KinderLabs Robotics Kibo robot kit can help teach younger kids to code, no screens required | Robotics - TechHive

Kids can program the robot by arranging a series of wooden programming blocks, all without ever touching an iPad, recommends Ben Patterson, Senior Writer - TechHive.

Photo: Amazon

Sure, there are plenty of apps designed to teach coding to kids, but most of them involve iPads—and as any parent with little kids knows, the last thing they need is more iPad time.

Enter KinderLabs and its nifty STEAM-oriented Kibo robot kits, which use motors, sensors, modules, scanners, and (most intriguing) building blocks to introduce young ones to coding, no screens required.

My seven-year-old daughter and her friends have been coding away with a Kibo kit for a couple of months, and they’re way into it, furiously rearranging the wooden coding blocks, snapping on sound and light sensors, and (gently) tossing ping pong balls with the help of a programmable, rubber band-powered throwing arm...

Try and try again
In watching my daughter and her friends program and play with the Kibo kit, the biggest challenge was typically getting the scanner to work properly. Because the main Kibo unit weighs about 1.5 pounds, holding it up to scan a barcode takes a bit of effort, and the buzz of a failed scan led to a few grumbles of frustration.

But to my surprise, the kids (who, being seven, will often give up on a task the moment it becomes the tiniest bit challenging) kept at at, eventually figuring out that it was easier to scan the barcodes from the side rather than the top.  
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Source: TechHive