Kano Harry Potter Coding Kit- Was £99 now £79.99 via Kano.me
So Kano is a known brand for innovative coding kits and this time they have aimed for the millions of Harry Potter fans.
So they have created a wood-effect plastic want which allows young kids to learn the basics of programming but in an exciting way for anyone who is a fan and wants to learn spells just like Harry and Co. The app’s various challenges allow kids to understand block-based coding which in turn controls the wand’s motion controls. So when you open the packaging you welcomed with a fantastically presented box that would get any fan excited. Inside the box, you find the wand in 3 parts, 2x AAA Batteries and the instruction booklet.
Once you have put the want together and please note I was very impressed with the instruction booklet it had very basic step by step guide that allowed you to set everything up my sons found set up very simple to do.
Once built your find on the wand a single button on the handle alongside a single LED. To use the wand you need to connect via Bluetooth. To Pair, the wand hold the button and the light will flash red and blue while pairing and once paired you will see a steady blue light and then your connected. I found the wand worked even with a bit of distance between the wand and the tablet.
Inside the wand, you will find a slimline module housing what allows the gyroscope (motion) and the accelerometer (speed) and the magnetometer (direction) of the wand. Once complete making sure you download the Kano app on the following address: Kano.me/app
Once downloaded the app you need to make sure anytime you use the want the position and able is relative to the tablet in use for the app to register any movements you make and the wand/app combo works really well.
In regards to the app, this is done very well and is designed like a Harry Potter Map that allows a series of challenges set in different areas fans will recognize such as Hogwarts & Diagon Alley to just name a few. When you enter each challenge it’s more coding training such as moving blocks of code from the left side of the interface and once you drop them into the position you are setting up spells. It also shows what happens when you throw in new blocks of code and what the results are going to be. What helps a new coder develop is at intervals the app brings up a puzzle so as your learning coding it helps develop knowledge by putting together the next program on your own.
As you complete each challenge and level up you are rewarded with cosmetic items to customise your avatar such as clothes, accessories and other props all done in a fun cartoon style.
As you go along making spells you have 99 challenges to complete the games and in that time your coding will also develop and you will gain advanced coding fundamentals that you can use in other avenues of life including school as they teach coding for kids at school now.
So overall with Christmas coming up if you want a fun way to get your kids into coding we have tested Sphero’s in the past but with this Harry Potter wand coding set it gives a new dimension. What makes this even more fun for kids the Harry Potter theme and challenge structure taking you from task to task your learning code along the way. At £99 learning code in a Harry Potter style with a wand is a cool gift for the kids.
