Code & Go® Robot Mouse Activity Set
- Learning Resources Posted On Feb 15, 2022 | Community
About the Tester: A primary school teacher of children ages 4–5 years old
About the resource
Our best-selling Code & Go® Robot Mouse Activity Set teaches children early coding skills through 100% screen-free, hands-on play and is perfect for use at home or in the classroom. Colby, the interactive mouse, is easy to use and provides endless hours of coding fun.
Children will have fun designing a maze and then coding Colby to find his way through the maze to his wedge of cheese! Use the colour-coded coding cards to help children to code Colby before watching him race off to find his cheese.
This deluxe set features 16 maze grids which create a 50cm x 50cm maze board, 22 maze walls, 3 tunnels, 30 double-sided coding cards, 10 double-sided activity cards, cheese wedge and an Activity Guide.
A Teacher of Year 1, 2 & 3 children tested the Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set in her classroom, keep reading to see what she thought.
Key Features
- Early Coding
- Supports the EYFS Framework and National Curriculum
- 100% screen-free
What did you think of the concept?
Our school has a similar product, but I prefer how this one. It comes with more additional pieces such as the tunnels and activity cards making it fun and easy to use straight away for a range of different activities. The children loved the challenge of making the mouse find the cheese and the added sound effects when he was eating it!
How did you use it?
First of all, I left the activity set out for the children to explore by themselves. They had a great time pushing all the buttons and working out what the mouse did. Next, I used the activity set as an adult focused activity and we used the cards to set up the track and get the mouse to the cheese. They enjoyed setting the track up to match the cards. After we learnt what all the buttons did and how to get the mouse to move where we wanted it to go, I allowed the children to use it again unaided. Lots of the children were very good at visualising where they wanted the mouse to go while others physically moved it before programming it.
How has it helped your teaching?
It was great to observe and see the different styles of learning. Some were very good at visualising where they wanted the mouse to go, while others physically moved it before programming it.
What are the best features?
It appeals to all age ranges, has a cute design, is user friendly and fun. I loved the cards and the sound effects. I also liked the random function button as did the children. They tried to guess what it would do! There is nothing I disliked.
How would you rate the long-term appeal?
It’s a well-designed resource which can be easily extended by the children as they can design their own activity cards for others to try or write instructions for a friend to follow. It’s useable for all age ranges. My toddler even had a go and was able to move the mouse.
Explore more of our Coding and Programming teaching resources.
Tried and Tested: Code & Go™ Robot Mouse Activity Set
What were your first thoughts when the product arrived?
I thought the packaging was instantly appealing and the product sturdy and well made. My children couldn’t wait to open the box and get started.How did you use the product?
For my five year old we used Colby the Robot Mouse to introduce the concept of programming. She found the direction cards very helpful and the process of planning, coding and then correcting her routes has been brilliant for improving her logic skills.My eight year old was able to code Colby without the direction cards, which has been great for helping develop his spatial awareness and ability to visualise directional changes, as well as working through the process of coding, checking and then amending his code if necessary.
What are the educational benefits of the resource?
The Robot Mouse Activity Set is great for improving logic, reasoning, directional skills and for practising following instructions, as well as being an engaging and entertaining introduction to coding.What did you like/dislike about the resource?
I loved that Colby was so easy to use as well as visually appealing. My five year old could follow the instruction cards without too much help and very much enjoyed trying to code Colby’s route to his cheese. The set is very easy to use with little set up required.
What is the long term appeal of the resource?
Our Robot Mouse Activity Set comes out frequently without any encouragement from me. Each time it’s played with the children find a new way to explore the set, such as building their own obstacles for Colby or creating their own layouts.Is the product unique?
I haven’t come across a similar product available yet in the same price range.Would you recommend this product to a friend?
I would definitely recommend the Code & Go™ Robot Mouse Activity Set, its bright colours, easy to handle design and educational benefits make it a superb addition to any child’s collection of toys and games.#LoveLearning
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What’s Hot? STEM Robot Mouse
What skills does the set promote?
- Problem solving
- Self-correcting errors
- Critical thinking
- Analytical thinking
- Understanding cause and effect
- Working collaboratively with others
- Discussion and communication skills
- Calculating distance
- Spatial concepts
- Move forward and back
- Loud “SQUEAAKKâ€
- CHIRP-CHIRP-CHIRP (and light-up eyes!)
Testimonials
Mrs Chimes, Class Teacher at South Wootton Infant School, said “this product is absolutely fantastic for the new Key Stage 1 ICT curriculum and requirements for children to create a series of instructions and plan a journey for a programmable toy. The children could use the product without adult support and really enjoyed itâ€. Emma Vanstone, blogger at Science Sparks, trialled the mouse with her coding club and said “Colby the Robot Mouse is a fantastic, hands on and visually appealing way to introduce coding to kids as well as helping to develop critical, logical and analytical thinking, spatial skills, teamwork and lots more. It’s been a big hit, both in my house and in a coding club I have been running at a local schoolâ€. Read her full review here.READ MORE
