The NSW Government’s Creative Kids initiative means that you, as a parent, can claim a $100 voucher each year for each of your children. Pretty heat, huh?
However, these vouchers are only redeemable with select providers and offers, so it’s important to shop around and see what’s available.
One item popular with parents is The Amazing Annoyatron from EduKits. It was designed by a fourteen-year-old tech-wiz from Wagga Wagga and teaches kids to code by building pranks. With a NSW Creative Kids Voucher, parents can redeem exclusive lessons with the Amazing Annoyatron. Kit hire is included, so even those who don’t have one at home already can participate.
Quirky, inventive fun!
Mary Price (Parent who purchased The Amazing Annoyatron)
One of the best things about The Amazing Annoyatron is that it isn’t just a toy – your kids will be having fun and learning things at the same time. You don’t have to worry about them getting bored, either: there are over 20 projects they can build and re-build over and over again. Here are 11 of the STEM skills your child will be building with the kit.
1. Computer Coding
The top skill your child will build with The Amazing Annoyatron is computer coding. As you may already know, coding is considered to be a critical skill for many future jobs. Your child can get ahead in a fun and engaging way.
Kids love coding the 20+ fun projects, which include a burglar alarm, fortune-telling machine, electronic cricket and more. Parents love the coding aspect, too!
If you’re looking for a fun way to get your kids into coding, then this is it. I would definitely recommend this kit to anyone – well put together, great instructions, and lots of fun for everyone!
James (Parent who purchased The Amazing Annoyatron)
2. Electronics
The kit includes 30 electronic parts and components. Children assemble these to create the many inventions, guided by easy-to-follow instructions.
Here are some of the things you’ll find included with The Amazing Annoyatron:
- Brain Board – A mini computer users code
- Buzzer – For making all sorts of sounds
- Lights – Red, Yellow, Green and fun colour-changing varieties
- Ultrasonic Sensor – Detect gestures, pesky intruders (i.e. siblings) and more!
- Light Sensor – Detect whether it’s currently light or dark
3. Logic
With The Amazing Annoyatron, logic will be one of the STEM skills your child learns, and it comes right from coding.
Code is essentially a set of ‘computer instructions’ that need to be written and placed in the right order to work properly. This order comes down to creating a logical flow; for example, in the same way you need to bake bread before you slice it and make a sandwich.
4. Problem Solving
Problem-solving is an undeniably useful skill, not just in STEM, but in everyday life too. The Amazing Annoyatron challenges users to change different aspects of the code and work towards various goals throughout.
5. Creativity
Our users love that The Amazing Annoyatron lets them be infinitely creative. The kit is fully compatible with Code Kit, our free drag-and-drop coding editor. Once they’ve finished building the included inventions, they can move on to thinking up their own.
I was given this as a gift and it was great … It’s great fun and I would suggest it to others, I just wish it was louder.
Joshua (Child – User of The Amazing Annoyatron)
6. Inventiveness
Your child will build their inventiveness as they come up with new and exciting ways to use their creations! The instructions include suggestions on ways to disguise inventions, use them to prank friends and family, and even cool modifications your child can make.
7. Abstract Thinking
Computer code, which you can think of as being like a language, is very different to any language you’re familiar with. In fact, we already have a great article on this very topic!
Abstract thinking is developed with The Amazing Annoyatron as users learn and experiment with this new ‘language’. It requires new, abstract ways of approaching and solving problems, which users will also find extremely rewarding.
8. Resilience
Coding requires instructions to be written in a specific way. If they’re not, inventions won’t work exactly as expected. However, this is expected and encourages users to build resilience! In the programming world, these little mistakes are known as ‘bugs’.
With The Amazing Annoyatron, bugs are generally small typos – accidents.
Think about the following two sentences: “Let’s eat Grandma!”, and “Let’s eat, Grandma!”. They have the same words but very different meanings due to a comma being missing in the first sentence. If English was a computer language, this would be a ‘bug’!
Bugs in the code can yield hilarious results (think: a loud, annoying noise that won’t stop, or a burglar alarm that only goes off when someone leaves the room)! Children love trying to fix them and learning what went wrong.
9. Attention to Detail
In programming, all the small details are important. The Amazing Annoyatron has thorough instructions which explain what the code is doing and how to change it.
Order the Bundle and Build Your Child’s STEM Skills
It’s simple and fast to order your coding bundle, which includes hire The Amazing Annoyatron. Remember, it’s entirely free with your NSW Creative Kids voucher. Head to the EduKits website and click the ‘Order Now’ button to jump to the checkout. You only need a few pieces of information, so you’ll be done in less than two minutes.
This kit has made it really easy for my kids to get started with coding. It includes lots of inventions for the youngsters to build and is great fun. The perfect way to get kids excited about technology!
Phillip (Parent who purchased The Amazing Annoyatron.