“My new friend is here!” I shouted as I opened the front door to get our package. My friend is a robot, a little blue bot with big eyes named Botley. Botley the Coding Robot is the COOLEST kids robot around! Botley is a coding robot that encourages STEM education.
What exactly is a coding robot? You see, you can type movement codes into a remote control for Botley to follow along with. Tell Botley to go left, left, forward and then right, back, right and watch as he follows along! To help you remember what codes you’ve used so far, Botley comes with cards to describe the codes you’ve used. Lay down each card when you type something into the remote. Tell Botley to spin in circles and listen to him shout with glee! He can also detect other objects so he doesn’t bump into them!
There is no screen involved with Botley play, just the robot, detachable arms, and coding cards. The larger kit includes building activity pieces to interact with and work around, increasing the STEM work! You can build obstacle courses for Botley to navigate. The detachable arms are great for having Botley use other items. We like to play ball with Botley or have him deliver items to one another.
Botley can also follow along with big black lines you draw. There is a sensor underneath that recognizes the line and allows the robot to follow it. The kids are really enjoying drawing all kinds of designs for Botley to chase after. While Botley’s coding skills are for teaching children 5 and up, even our toddler was enjoying drawing lines to see Botley follow!
We love Botley’s little voice and watching what tricks he can do. Those giant eyes are the cutest and I’ve never seen my kids take turns so well. This is honestly the best toy we’ve had in a while and I don’t think it will ever get old. It’s small so it’s easy to take with us to travel and for the kids to carry around with them.
Playing with Botley encourages creative problem solving, computational thinking skills, and I think it also helps to encourage memory and focus because the kids have to pay attention to what they’re telling Botley to do. We all have an absolute blast with this toy and it’s not just the person holding the remote, everyone in the room gets a kick out of seeing what Botley can do!
BUY:
You can purchase Botley the Coding Robot at Amazon.com.
CONNECT with Learning Resources:
*The Quirky Mom Next Door received the above item(s) in exchange for our honest review. All opinions and experiences are our own only.
What an adorable robot! Sounds like fun to play with!
I totally love that! So good for kids’ mental focus and encourages them to work towards something positive!
This is pretty amazing that it is teaching coding at such a young age. It looks like even little toddlers can be picking up this skill
Very educational. My kids would have so much fun with this robot.
I love this robot. I want to get this for my son.
This robot sounds like a very smart toy to have , it sounds very encouraging for the young ones.
@tisonlyme143
Five months later, are the kids still engaged? Did it live up to the hype? I wonder about the longevity of engagement of this project for parents. As a teacher I have four Botleys and the kids are super excited to see me bring them out, but it’s a different environment.
It’s funny you say that because my youngest daughter just brought him out again this morning!!