Five Skills Crazy Bots from Geek Club is a hands-on engineering kit that includes materials, tools, and instructions that kids can use to create five different builds, including robots, rovers, a spacecraft, and a hot rod.
Designed for kids ages 7 and up, the set focuses on letting kids have fun while also learning key STEM skills, particularly in the field of engineering. And more than just a theoretical approach, kids will actually practice key basics of electrical and mechanical engineering, while learning about vibration mechanics, spatial awareness, and even solar power.
Everything comes packaged in an incredibly slim box, with all of the tools and pieces neatly contained inside. Kids can begin the engineering fun by selecting which build to make first, picking the correct pre-cut circuit board, and digging through the electrical components to find the ones they need. The kit features lots of key items like LED lights, vibration motors, iron wires, transistors, motors, wheels, and so much more. Kids will use the included tweezers to work with tiny details, pliers to separate parts as well as bend and twist wires, and a filing tool to make adjustments to the circuit boards, such as increasing hole sizes and leveling any uneven edges. The only thing not included in the kit are batteries, so consider stocking up on some 2032s to kick-off playtime right away.
The instructions conveniently outline which pieces are pre-installed onto the pre-cut circuit boards, and which pieces kids will need to add from the bag full of mechanical components. With some robotics kids, kids are expected to reuse the pieces, meaning you can’t build all of the different builds at once, or have them live on a shelf next to each other — but that’s not the case with Five Skills Crazy Bots. The set includes enough parts and pieces so kids can make all five builds one after the other, without having to take one apart to build the next (but again, just don’t forget the batteries).
Each crazy bot is small – measuring just a few inches. Younger kids may need some assistance following the instructions and manipulating the teeny, tiny mechanisms (though, small fingers also come in handy for some steps). While the kit is designed for kids ages 7 and up, kids ages 10 and up will likely have the easiest time building solo, depending on their skill level. Each bot only has a few pieces to assemble, with some proving more complicated than others. Overall though, each project will only take 30 minutes to an hour to complete, if kids work slowly and take their time with each one.
My favorite thing about this set — and what I think kids will love most, too — is that it doesn’t feel like a toy. The pieces are real mechanical parts, the tools are real, and the circuit boards are impressive. Everything feels elevated and professional, rather than overly colorful and plastic. Kids will feel like they are making real working robots using real scientific principles because they are!
A great gift for a budding engineer, or for kids who love to tinker, Five Skills Crazy Bots provides kids with hours of entertainment coupled with lots of educational benefits.
