Wooden blocks teach coding through tactile, off-screen play
Education
Embedded RFID technology brings programming to life for children, with a kit that includes a magnetic car that moves around a city of sixteen wooden blocks
Spotted: A new Swiss company, QUBS AG, has recently introduced its first toy — a wooden coding kit called Cody. Consisting of a two-piece magnetic car that moves around a city of sixteen wooden blocks, the kit helps children to understand the main concepts and logic of computer coding through off-screen, tactile play. The accompanying City Guide book provides instructions and guides players through a variety of exercises. Every piece of the kit is meant to be fun for children of any age, regardless of their interest in coding.
Each city block in the set is embedded with a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip that provides Cody with an instruction, and when put together, the city blocks create a sequence of instructions. The beechwood blocks are easy to pick up and move around, and Cody drives in a straight line until instructed by a particular block. While working through an exercise, children learn about debugging as well.
“The patented RFID technology allowed us to make a toy that doesn’t need any Bluetooth or WiFi connection, so it’s very safe for young children,” Cody Block’s Federica Orlati told Springwise.
Multiple cars can be used at the same time, and kits can be combined to create metropolises. Having recently surpassed its Kickstarter funding goal, the company is now in pre-production of the kits, with plans to ship to early supporters by the end of 2020.
Other projects spotted by Springwise that help children learn through play include a moving paper robot and a 3D printer for kids to design their own toys.
Explore more: Education Innovations | Computing & Tech Innovations
16th June 2020
Email: info@qubs.toys
Website: qubs.toys/cody-block
