review Archives - JDaniel4s Mom

Is the Mochi Robotics Kit Right for Your Children?

January 2, 2020 By Deirdre

There are several robotics kits and coding robots on the market. The Mochi Robotics Kit is one of the newest. Let me walk you through what it can do, who I think it is for, and my insights after exploring it. Before I start let me tell you, that it is a lot of fun! The Mochi Robotics Kit is a fun way to introduce your children to science, technology, engineering, art, math, and coding. It explores all the aspects of STEAM and STEM.

What comes in the kit?

The Mochi Robotics Kit includes the following:

A storybook and work mat that features the same theme. (The kit we were sent has a space theme.)
A Robotic Car (It is LEGO compatible. That means your children can build on and decorate the car with LEGO!)
A Stuffed Mochi Bear
Coding Blocks
A Programmable Board

Just what does Mochi do?

Mochi is a bear who can do various things as your children explore the robotics kit. It can travel in the robotic car or observe the robotic car as it travels on the themed mat that comes with your kit. It can be held by your child as they listen to the programming board read the storybook that comes with the kit. They could read the book on their own if they are readers while holding Mochi.

Mochi is more of a supportive observer and robotic car traveling companion than a programmer.

The book that comes with the kit holds key information.

The book contains the story that shares the theme of the kit with your children. It also introduces how to use the programming board. It is the only place you will find information on the board and the coding blocks. (Although it doesn’t tell you about all of the blocks. I will share more about that later.) The book shares a route or set of algorithmic steps for your children to follow. Then it invites them to create their routes.

Using Programmable Board and Coding Blocks

The Programming Board

When you get the Mochi Robotic Kit, the car is put together mostly and the programmable board is not. While the set can be enjoyed by children young and old, putting the board together is more for the old. Putting the board together focuses on the engineering part of STEAM or STEM. All of the pieces are pre-cut, all you need to do it put them together. My son did a great job interpreting construction diagrams. I thought they were a little tricky. Once we had it together, it was time to put in the batteries. While I concede that JDaniel was better at constructing the board, I was better at finagling the batteries into place. I bet it will get easier to put them in overtime.

The programming board has two coding areas or zones. One area is for building a simple algorithm in a clockwise fashion. The second area is found on the bottom of the board. It focuses on building functions. While I figured out how to build functions (Mostly because I have done it on the Cubetto.), I didn’t find information about how to build them in the kit.

Coding Blocks

You will need to start by placing one of the blocks in the number one slot. There are two types of blocks in the kit. There are direction coding blocks and activity coding blocks. Let me tell you about them.

Direction Blocks

First, there is a forward block. Forward is represented by Mochi’s paw print facing up displayed in green.

Second, there are the right and left blocks. They are blue and feature a bear whose nose is pointing to the left or right. (I wish that they were two different colors. It would be easier for kids to understand which is which.)

Activity Coding Blocks

First, there is a red story block. When you place it in the number one spot on the programming board, it will read the book to your children.

Second, there is a yellow question block. When you place it in the number one spot, it asks your children two questions about the topic covered in the book. It doesn’t answer the questions for your child. They will need to look back in the book for the answers.

Third, there is the rainbow fun block. When it is placed in one of the clockwise slots, it will run the algorithm or steps created in the function section at the bottom of the programming board.

The Robotic Car

As I mentioned, the car is mostly put together. You do have to put the wheels on the car. It will feel like you are pushing them on too hard. Don’t worry the wheel material will bend a little as it yields to the metal wheel spoke. The car is super cool! It is LEGO compatible! Your children can decorate it with LEGO designs or attach their LEGO creations to it. While it can travel on the floor, it prefers to travel on its mat.

The kit also comes with cut out pieces that you can attach to the car that fit the theme of the book. Our kit came with rocket pieces. Your children will love that the car transforms to fit the book’s theme.

Who do I think the Mochi Robotic Kit is for?

I think all children will enjoy coding with the kit. However, I think young will probably enjoy the story more than older ones. Children kindergarten-aged and older will have the fine motor skills needed to place the coding blocks and understand the function area of the board. If you plan on exploring the kit with your children, you can help the young children place the blocks and decorate the robotic car. You will also be able to older children to come up with more questions to ask about the information they heard in the book and create more robot routes.

My Insights

First, the programmable board and robotic car do not have an off switch. They will both shut down after 5 minutes of being idle. (We just removed the batteries when we’re done. Then we put them in place when we were ready to code again.)

Second, the coding blocks come with a plastic cover to place over them. You will want to have that in place when you slide them into the drawer in the programming board. They will fall out in the drawer without the cover. We learned that first hand.

Third, placing the pieces on the board can be a little tricky at first It gets easier over time.

Finally, you will have to point out which blue block goes the left and which goes to right a few times. As I mentioned earlier, I wish they were in different colors.

