LittleBits, the company that offers Lego-like electronic building blocks, is out with a new do-it-yourself kit that’s geared toward a kid audience. The Rule Your Room Kit comes with seven “Bits,” and kids will be able to make small inventions ranging from a “Burglar Buzzer” to a “Moving Collage.”
The Rule Your Room Kit comes with seven bits including the Power, Buzzer, Makey Makey, Servo, and Sound Trigger. But you also get 19 accessories to connect these items together, like alligator clips and mounting boards. The goal is really up to the kid — you can either make one of the eight inventions mentioned in the booklet, or you can explore and try to make something unique.
There’s also the LittleBits app that lets you peruse through dozens of inventions uploaded by others — they typically need more tools depending on what you’re building, but the instructions are easy to follow. What’s neat is that once you follow the steps on the app, it takes the time to explain the process so you’re still not just putting pieces together — you’re learning what each of them do.
We decided to make the Buzzing Booklet with the Rule Your Room Kit, which essentially lets you create a touch-activated buzzer. Opening the box can seem a little overwhelming at first, but the whole process took a few minutes and was dead-simple once you follow the instructions in the app. We found it fun and entertaining, and while the buzzer may take some getting used to, we can see kids spending hours trying to make various inventions with this kit.
The downside is that you may end up needing more Bits soon, and you’ll have to buy that separately. But for starters, the Rule Your Room Kit costs $100, and is available for pre-order now from LittleBits’ website. You’ll also be able to get it from retailers like Macy’s, Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Microsoft, and Marbles. It ships in the middle of August.
