We have been very lucky to have been sent two different sets from Tech Will Save Us to play with and review. They are the Electro Hero Kit and the Sew and Glow Kit which both focus on electricity and are great STEAM resources.
We started out by playing with the Electro Hero Kit, it is aimed at ages 4 and up, Ivy is 4 and Ethan is 7 and they both really enjoyed exploring the different missions within the kit. Ivy just liked to see how it worked and for Ethan it was great as they are currently learning about electricity in year two at school, so it extended him knowledge of circuits and challenged him to use it in different ways.
To start with I really love how the kits are presented, with the information that you need right there when you open the box, leading you to the website which takes you step by step through the missions.
The materials that you will need area also very nicely laid out in the box and are very sturdy and well made.
We went to the website on my phone (but a tablet with a larger screen may be a better option). I loved the focus on all of the different things that they would learn about whilst doing these missions.
For Captain America's mission Ethan used the play dough moulds and our own play dough to make a shield and a mask, then connected them with the power pack and an LED light to learn about simple circuits and short circuits.
There was even a bit of a challenge to try completing the circuit with other objects around the house to see if they were conductors or insulators.
For Iron Man's mission Ethan created a series circuit using 4 LED lights to help fix the arc reactor.
He also used the LEDs to light up Iron Man's mask and learned the difference between a series circuit and a parallel circuit.
But I think that both Ethan and Ivy's favourite was the Hulk Smash mission, where they made a wall of play dough bricks and Hulk's fist out of play dough. Then when they connected them it made a button which caused a sound to come out of the power pack. They thought it was hilarious!
We also had a lot of fun with the Sew and Glow Kit. This one is aimed at children aged 8 and up, so it was a bit challenging for Ethan and we did it together.
It is also presented beautifully in the box and is done by following the steps on the website.
We started by attaching the battery pack to the back of the badge using split pins, Ethan was able to line this up and do this step himself.
When it came time to start sewing Ethan did need my help, as the electro thread can be quite fiddly and you do have to make sure that the positive thread didn't touch the negative thread so it does require precision.
He did however enjoy tracing and cutting out the poo emoji from the template for his badge! Everyone needs a light up poo badge, right?
His sewing skills may need some work, but this was a great way to start and I'm sure that he'll be even better at it next time.
And of course he loves his light up poo badge, and that's what really matters!
Of course we are now in love with Tech Will Save Us, both of the kits that we received are fantastic, they include almost everything that you will need to make these fantastic projects, the instructions on the website are easy to follow along with and they can be used again and again. I think that for us the Electro Hero Kit was a great place to start and the children will be able to pick it up again and again on their own to play with it and explore their own missions. We also enjoyed the Sew and Glow Kit, but I think the age recommendation is accurate and we will pick it up again when the children are a bit older. They would both make fantastic gifts for children of the appropriate ages!
For more fun, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest and sign up to receive our newsletter for regular updates!
Follow Play & Learn Everyday's board Play & Learn Everyday - Crafts and Activities from the Blog on Pinterest.
* This is a review post, we were sent the Tech Will Save Us kits to try out and write our honest opinions.*
0 comments