You probably already know that I am a big Ozobot fan and have been for a long time. I’ve done numerous reviews of the toy and also some of the new Ozobot Bit. They are cool toys for kids to use to learn some basics of coding. Well, there is some great news for anyone looking to get their hands on a new Ozobot Starter pack or even upgrade their starter pack to the Ozobot Bit. I’d personally spend the extra $10 and get the Ozobot Bit because it can so so much more with the programming language Ozoblockly.

There is also a challenge happening for fans and owners of Ozobots. The Ozobot Cardboard Challenge is starting this month. I’m not clear completely on the details so check this one out for yourself. It looks like you have to register your challenge by October 10th but have till October 31st to complete it? Don’t quote me on that one because I haven’t registered our own challenge yet. Read on for the latest news in the world of Ozobot.

KICK START A CHILD’S GEEKY SIDE FOR UNDER $50 WITH COOL BLUE OR LAVA RED OZOBOT STARTER PACK

Prep Kids To Lead Tomorrow’s Workforce By Introducing Coding With The Award-Winning One-Inch Robot That’s Fun To Program

Redondo Beach, CA (September 24, 2015) – Adults like to joke if they need computer support or resolving a tech-y situation, go find a 12-year-old! That’s because kids live and breathe technology. Programming and coding are no longer left to IT experts but are now as common to kids as playing with trucks and dolls. This holiday season, empower youngsters with the joy of coding with Ozobot Starter Pack ($49.99) available in Cool Blue or Lava Red.

Retailers from Barnes & Noble to Toys R Us are stocking their shelves with the newest and greatest award-winning Ozobot, a one-inch robot that appeals to kids. Its color-based coding language introduces young minds to concepts that are vital to their success in the 21st century. Parents love Ozobot as it supplements the school day with STEM-infused play at home.

Click on the Ozobot’s newest YouTube video, to see the Starter Pack in colorful motion.

“The magic of Ozobot is that it’s very simple to get it to work right,” wrote TechCrunch after seeing it at CES 2015, “thereby drawing in users quickly and encouraging them to try to do more. The tiny Ozobot robots … move by following lines that you have drawn either on a piece of paper or on a screen, and you can customize what they do by changing the colors of the lines.” TechCrunch observed, “The aim, for now, isn’t so much to teach programming languages like Python or C++, but to get younger people into the mindset of how to conceive of a sequence of commands and attach them to a visual outcome.”

Echoed Tech Times reporting from this summer’s CE Week 2015, “The robot makes learning logic, programming and reasoning skills a fun gaming experience. Because (Ozobot) the robot can identify color, the company has been able to create a robot that can associate color sequences with commands.” Tech Times explained, “After young kids master these skills, they graduate into learning how to think critically through mission-based activities in which they have to use problem-solving skills to get Ozobot from point A to point B.”

Programming is not just for geeks, it’s for everyone. When your child learns to write, it’s not necessarily to become an author, it’s to be able to communicate. Learning how to program is learning the language of today’s tech world. It is an essential tool to build their confidence and prepare them to lead tomorrow’s businesses whether in medicine, engineering, arts, farming or manufacturing!

Playing with Ozobot allows children as young as 6 to make independent decisions via random logic, get visual feedback with multicolor LED lighting and “dress” their robot with various protective skins. It’s intelligent gameplay, the type of toy that will benefit children with cutting-edge skills. Ozobot Starter Pack • Age 6+ – $49.99

Will your robot be Cool Blue or Lava Red? Both starter kits will ignite a child’s imagination and foster a love of technology. Inside each pack are over 20 activities for the enchanting one-inch programmable robot to perform. Look inside for 4 code-creating markers, 2 clear play surface sheets, 2 sheets of reusable Ozobot code stickers plus a DIY blank customizable Ozobot skin and DIY skin sticker sheet. Each pack comes with a charging USB cable. Instructions explain how to download free Android & iOS Apps.

Once youngsters master Ozobot, push their skills up another notch with Ozobot Bit. Bit allows users to fully control movement and behavior using its custom block-based programming editor, OzoBlockly (www.ozoblockly.com). Powered by Google’s Blockly, OzoBlockly will feel very intuitive to the users of Scratch, Hopscotch, App Inventor, Tynker or Tickle App. This simplified visual programming language enables children to learn programming while learning how to think creatively, reason logically and work collaboratively.

Ozobot Bit • Ages 8+ • $59.99

This innovative learning tool offers a simple, fun and engaging path into STEM and computer science. While Ozobot Bit is the most advanced robot in Ozobot’s toy chest, it includes all of the core features: control with markers, advancing with STEM activities and mastering with sequence programming using Ozobot free App games.

Owners of the Starter Packs can upgrade for $9.99 their Ozobot to an Ozobot Bit, if they like, by visiting http://ozoblockly.com/#starterPackUpgrade. Follow Ozobot on all social media channels from Facebook to Pinterest. Visit Ozobot.com for free web-based and printable games, challenges and lesson plans.

ABOUT EVOLLVE, INC.

Our journey began in the spring of 2012 with an idea of finding creative ways to engage young minds and prepare them to succeed in an evolving digital world. Technology is an essential component to daily living and is integrated in almost everything we use and consume. At its core is computer science, critical thinking and programming and we believe it is our responsibility to teach our kids to not just be users of technology but makers of it.

We also believe that the best way to learn is to have fun, so we set out to create Ozobot, a robotic gaming ecosystem that promotes social interaction, computational thinking and confidence building through competitive play and interactive games.

Since its launch, Ozobot has garnered over a dozen of top industry awards such as 2015 KAPi Awards for Best Robot, CES 2015 Editors’ Choice Awards, and the 2015 Brain Toy award.