This is an expensive but effective tool for students who like building to develop their interest in basic electronics and circuits. Students build simple series circuits that will vibrate, flash a color, or test strength using easy to manipulate color-coded parts. The instructions include eight suggestions including a “bristle monster”, a back massager, and a flickering lantern. The website has over 100 more suggestions, though only the most engaged students might go online. LittleBits can be a great choice for students who get frustrated easily, because incorrect pieces simply will not fit together unlike a traditional circuit where the circuit fails and you must investigate to uncover the loose connection, reverse polarity, etc. Students with weaker visual and motor skills and younger students should find these circuits relatively easy to snap together and a relief from the precision required in other circuit-based systems. While the simplicity, elegance and bright colors make this an appealing choice for learning and experience with circuitry, students who love science might grow to find these same features as holding them back. Overall, this is a fantastic product to first interest students in electronics but it might not always have the sustainability parents want for the high price tag.

• Provides sufficient and varied types of practice problems to maximize understanding and generalization of the targeted skill/concept
• Manufacturer claims alignment with Common Core/Known Standards
• Presents educational concepts accurately
• Explains answers so students can learn from mistakes
• Better for teaching the skill to new or struggling learners
• Better for practicing or refreshing the skill
• Skills are practiced through authentic, meaningful problems (not just rote practice)

• Appropriate for a broad age range to use and enjoy
• Visually appealing to children in the target age range
• Adults would enjoy playing with a child
• For electronic games, gives positive or encouraging feedback
• Offers ongoing, progressive challenge
• Overall - Enjoyable. Given the option, students would choose this option

• Provides teaching guidance for adults to support the child and set appropriate goals
• Student should be able to use independently after first use
• Student graduates to the next level or topic only after meeting a benchmark
• Can effectively understand and monitor student's progress (email report or in product)
• Does not require excessive set-up time after first time use
• Can be fun as a single player game
• Multi-player game which fosters collaboration or cooperation
• Well-made for the cost
• For electronic games, can play without sound
• For electronic games, allows user to save work
• For electronic games, voice/sounds are appealing and pronounces words properly
• Provides options to play in languages other than English/Good for ELL
• Presents information in multiple formats (voice over, pictures and text, etc.)
• Overall - Easy to use

Getting started inventing with electronics has never been easier. The Base Kit is the perfect way to unleash creativity in kids and younger makers, empowering them to create inventions of every shape and size, with no prior electronics experience. Your kids (and you!) can learn the basics of electronics, explore STEAM/STEM principles, form the foundations of critical thinking, or just have fun with blinking, buzzing creations. Bits snap together with magnets, so it’s impossible to make a mistake.