy of littleBits. Full contest rules and regulations can be seen here.
I would like to invent a machine where you could be in two places at once.
If I could invent anything I would invent an instant transportation device!
the robots are like star wars. i like the forcedrive. i like little robot. robot fun.
We would love to win this robot kit for our class. Thanks for showing us, OWL News.
I would invent a device that scans any living being (plant, human or animal) for injuries, diseases or syndromes and comes up with a cure that it not only gives to the recipient, but publishes it on a website accessible to anyone with internet.
I think I would invent a waste disposal robot that didn’t add to climate change
I would invent a TV that changed channels or searched movies or show by voice or sign language
I would invent a “kitchen helper” robot
Wow. Great review and a super cool kit!
I would invent a machine that cleans up all the garbage from the oceans.
If I invented something, I would do a robot that flies and can bring you your food on a hover plate from a hatch. The robot gives you what you order on your phone or remote.