Science4you — Coding Lab — 10 Experiments to Learn How to Code — Fun, Education Activity Kit — for Kids Ages 6+

This kit was great. It was so educational and so fun for them to make. We really like science kits. I would much prefer them doing something than watching something. Science is such an important subject, and I really like that they can learn about it. It is nice because they can spend the time doing it. They are excited when they make something themselves. They love to make new discoveries.

I don't know if everyone's kids are as bonkers as mine but when they see something like these kits, they instantly make up their own experiments, which typically consist of figuring out how to disperse the contents of the kits evenly throughout the entire house and yard. It's a complete disaster and mess. But it's great if you can contain the kit to one kid in one location. My 6-year-old and I worked on the coding kit for a couple of experiments and he got it but was bored after a while an when he saw the other barbarians destroying the other kit, that looked like more fun, so he bailed. The next thing I know, all the pieces of both kits were evenly distributed around the living room. The pieces are pretty cheesy, but the experiments are well thought out and all "work" as compared to the gadgets kit, which comes with a disclaimer that the gadgets may not work right away. Overall, it's a great way to gamify some great conceptual skills.

Both my husband and I have a background in coding and were looking for ways to introduce our 6 and 7 year old kids to the subject. This is a new approach for us, certainly not the way we learned coding. It was also more fun than the multiple different ones we have tried in the past . . . online or coding toys just don't work. This system is simple and hands on enough that this age group enjoys it and wants to do it on their own and with older siblings. A win!

Variety of fun activities to get children interested in coding without spending long periods in front of screen. Activities utilize basic materials that are found through out most homes, and the kit comes with enough materials to do the ten activities included in the booklet one time.

Didn't have everything we needed for it

As a professional software developer I'm always looking for ways to teach my kids about coding. This is a nice kit that covers a number of different concepts, but the materials could be a little better. For example, the cypher wheels need to be cut out and don't really hold together well making it difficult to use. It would be better if they were precut, or perforated, or pre-assembled so I didn't have to spend so much time cutting it out and assembling it. It's definitely better for older kids. I tried using some of it with my 5yo daughters, and while she got some of the concepts others were too advanced. My 8yo son really liked the cypher, but got board with other experiments. The instruction booklet, while having a lot of information, is in very small print making it difficult to read. Be careful with the sand experiment, it can create quite a mess.

First a minor complaint: Can we please talk about computer programing, not "coding"? Code is the result of programing, not the activity itself. This is as if we spoke about writing as "wording". That complaint out of the way, this set is a wonderful way to introduce children to the concepts regarding computer programing in a fun and accessible way. Durable and age appropriate.

My son has absolutely loved the KiwiCo activities we had purchased a few of especially during the stay-at-home guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic. They helped keep him interested while also encouraging parent-son bonding. This kit was easy to follow (our 5.5-year-old was able to complete most takes alone), but some tasks were harder than others. Good! I always teach our son to be patient and figure out different ways to solve a problem. This kit does exactly that. Yes, coding is usually associated with computers, but it's more about problem solving than anything -- if you can't solve a problem, you can't code. I've seen it in my line of work all the time (I'm in IT who has experience writing programs.) Overall, a fun, engaging experience for the kids.