Christmas is The Best Time to Give Tech – What I Want Under the Tree
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There a millions of TECH gift options out there and just as many retailers to choose from. How do you narrow down the list of tech gifts and choose the one your kid is going to love? I am glad you asked. In my annual tech review last year I recommended Kindle Fires and their freetime program. You can check it out here.
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As Always, I Say: Start with your child’s natural interests
I want to translate my kids interests into a love of learning, tech gifts are a great way to do that. Could you see their little faces on Christmas morning if you passed out math workbooks? Not the same thing, but give them their own mini robot to program and challenge and you become a hero and a savvy parent.
I have said before I have a few kids that are gamers. I want them to see that there is so much more behind the scenes of the game without making it a boring school lesson. This year I am using the excuse of Christmas to add to our Tech selection for gamers with these great gifts.
Build their own computer with Kano
With Kano your child builds a computer from the ground up. There are many systems out there, some require more tech savvy than I have. Kano is for a parent like me, who wants her kids to learn what she missed out on. The Kano build system is very similar to a lego kit. Each part is identified as you connect them. The brain is a Raspberry Pi 3 motherboard and everything in contained within a kid proof case, with stickers, because kids love stickers. Talk about making computers less intimidating.
A few of my kids still love MineCraft, so connecting with their natural interest is easy. With Kano you can move from playing the game to creating your own elements with computer code. Kano does all of the work by creating code modules for your child. They will be playing their way to being a real life programmer. I get to be fun by allowing them extended computer time knowing full well it is a STEM class in disguise.
Extend the life of a tech gift you already own
If you already have a Raspberry Pi or Kano computer you might be interested in their new project kits. Kano’s Pixel Kit, Camera Kit, and Speaker Kit are all great Tech challenges. Check out their site to see when they will be available. Kano constantly produces new code modules and apps to play and modify so the play extends on and on. You don’t have to fear that your kiddo will get bored and forget about KANO. The have been producing new material all year long, and we can’t wait to begin building our own games and apps.
Balance is always a good thing, don’t forget to go outside
Want to add an active phase to balance out your computer time? If you already have a trampoline there are several interactive games like this combo kit that you can attach to your trampoline to give it a new layer of interest, and one that doesn’t involve jumping off the garage, which is how my kids like to spice it up.
I am always looking for ways to update any high dollar purchase we have ever made (they are few and far between) and the trampoline is one item we have missed a lot since losing it in a storm a year ago. I am pretty sure we will be replacing it this soon and something like these games might make it extra fun. We plan to camp out on ours when the weather turns nice again, because coyotes can’t eat you if you are off of the ground. At least that is what the little guys over here tell me.
Speaking of outdoor play, we also love our slackers 50-Feet Slackline Classic Set with Bonus Teaching Line
Don’t let Christmas take you off course. Know your Goals!
Confession, I am not the one to send Christmas shopping around here. I am very practical and frugal. In years past we have tried very hard to keep Christmas for all 12 of us under $500. Being frugal has it’s benefits. In just short of 15 years, we payed off our house and business, but that left no room for spending for several years. The great thing is that now we are finally in a place where we can save up for the things we want. I can dream of fun things that are not socks and jeans. We get to pick a few great things and we can still afford the things we need to do, like pay for health care and our taxes.
Christmas could be your chance to go big
We are finally in a place where we have some breathing room. To be honest it feels really good. For years I was a Scrooge at Christmas, counting down to the last pennies, scratching things off the list. If you are there don’t lose heart. I am so thankful for those years. We build our faith and financial integrity. This Christmas is the first time I can allow myself to consider things that would normally be an automatic “No.” I hope you are determined to get out of debt so you can be in the position we find ourselves this year. It the first time in years that I am thinking of getting a few items for Christmas, that I have been dreaming of for years.
Lego Mindstorms has been on our Science/Tech wish list for years. It has never made it into the school budget. My older kids are getting to the age where they want very little for Christmas. I plan on combining all of the older boys for one big item. That way I can fill their stocking with all the little things they asked for. With this robotics program, I hope to get one more year of cooperative play before the oldest graduates and moves on to adult life. My son is interested in computer sciences. Lego Mindstorms offers the chance to explore robotics. The Mindstorms team issues a new challenge every year. Your child gets to meet the challenges of a fun obstacle course they create themselves to solve the challenge. Learning coding has never been more fun.
Or just take a taste of TECH with a smaller kit
We have four older boys to share these projects and we homeschool. With those factors, I can justify the bigger investment, but price should not keep you from exploring robotics. I choose a larger sized kit for school sized sharing. The DIY starter kit from Makeblock might be a better fit for one child. They can build and program using Scratch code. The Makeblock kit has two configurations and a clear coding interface makes is easy to learn and use right out of the box. The programming is open enough to grow in complexity as your child learns more robust coding language. There are many kits in every range of prices and interests. Take a look for yourself, click any one of the links and it will take you to the STEM toy category for more choices.
I want nothing more than my kids to pass me up in the world of Tech. They are going to need to hurry because I am learning as fast as the are. These kits and their integrations make learning code instantly rewarding. Building a challenge course and solving problems you create together is a great way to help your kid create problem solving skills. Those translate into real world learning they can use forever.
Unleash their inner beast on a really small scale with movie making
There is also a Stopmotion Explosion; an animation movie making kit we’ve had our eye on for a few years. We added computers to the our schoolroom last year. Since then, we are always looking for 3 dimensional ways to use them. Plus I have a love of stop animation ever since I watched Clash of the Titans when I was little. Your kids might just make the next Voyage of Sinbad, just on slightly smaller scale!
With any one of these you and your kids could live some creative moments during the winter break and all year long. You don’t even have to tell them that they are learning, but I bet they will be telling you.
What are some of the favorite Tech gifts that have lasted at your house? I would love to add them to my list.
