Getting kids outside and playing is more important than ever in our technology filled world. I have found that encouraging my kids to get outside and play is easier when I provide them with awesome toys that can be used outside only - like the Zoingo Boingo!   The Zoingo Boingo is a flexible freestyle pogo stick that lets you move like never before! Enjoy fun, freestyle performance including jumps and spins on pavement and grass! Unlike conventional pogo sticks or pogo balls, it features a rugged stretchable cord connected to a custom grip handle at one end and a sure-grip foot platform and durable bouncing ball at the other that gives you awesome control and maneuverability. I learned that kids in Japan use this for their daily workouts and I gotta say - I'm impressed! It is a challenge to master and I make sure I wear my bike helmet while practicing because I can be kind of a klutz, LOL! Your kids will learn balance, gain stamina and … [Read more...]

With so many new dolls, figurines and video games out on the market today, it can be hard to find new and exciting toys for our children. This is especially true if you have a child who likes to think outside of the box and enjoys tinkering with objects rather than being entertained by your average pre-assembled, brand name toys and gadgets. If you're child is anything like mine and has a thirst for engineering something out of nothing, then I'd love to tell my readers about the awesome opportunity I received to partner with Best Buy to talk about Vex Robotics by HEX to review one of their innovative construction kits. Let's face it. STEM became STEAM and now, it is STREAM: Science - Technology - Robotics - Engineering - Arts - Math. At VEX Robotics, their mission is to introduce children to science, technology, engineering and mathematics at an early age through robotics. Each of their robotics kits encourage children to stretch their imaginations while creating a fully functional … [Read more...]

If you're a builder already, you might find that your ideas are becoming stale. What if I told you that there was a way to breathe new life into your designs and to come up with even more ideas? Circuit Cubes are little tiles that can be added to your latest LEGO creation or to a used tube of toilet paper to make a fully functional product. Circuit Cubes has three types of electronic building tiles: the Battery Cube, Motor Cube, and LED Cube. These blocks snap together three ways: horizontal, vertical, and diagonal. Use them to power a LEGO car or to make a pinwheel out of a piece of cardboard easily. Each piece is transparent so you can literally see the connections. It facilitates a better understanding of the circuits and how they are easily manipulated to change a design or function. You can power a motor, create a light source, activate switches, or make a real life hack product to make a task easier. To get started, you choose any of the three kits available: Whacky Wheels Kit, … [Read more...]

Most subscription boxes are designed to fit maybe one or two categories and if you don't fit into those categories then it's just not for you. When it comes to creativity and problem solving those are categories that apply to every person regardless of age. KiwiCo recognized a need for more age-specific choices in a single subscription box and they seem to have nailed it! Their boxes go from 0-36 months, ages 3-4, ages 5-8, and ages 9-16+ with two different types of subscription boxes to choose from for their oldest users. You'll find that their boxes are heavily STEM/STEAM themed and offer a wide variety of projects. We were lucky enough to try a few of their single crates: The Light-Up Speaker box is recommended for ages 12+, but does fall within that 9-16+ box age range. In the kit, there was everything needed to make a fully functional light-up speaker. The goal is to teach users how to build an amplification circuit, learn about transistors, and see electromagnetism at work all … [Read more...]

Creation Crate is a monthly subscription box that is designed with STEM in mind, as well as, just education in general. The twist is that they not only want to fulfill STEM goals for learners, but they want to promote practical skills that will make subscribers competitive in the ever-advancing technological world. Think of it this way: A child gets an entire year of Creation Crates (one per month) and has more real life experience with programming than 99% of college level computer students. That's incredible! The mission of Creation Crate is to make people of any age competitive in the job force to combat the fear that unemployment may continue to grow in the future thanks to automation. You can subscribe to a single month of Creation Crate, but the real investment is an entire 12 months of crates each with a different project to build and a way to start your own makerspace. Each month's themes that also include specific objectives and outcomes can be found below: Month 1: Mood … [Read more...]

When you're a student, the learning never seems to stop. Some semesters you feel like you're spending every waking hour studying, but what if I told you could be studying while you sleep too? Sounds crazy doesn't it? Thanks to Pillowcase Studies they've made the perfect pillowcases full of basic information for nine different subjects areas: Political Science, Biology, Psychology, Music Theory, Art History, Economics, Corporate Finance, and Drama. Pillowcase Studies takes the basics of a subject area and prints them in easy to read and understand notes on a white pillowcase. When appropriate, they include diagrams and other helpful illustrations to build upon a concept. These pillowcases are perfect not only for students but for anyone who loves any of the nine subject areas covered. The black and white design is sleek and a great addition to any space especially a dorm room. Plus, they're made in the USA, which is great news to many buyers with this criteria on their shopping … [Read more...]