Learning ResourcesCode & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set, Screen-Free Early Coding Toy for Kids, Interactive STEM Coding Pet,Back to School,Ages 4+,83 Pieces

It has everything it said. My kid used one at school but just one day, that was in July, it became a Christmas gift. It follow orders as it says. The box has examples of mazes / labyrinths so my kid likes to replicate them and then he makes his own mazes and sometimes he just make random moves for fun.My 2 years old also wants to use it but she is learning how it works but she enjoys it. but be careful, they are not so kind with toys at that age and may damage it.In my opinion this is a 4+ years old toy. Because they enjoy understand how it works and how it follow orders. But 3 years old and below just enjoy the mouse is moving, they don't care much about solving mazes. For a 3 years old and below I would get a remote controlled mouse.

We received this Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set for free from Chatterbox to play with and review. I showed my 4 year old son and 8 year old twin daughters an ad for the toy and they were very excited to try it. When the packaged arrived we tore it open, eager to get started, but were disappointed to learn that we needed 3 AAA batteries to get started. It may be helpful for the manufacturers to print that on the box so if you are buying this as a gift you can be sure to include the batteries so it can be played with right away.Once we got the batteries in the robot mouse we began to assemble the tiles to make a surface for the mouse to move on. My 8 year old did this easily, choosing to make a square and using math to figure out that with 16 tiles she could make a 4X4 square, which made me happy to see she was already learning! My 4 year old, on the other hand, needed assistance to connect the tiles because the sides have either male or female connections so they have to be assembled correctly. I can see why the box says age 5 and up!Once we got the tiles assembled, we looked at the activity cards, which give suggestions for mazes to build, from simple to more difficult. We started with number one and assembled the maze. Inserting the maze walls was easy, and we used the tip in the instructions to make sure the wide edge of the cheese wedge was facing out so Colby, the robot mouse, could find it easily. Then we decided which moves the mouse would need to make and selected the coding cards. Colby has arrows to push that tell him which direction to go, an action button that you can add in for extra fun, a go button for when you've put in all the steps, and a clear button in case you want to start over. The clear button is important, especially with the long coding sequences, so you can start over if you make a mistake. That alleviated a lot of frustration. We were excited when we coded the first maze run and it worked!I think this toy is great. It's easy to use, it teaches important skills, it builds on simple activities and gradually gets more complex which, as an educator, I know is the correct way to build skills. I like the versatility of it, as well. Several configurations can be made with the tiles and maze walls, or the mouse can be programmed to go across the floor in a more free form way. It even has a separate setting for that. It's great for a variety of ages and teaches important skills that kids will definitely need in this modern world. It's very open-ended and allows for creativity, and works for a range of ages and skills. It was even fun for me, the mom, so it's a great family activity!

A year or so ago, my son went to a robot class at the library, which featured Bee-Bots programmable robotsBee-Bot(R) Rechargeable Robot. I looked into buying them, but at the time, they cost $97 each. (Price has now come down to $79. You can also buy Activity Mats for them.) The Code and Go Mouse is a much cheaper option and they function much the same: You type in the code on the buttons, then press the green button to execute the program.I really like this toy. This is one of those toys where I find it most effective to sit down and do a really clear simple demo of how it works, then have them repeat it. Do another demo that expands the concept. Have them repeat it. Then walk away and have them explore that for a while, then come back and correct misconceptions or add new ideas. So, I would first show how the mouse works, chanting out the steps and clearly demo-ing the button press… “Always press the yellow button to start a new program. Then, if you want the mouse to go forward, you program blue, if you want it to turn, you press orange or purple to tell it which way to turn, then green to tell it to go. So, ready: yellow-to-start, forward [press blue], forward [press blue], left [purple], forward [blue]. Now press green.” As it goes forth, I chant out forward-forward-left-forward. Then they do it. Then I teach them how to look at the maze, decide where the mouse needs to go to reach the cheese, and program that in. [There are puzzle cards you can follow that walk you through 20 different maze configurations that get progressively more difficult, building skills in sequence. When I check in, I see how they’re progressing through the cards.Most of the three to four year olds in the class were able to get the process of how to program it, and could get it through a few basic mazes with assistance. The five and ups were able to work through several puzzles independently. There’s a conceptual error they have to get past… If when they start on the maze, the mouse is pointing away from them toward the “top” of the maze, they think of the top as “forward” even after the mouse turns left or right. They have to learn how to re-orient their mind spatially to think “OK, after he turns left, then forward is on the left side of the board, so now if I want him to go up, he first has to turn right, then go forward.”

Bought this for a STEM kid activity day where I work, my kiddos were thrilled that we got to take it home after, and played with it for hours. Even the 5 year old got the idea, and the 8 yr old was building dozens of mazes and sending the mouse through forwards as well as backwards.The mouse does sometimes need help staying on the track, it occasionally doesn't quite make it far enough on a turn and wanders off the side, but my kids don't mind supervising it back onto the track.We did have problems with one of the wheels jamming so the poor mouse just went in circles, but a toothpick and some compressed air fixed that.Pleased that we're still on the first set of batteries after many hours of play.

My daughter is 5 years old and she loves this. It is so simple to use that she has been able to do it all on her own. I love it because she is working her little mind. It a win win and a must buy for moms with lil ones.