My daughter is 10 and her school had a visitor who brought Ozobots for each child to play with. She was hooked. For Christmas, the ONLY gift that she repeatedly asked for was an Ozobot.
Aside from the initial shocker – that this little robot is no larger than the green marbles that I used to play with as a kid (it’s seriously only like an inch wide), you’ll discover that it is REALLY cool but somewhat fragile. I would NOT place the Ozobot 2.0 on carpeting, dusty surfaces, or a table that has not first been wiped clean (and dry). The reason for this is that I believe the Ozobot would very easily sweep up a crumb, hair, dust particle, or lint when it is moving around and from what I read online, if this happens, your Ozobot might stop working. You’ll likely then have a VERY sad child (and feel cheated out of $50-60).
Although my daughter interacted with these at school – she still required some parental guidance when opening and beginning to play with the Ozobot. Fortunately, the Starter Pack includes 25 half sheets of paper that basically are a “learn-as-you-go” tutorial and these sheets of paper are numbered 1-25 so you can keep them in order (the company should have printed this information on thicker card stock paper rather than regular paper – it would last longer). I cannot stress enough that you’ll want to guide your child through these 25 sheets of paper to fully learn how to properly use the Ozobot.
Also included are 2 clear plastic sleeves that the individual half sheets of paper are inserted into when you are ready to begin to learn code. Your child can then write on the plastic sleeve with the markers (thereby preserving the instructions/practice sheets and games for future use). Just be aware that they need to allow the markers a few minutes to dry before placing their Ozobot on the sheet (the line markings wipe off with a damp paper towel). Additionally, there are 2 sheets of reusable static code "stickers" that can be placed on top of the plastic sleeve to make their own codes in the tutorial from page 16 - 25. The reusable static code "stickers" are pre-made dashes of different colors that your child will use to make a pattern with codes that will direct the Ozobot to go left, straight, right, line jump left, line jump straight, U-turn, spin, tornado, zigzag, back walk, etc.
The first page of the hands-on-tutorial is "Prepare Ozobot for Play" which teaches your child to calibrate the Ozobot. You’ll need to calibrate the Ozobot often so don’t skip this step – if they get a green light, it’s calibrated. Red light means they need to try the calibration again. The Ozobot also turns off after calibrating so the side ON button needs to be pressed again once you’re ready to use your Ozobot for an activity. The next page is "Tip: Drawing Lines" which shows them illustrations of correct and incorrect lines and page 3 is "Make the Connection" (a simple worksheet of filling in the black lines for a path that Ozobot will follow so they get used to how wide the lines needs to be). These instructions get progressively more complex. The hardest part will be having your child wait a minute or 2 for the marker to dry on the plastic sleeve before they begin using their Ozobot (you’ll want to also prepare for some residual maker stains on their hands – it’s inevitable).
Once the basics are learned through the 25 page hands-on-tutorial (it’s a lot of fun), kids can then use any sheet of white paper to draw their own codes with different colored markers and then watch the Ozobot travel along their custom made patterns. There are additional games and activities that you can print from the Ozobot.com website. If you have a tablet that is at least 9” – you can also play games on the tablet. They also include dice that you fold together to use in games with the Ozobot. There really are a lot of activities that your child can do with the Ozobot.
Mine arrived pre-charged (which was a blessing because I forgot to take it out of the box before Christmas to ensure that it was). It arrives with most of the basics that your child will need. There are blue, green, red and black markers in this kit however don't feel compelled to purchase replacement markers from this company when you transition to writing on paper. Any wide tip marker will work - you just need to snip the end off to make a wide slanted edge. What I thought was interesting is that they did NOT include a Pod case (think of it as a carrying case) for the Ozobot in the starter pack and I can’t find them for sale on Amazon nor on the Ozobot website – This really should have been included in every Ozobot purchase.
I purchased my daughter 2 Ozobots for Christmas so she would race with her brother. She received the blue BIT 2.0 starter pack and a black BIT 2.0 Ozobot (not a starter pack). Strangely, the black BIT Ozobot also included the Pod case that twisted open/closed so you could place the Ozobot inside and you could literally carry it in your pocket and not worry about damaging it. I REALLY wish the starter pack also included the Pod case in the starter pack. These little robots are AWESOME but they are fragile and need to be handled with care. I’m still trying to find an acceptable tiny case for the white/blue Ozobot and I’m astonished that a Pod case wasn’t included and I can’t find it for sale anywhere (I checked Amazon and the Ozobot website).
Lastly, although there are skins (think of them as rubbery coverings) that you can place over top of the Ozobot to make them look different, my daughter hates them because of how difficult they are to remove. As she put it, “I’m scared to death that I’m going to break the Ozobot when I try to remove it because it is so tight.” There are a few sheets of stickers to “personalize” the Ozobot with the skins however we haven’t used them due to concern over breaking the Ozobot when taking the skin off (and you miss out on a lot of the light show when the skins are on because they conceal most of the blinking lights).
