LEGO Mindstorms NXT
From LEGO
For the older kid who's already mastered all of the basics of Lego. There's a good chance that she or he is also interested in computers and robots, in which case, Lego Mindstorms is without a doubt, a perfect gift. This is a real robot kit (Lego's most advanced ever) featuring the new NXT Intelligent Brick -- the robot's brain.Customer Reviews
Lego Robotic Tournaments for kids
I am buying an NXT for my 11 year old son who has been begging for one for awhile. He is a member of the Robotics team at his elementary school (his 3rd year) and so he interacts with these every day, but wants one of his own to play around with at home.
For those of you whose children are or may be interested in science/engineering/robotics, etc. or are just looking for something creative to do, there is a worldwide program out there that they can join to help develop these skills and have fun at the same time! Lego created this program about 15 years ago and it is now worldwide. Go to [...] to learn all about it. The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Program is absolutely wonderful. They start out at age 6, with the Junior FIRST Lego League (JFLL); 9-14 yr olds. [or about 3-8th graders] compete in the FIRST Lego League (FLL), using the NXT or RCX (older model) robots; and when they hit high school, they begin building real, actual working robots to compete with.
If your school does not have a team, look into starting one (anyone can: schools, churches, boy/girl scout troops, community organizations, whatever). The fees are not much after the initial kit cost (around $600, which includes the robot and all tournament supplies) and often you can find sponsors to cover some, if not all, of the fees. The kids do not just play with robots, they also work very hard on a research project which they present to a panel of judges at each tournament (there is usually a tourney for city, region, state, national, and then international if your team qualifies for each next tournament), and there are awards for many things: robot competitions, teamwork, research, robot design, team spirit, overall score, etc. If you are looking for a great extracurricular for your gifted or creative child, this is it!
Great Physics and Computer Science Tool for Children
This is a great way to teach children physics, robotics, and computer science. Even if children don't want to make a robot, they can be very creative with the components just as with many lego products.
Mindstorm can do almost anything! I got it for Christmas.
I was so excited. I am only 8 but I love bulding. THIS PRODUCT IS GREAT!
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