You know that technical gadgets make me happy and that I am also a fervent supporter of getting acquainted with coding and programming at an early stage. It is not for nothing that I regularly write about outings that are about technology and about books in this area. It is extremely important that children can develop in a way that fits our future. And especially for girls, I think it is important that they are stimulated to have fun in, for example, learning to program, or technology in the broadest sense of the word. And what fits better than getting acquainted with all this in a playful way? That's why I'm happy to tell you more about Clementoni's Mind Designer Robot.
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Clementoni has developed three products for children with which they can playfully discover more in the world of technology and robotization. I'll tell you more about the other two products at the bottom of the article, but first I'll go into more detail about the Mind Designer Robot from Clementoni that we have here to try out.
Mind is an interactive robot with which you can playfully and creatively engage in coding and programming. It greatly helps in developing children's logical thinking ability. It is not for nothing that Mind Designer Robot has been nominated for Toy of the Year.
We received The Mind Designer Robot from Clementoni for review, but of course you can buy it in the toy store, or online at various webshops. It is available from € 39.99.
Tip:Do you want to get started immediately after purchasing the Mind Designer Robot? Make sure you have AA batteries at home. You need 4 pieces, these are not included in the box.
Order Mind Designer Robot ⇒
The Mind box obviously contains the Mind robot itself. In addition, there is a game board (made of paper) which can be used on both sides. It's a bit of a shame that the game board is folded, because this means there are deep folds in the paper that the robot has to cross. In principle this is possible, but it would have been nicer if they had rolled up the game board.
You will also find 3 markers in the box, red, black and blue that you can let Mind Designer Robot draw and a large number of A3 size sheets of white paper.
You simply insert the marker into the robot. It is also smart if you stick the paper in place for a while, so that it cannot move. Also keep in mind that the surface is flat, otherwise it will not be possible to draw properly.
You can work in a FREE mode, or via the accompanying app that you can download for free.
There are two keys on the robot that can be used for drawing. One for geometric figures and one for drawings. By pressing such a key several times you get different choices of figures and drawings.
In addition to working with these two keys, you can also give your command via speech. You then have to turn on the microphone and (of course) use exactly the words/phrases that the robot recognizes to carry out a command. There is a whole arsenal of commands in the comprehensive manual, so you can see exactly what to say and what the expected result will be. Fun to try out.
Are you a real pro at drawing? Then you can have different shapes drawn that are attached to each other. That way you really develop your own drawing. However, this requires some precision, because when the robot starts drawing, you cannot see exactly where the tip of the marker is on the sheet. So it is always exciting whether you are in the right place with the point (for example, if you want to draw two figures together) and what will come out of it.
Drawing is fun, but learning to code is much more fun for me. You can enter up to 40 assignments in the Mind Designer Robot, which it then executes one after the other. The assignments you indicate have to do with the steps that the robot will take. You can have steps taken forward, backward and sideways. But you can also let the robot turn after which you let it step forward again.
On the blue board you can carry out assignments with the Mind Designer Robot. For example, you are given an assignment with which you have to get from one place on the board to another place on the board, without being allowed to go over certain 'lasers' with your robot. That means really thinking ahead.
Your child must think logically and be able to remember to perform the assignments one after the other. If it goes wrong, Mind allows you to try again to carry out the assignment correctly. Check in the video how Lotte makes the assignments her own and how she thinks from the perspective of the robot. Nice to see.
Tip:Is it still difficult for your child to come up with and carry out these assignments one after the other? Then the app mode might be smarter to use. With the app mode you can see which commands you have given to the robot. With this you don't have to remember everything in succession.
Also nice is the yellow board that Clementoni has developed. The Mind Designer Robot works on this board with three levels (easy, medium and hard). Your child can solve math questions while playing and give the answer by walking the robot to the correct box. Of course this happens by walking to the correct box through all the commands you have entered. Not just practicing math, but also thinking logically about where you want the robot to be and how this should be performed.
The Mind robot is nominated for children in the age category of 6-7 years. Clementoni's box says 7+.
Lotte is now 9 and I wondered whether this would still be an interesting game for her and whether there is enough challenge in the way of thinking. While playing I noticed that especially the creative drawing part of the robot did not remain interesting for her for long. Mathematics and learning to think and plan logically with the game board, however.
In addition, I am convinced that she has not yet tried everything, so if she asks me again what she can do when she is bored? Then I know the answer 😉 .
As mentioned, there are two other 'games' available within the Clementoni coding lab collection. This is Clementoni Doc and Robomaker.
This talking, educational robot from Clementoni teaches children to program in a playful way and thus introduces them to modern robotics. You can program the robot in three different ways. The robot can be programmed to roam freely or follow pre-programmed routes on the playing cards and fulfill assignments. Incidentally, this educational game was nominated for Toy of the Year 2017 and you play this game with 1-4 players. For children aged 5 years and older.
Discover the world of robots with this great technology set. Over 250 accessories including 1 cybernetic center, 3 electric motors, 2 IR sensors, 1 speaker and much more. With the set 5 robots can be assembled, which can be programmed manually or via app. The infrared sensors enable the robots to detect objects in their environment, pick them up with the sensors' sensors and transport them elsewhere. For children of 10 years and older.
You can find both variants online, for example at Bol.com
But even more fun… I can give away 1 copy of both games above in a giveaway. Unfortunately, the Mind Designer Robot is not one of them. If you want it, you'll have to buy it yourself. But do you want to win one of the other two? Then let me know how many times Lotte had to reprogram the robot to complete the assignment properly! Of course you can find that answer in the video about the Mind Designer Robot 😉 .
The giveaway lasts until October 31, 2018.
