Learning Resources Botley the Coding Robot Activity Set, 77 Pieces
(Learning Resources $79)
Botley the robot teaches school aged children easy coding skills in playful kid-friendly ways. Unlike many coding toys, Botley does not require a smart phone or tablet. Look, Ma! No screens! Designed for younger children, this 77-piece set comes out of the box ready for exploration and active play. For starters this will be a good parent/child or older and younger sibs activity set. The directions are clear and relatively easy to follow, so older kids of mixed ages can introduce the toy to younger sibs who do not yet know how to read instructions. Botley comes with a remote programmer that transmits commands and sets it in motion. Botley can detect objects in its path and avoid them. Best of all, he can follow commands on the obstacle course that players set up. He can also follow black line pathways. The set comes with 40 coding cards, a remote programmer, detachable robot arms, 6 double sided tiles, 27 obstacle building pieces and a starter guide. It takes 5 AAA batteries that are not included. You will find a smaller 45-piece set that we did not test. It appears that the smaller set is very similar but has fewer pieces for making an obstacle course. This review is based on the 77-piece set. Botley can be enjoyed by children as young as 5, but this is likely to be of more interest and a better match for slightly older children.
Ages: Early School Years
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2018