If your children love coding, here are some more coding activities they will love:

Magical Creatures STEM Coding Coloring Pages

Exploring Coding Algorithms on Dinosaur Drawing Pages

Creating an Algorithm Based on Rosie’s Walk

Disclaimer: I was sent a Mochi Robotics Kit to review. All thoughts and opinions on the kit are my own.

Minecraft Creeper Craft & 150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids

November 4, 2014 By Deirdre

If you are looking for screen-free activities for kids 150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids: The Very Best and Easiest Playtime Activities from FunAtHomeWithKids.com!. This book contains recipes for fun and exploration. Let me share with you the ten reasons I love this book and think you need to own a copy of it. At the end of this post you will find the Minecraft Creeper we made using one of the recipes in this book.

Ten Reasons to Buy 150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids

There aren’t just one or two great activities in this book. JDaniel and I struggled to pick which one to do first when we got the book in the mail. We will probably end up doing each of them.
Many of the recipes in the activities are corn free, gluten free, dairy free, nut free, egg free, and soy free. Children with allergies won’t have to be excluded from joining into the fun.
The activities are open ended and invite children to tap into their imagination and create while doing them.
You have many of the ingredients needed for the recipes and activities at home already. The ones you don’t have won’t be very expensive to purchase.

Many of the recipes are edible and child safe like the edible banana play dough. (There are thirteen dough recipes in this book.)
These activities will leave kids of all ages wanting to do them again and again.
This is more than just a recipe book. It shares eighteen do it yourself toys and play mats. They make you wonder why you didn’t think of them and rejoice that Asia did. The giant lacing box and hatching egg bath bombs are favorites of mine.
You will have ten amazing go to ideas for sensory bin fillers. The book shares how to create miniature water beads and colored salt. We will be exploring both of them.
The chapter on small worlds will show you how to create play lands for your kids. My son has loved the lands we have created. They inspired great discussions and storytelling at my house. Small worlds are also great ways to introduce you children to various textures too.
If you host a playgroup, teach in an early childhood classroom, or have children that you want to open avenues of play and adventure to, all you will need to do is open this book to any page and you will have something fun to do.

Minecraft Creeper Craft

JDaniel is into Minecraft so, we created Minecraft Creeper from it using the directions for baked cotton balls in 150+ Screen Free Activities for Kids.

We worked together as a team at the kitchen table. JDaniel would add one colored cotton ball and then I would add one.

It was messy and a little drippy, but we had such a good time putting it together.

I hope you will consider adding 150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids: The Very Best and Easiest Playtime Activities from FunAtHomeWithKids.com! to you home library or giving it as a holiday gift. If you are outside the U.S. you may want to check out the Book Depository.

If you haven’t visited Asia Citro ‘s blog Fun at Home with Kids, please do. It is really wonderful too!

Disclaimer: I was sent a book to review. All opinions about the book are my own.

Together Box Review

March 18, 2014 By Deirdre

We all have times in our lives when we want to do activities with our kids, but we don’t have the time to gather all the materials we would need to do them. At my house having to rush out at any moment to meet my mom at the hospital due to a fall or keep things running at home when I come home from work, really hampers time to shop for the bits and pieces I might need for an activity. When I came across Together Box, I knew that I had found a great way to have the materials for fun activities sent right to me.

Everything needed for the activities featured in the each kit comes with the kit. It was truly wonderful to open up the box and know that we were ready to get started. There was no running out to get something or searching for something in a cabinet.

JDaniel and I just took the box to the kitchen table, flipped through the activity choices and selected the one that we wanted to do first. It was totally stress free. It was truly a wonderful opportunity to spend time together and play.

The first activity we selected was the Balloon Ninja Marshmallow Launcher activity. I tried to create a face on my balloons that looked just like the one in the picture on the activity card. JDaniel created his own original design. All the activities on the cards are open to creative tweaks. I just love that.

We hung the ninjas on the fences in our backyard and put a sheet on the ground just below the ninjas. We didn’t want to get the marshmallows dirty. ( You can’t eat marshmallows that have fallen on the ground.) It was such fun to try to hit the balloons. JDaniel found that if you got too close to the balloons that they rebounded off of the balloons and flew behind the sheet. It took several marshmallow launches to find the right distance to pull back the balloon launcher.

The second activity we decided to try was the rock launcher. We set up this activity between the handrails on our front steps by tying a string with a straw on it onto each handrail. Then we attached a balloon to the straw with tape. (Yes, even tape came with the kit.) I think my son liked the noise the balloon gave as it flew across the string as much as watching the balloon fly.

We did our activities outside, but each could have been done inside. That is another wonderful thing about the activities that come in the kit they can be done anywhere.

I think the kit would be great to get for your own family to do just for fun, but I also think it would be fun to send to a family that is going through a challenging time. It sure gave my son and I an opportunity to build a memory during a though time at my house.

Disclaimer: I was compensated for this review and was sent a Together Box sample box. I would buy another box in a heartbeat.