One final note – if you decide to purchase 1 Ozobot, I would recommend the Starter pack 2.0 due to the 25 page tutorial activities. If you decide to buy 2 (like I did), I would recommend purchasing a starter pack AND a regular BIT Ozobot 2.0 (without the starter pack). Each one comes with unique games and activities that your child can play with and, the one WITHOUT the starter pack includes the plastic Pod case that will allow your child to more securely carry one Ozobot around.
Overall, we really like these robots. The price fluctuates – I purchased the starter pack for around $50 and the Bit 2.0 (non-starter pack) for $44. I’d definitely recommend this product.
I already have four Ozobots that I use to teach coding in my Science Club. My daughter enjoyed them so much that she wanted an Ozobot of her own. The Starter Pack comes with activity sheets, markers, and other accessories to get you started. Once you learn what Ozobots can do, you can go to the Ozobot website and get more games, or even learn how to code in Blockly language to program your own Ozobot (Yes, you can actually program your Ozobot by writing the code, then holding the robot up to the computer screen!). These little robots are no bigger than a ping-pong ball, but they are wonderful tools to teach coding to both kids and adults. I highly recommend them!
My 7yr old loves this Ozobot! We use it while homeschooling as she loves robots! It works great and she learns code while using it and has made lot's of obstacle courses on her own. I only wish we had bought the 2 pack so my 11yr old could fo and do races as well! Fun product, one she will be learning with for awhile.
This has been the most used robot present, and we've had a few. The kids *think* they want a robot, a dancing robot, a dog robot, a cat robot, but once they get them, it gets boring so fast. This has been played with a bunch and I like that there are more things downloadable from online to give more structured play. Plus it is small and quiet! A parent's dream robot! My 6 year old daughter got this for a gift and has had no trouble getting it going and really likes it. She is a pretty precocious so other 6 year olds may need more hands on help or supervision.
My daughter asked for this for Christmas and when we first got it out of the box I was a little worried that it was going to get frustrating to "program"/color and get it to do what she wanted. However, it does come with a whole line up of pages to start with so they can get used to using the markers and getting the bot to do what they want. She had a ton of fun working through those. I can imagine that it will get old pretty quickly and not get used much which is disappointing given the price point. It's really cute though and a good learning tool.
Feature Product
- Meet Bit - A pocket-sized, basic bot for building early STEAM skills (ages 6+, Beginner coding)
- Ready to Roll - Arrives assembled and ready to play with two ways to code
- Color Codes - Start coding screen-free with the stroke of a marker, as you draw commands and Bit responds
- OzoBlockly - Advance online with the OzoBlockly programming editor, dragging and dropping to create Bit code
- Features: Optical Sensors, LED Light, Strong Polycarbonate Shell, Online Activity Library
Description
With Bit, you’ll start coding with the stroke of a marker. Draw lines and Color Codes, and Bit follows each colorful command. Discover over 20 Color Codes as you complete your Bit Activity Pack. Then, advance with the OzoBlockly code editor on a computer or tablet. Drag and drop blocks to create programs for Bit, then load your code just by holding Bit up to your screen!
Gave this to my 14 year old granddaughter for her birthday. She is totally enjoying it and uses it at times to tease the cat so the cat is loving it as well. Not recommended for cats but for children it is great fun. Can't wait to order one for myself. And yes, Grammie is a kid at heart.
Got this for our 1st grader. He has trouble with drawing the lines properly but loves using the activity cards with the stickers and the iPad as well. This definitely would not have been as successful if he had to draw the lines himself. I'm sure an older child would have no issues.
My son uses ozobots at school, and he was thrilled to get his own for home. This product arrived sooner than promised and was just as described. Everything needed to get started with an ozobot is included. This is a great gift for both boys and girls grades 2-6 and teaches basic principles of coding. Perfect toy to support the push towards STEM.
I purchased this for my Niece who wants to learn how to code. She is only 10 so this is going to be a great little tool to help her on the way! She was so excited when I told her what it does.
I was surprised at the side of the robot. It's about the side of a ball bearing. I can see how easily this could be lost of broken, but it is more durable than I thought.
The concept at it's core is extremely simple and fun; it's a very clever device at a very fair price.
This says 6+ and I would say that is accurate, but my 3yo has a slightly longer attention span than most, so I gave it a shot. He's not quite coordinated enough to use it by himself, but it has been great for teaching his letters.
The device will follow the arc of the letters lighting up the same color as the marker used. It makes a detailed dive into each letter a lot of fun and he's often asking for "The robot".
There's a lot more advanced stuff that this can do, which I haven't attempted, yet. Hopefully, it lasts as he grows and we can try out the other capabilities.
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