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I don’t have to tell you STEM skills are important. But what I should tell is that STEM learning can be cute, thanks to the Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set, from Learning Resources.

With this set, kids start out by building their maze—laying the foundation, putting up the walls, and placing the arches and the cheese wedge. Then, they can use the coding cards to create a step-by-step path for the programmable robot mouse, Colby. Once they figure out the path, they can program Colby through the sequence of steps and watch him race to find the cheese. Kids can use the 20 STEM maze cards to set up puzzles, or design their own challenges.

This process teaches kids as young as 5 the essentials they need for coding success. They learn problem-solving skills, develop critical and analytical thinking, practice if-then and cause-and-effect logic, and spacial concepts. They also get practice in making mistakes, and then using strategic thinking to figure out how to correct them. In the long run, all of those combine not only build STEM skills, but also confidence.

The Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set also allows for multiple kids to play—and solve—together. When you add in one or more kids, they can start to develop collaborative teamwork, as well as discussion and communication skills.

Kids can get creative by creating their own mazes with the set and also in the real world. The mouse is not dependent upon the maze to move, so kids can set up their own obstacles on any flat surface and try to have the mouse travel through it.

Aside from all of the educational benefits, the set itself is super adorable. Colby lights up, makes sounds, and features two speeds. It’s brightly colored and the pieces are big enough for little coders and programmers to use. The coding cards and instructions are all image-based—as in, they don’t have any words—so kids learn coding through visual clues, as they build a foundation in these concepts.

About the author

Ali Mierzejewski

Ali Mierzejewski

Ali Mierzejewski is the editor-in-chief at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider. With more than a decade of industry experience, Ali is a trusted source for parents, gift-givers, manufacturers, retailers, and more on the latest trends and hottest products. Whether you’re shopping for the best toys for kids — or looking for the latest in geek culture and entertainment for yourself — Ali’s expertise has you covered. When she’s not building LEGO sets or unwinding with a puzzle, Ali is obsessing over the latest season of The Bachelor, scrolling through Gritty’s Twitter, or rewatching The West Wing (for the 100th time). She is also a self-proclaimed expert on the history and lore of the entire Bachelor franchise. Ali has been featured on TODAY, The Wendy Williams Show, Yahoo Finance, Fox & Friends, HLN, The Weather Channel, ABC World News Now, and more. You can follow her on Instagram @hashtagtrendy.

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