It’s the most wonderful time… of the year…. (ok, so my tune may be off a bit).  The holidays are here. Parents are scrambling to come up with gifts for their kids. So, what do you get them that will keep them interested, having fun, and… get this… learning at the same time? 

Fear not… Your choices are many. The trick here is to get something that kids actually want. Yeah, I know, as parents we think we know best. But… if the kids don’t like what you get, odds are they aren’t learning much from it.

So… now… the list.

Sphero/Ollie:

Note… I lumped these two together because they are from the same company and share some similarities. They also share some significant differences. Sphero is very ‘codable’. I use them in my classroom, and they are great. Kids are constantly begging to get to ‘code the Sphero’. They build obstacle courses and have to code Sphero to navigate it. There is also just a plain old fun way to drive it. You need a mobile device to use this one, so be aware. Sphero is waterproof and it floats… #bonus. 

Ollie is much more suited for stunts. He’s fast. He does tricks. He is also cheaper. #bonus.  

Either way… these are great high interest gifts for kids. Check them out at www.sphero.com.  Of course, they are on Amazon as well, so you can take care of that two day Prime shipping.

Next up is the Ozobot.  This one looks a bit like Sphero, but he doesn’t actually roll. Instead, this little bot has wheels. This one is great for younger kids. You can code it by simply drawing colored lines and the bot follows them. As your child gets more into it, they can code it using OzoBlockly.  You’re looking at an entry level price of about $59 for the Ozobot Bit. Grab one at www.ozobot.com

Next up is Snap Circuits. Remember way back ‘in the day’ when we got those cool little electricity kits. They came with a bunch of components, wires, and a board with springs that you put the wires in to make projects? Well, this is a modern version of that.  These come with a huge variety of components, depending on the kit you pick up. I’ve used these in classrooms with kids as young as seven years old… and I have them in my current classroom with junior high kids. They all love them. Kids learn basics of electricity, and have a huge assortment of projects to build that actually do something. You can get these guys at www.elenco.com

Next up… the Robot Smart Car from Elegoo. I have several of these in my classroom. Not only do the kids get to actually build the car from individual components, they get to program it when they are done. It is an Arduino based car, so they will get to learn how to program in the Arduino IDE. No worries if your child isn’t quite there yet. Elegoo includes some code libraries with good instructions on how to upload them to the car. They also have an app to bluetooth it to a smart device (iOS and Android). This little car is much faster than I expected. Kids simply LOVE this project, and the fact that they love it after they are done building it is even better. Grab one of these on Amazon or at the Elegoo website. 

Ok, another one from Elegoo. Yeah, I simply love this company! They have great stuff at a great price. Their customer service is top notch. These are for older kids who like to experiment.  The image above is their Arduino Super Starter Kit. This goes for around $43. Sometimes you can grab it on sale. Check Amazon, or order from their site. I do suggest that you take a look at the Elegoo website, there are a ton of options. I do suggest that you stick with a kit that includes the UNO board. They have kits that have MEGA boards, and they are great as well… however, most of the beginner projects use UNO boards. For folks who are just getting into Arduino, there are a ton of resources on the web for projects to build. There are also some great books you can get. I have the books in my classroom by Mark Geddes, shown below. They have easy to follow instructions and are very well written.

Ok, the last one is the Comgrow Creality Ender 3 3d Printer. This one is a bit on the expensive side, but it is cheap for a 3d printer. You can get one for a bit over $200. You will need to get filament as well, so expect another $25 or so for each roll of that. This one comes as a kit to be assembled. Read that as “older kid or parental assembly required.”  I have one of these in my classroom, and assembled it. It can be done in a couple of hours. The directions are decent, there are some great YouTube videos to follow that do a better job.  Pair this up with the free website, tinkercad.com, and you have a good start on 3d printing. I have a review written for it HERE. Shop around on Amazon for this one. There are TONS of them at varied prices. They are pretty much all the same. 

That ought to get you going. Now, don’t wait until the last minute to pick them up, as no one wants to find out the gift will arrive after that special day.

All images property of their respective companies.