Pros
Educational and STEM-focused
Encourages patience and meticulous assembly
Detailed and thorough instructions
Kids enjoy building and coding
High quality and durable plastic parts
Good customer service from the manufacturer
Challenging and engaging
Can be assembled with minimal adult assistance
Promotes learning and skill development
Cons
Requires significant assembly time
Contains many small parts and screws
Learning curve for programming
Main Product Advantages
10 Customer service
Customer service is praised for being exceptionally responsive and helpful in addressing issues with broken parts.
9 Educational value
The toy is highlighted for its educational benefits, particularly in engaging children in STEM activities and programming.
8 Fun factor
Children seem to thoroughly enjoy playing with the toy once it is assembled, with many spending hours engaged.
7 Learning curve
Learning the programming and different modes has a notable learning curve, but the thorough instructions help mitigate this challenge.
6 Ease of assembly
Reviews mention that the assembly process can be time-consuming and might require adult assistance. However, those who are patient and careful found it rewarding.
5 Durability
While some users reported broken parts, the manufacturer offers prompt customer service in supplying replacement parts. The overall durability is mixed.
5 Packaging quality
There were complaints about the quality of the packaging, with some boxes arriving broken and perceived as cheap.
Product Review: Snap Circuits Explore Coding, STEM Building Toy for Ages 8 to 108, Amazon Exclusive
Over 30 different electronic building and coding projects are contained in this exciting Snap Circuits electronic STEM building set. Build various functioning circuits for lights, fans, sirens, recording and playback, series and parallel circuits, and other fun electronics and use the free downloadable coding app to program and control various aspects of the circuits. Kids can even try BLOCKLY coding to control some of these circuits.
Hands-On STEM Learning
This hands-on electronic building kit provides easy to follow app-driven projects and helps kids develop STEM skills in both circuitry and coding. This coding toy for kids features the snap on, Snap Circuits Bluetooth enabled coding module. This engineering kit does require the use of either an Apple or Android based smart phone or tablet for coding purposes (sold separately).
Easy to Use and Educational
Simply download the free app from either the App Store or Google Play to enable your smart phone or tablet. Follow the color-coded, detailed instruction sheets to provide step-by-step directions on each project, making learning both easy and fun. Once the circuit is assembled, use the coding app to control the various functions of the circuit and learn about electricity, building circuits, and basic and BLOCKY coding. This STEM based learning activity will provide hours of fun and learning. Ages 8 years and up.
Endorsed by Educators
Elenco's Snap Circuits makes learning electronics easy, educational, and fun! They are endorsed by educators worldwide and used in schools, libraries, museums, and STEM educational programs. Snap Circuit’s patented Circuit Safe technology is unique to Snap Circuits branded products, makes learning circuitry safe.
Recognized Excellence
Snap Circuits products are well known for their commitment to education have won many awards, including Toy of the Year (TOTY), ASTRA'S Best Toys for Kids, Parent's Choice Recommended, Good Housekeeping's Best Toy, Family Choice, National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA Gold), Children's Choice, Dr. Toy (100 Best Children's Products, 10 best Educational Products, Green Toy Company), KAPi Award, and the inaugural Seriously STEM Award.
Conclusion
The Snap Circuits Explore Coding, STEM Building Toy is a highly educational, fun, and safe way for kids to learn about electronics and coding. With its extensive range of projects, easy-to-follow instructions, and endorsement from educators, it stands out as an exceptional learning tool for kids aged 8 and up. The numerous awards it has received further attest to its quality and educational value.
