Epic STEM Schooling with Twin Science plus 30% Discount

The Beans have been busy with their Twin Science STEM schooling again, this time using the Twin Science Curiosity Kit and the Coding Kit. This couldn’t have come at a better time since the schools have been closed due to Covid-19 which has affected people all over the world. Having helpful resources on hand to make the learning of STEM subjects such as mathematics, science and technology more fun means the children are far more engaged with their education.

What does STEM stand for?

STEM is the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. It is also known as STEAM which is the study of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math.

STEM Education with the Curiosity Kit

I gave the Beans the choice on which kits they could test to continue their home STEM education. Lillie liked the look of the Twin Science Curiosity Kit which is a Starter Pack for STEM learning in the 21st Century.

The kit is designed for children aged 7-10 years to support an interest in robotics following a safe and simple program of project ideas which are included in the box using electronic building blocks and craft materials.

What’s in the box?

• User’s Guide
• Power Pack
• Proximity Sensor
• Wire
• Buzzer
• Bargraph
• Latch
• Sound Sensor
• 18 x craft accessories

Testing the Twin Science Curiosity Kit

Applaud and Illuminate

Lillie was most excited to try out the light experiments and got stuck in with the Applaud and Illuminate bedside lamp. By following the step by step illustrated instructions which told her which electronic building blocks she would need to add to the craft materials, Lillie created a light which would switch on and off with a clap of the hands.

Being the inquisitive girl that she is, Lillie also decided to test whether she could tell the light to turn on and off with her voice and indeed she could.

Flashlight

Using the electronic building blocks, flashlight cardboard and projection cards Lillie created a flashlight where she discovered that the lights reach the projection slides at different angles which produce a rainbow effect of lights against the walls which are in the opposite order to those on the Bargraph.

Lillie’s other favourite experiments were Morse Code as we have recently visited Bletchley Park home of the codebreakers and the Smart Pet Feeder. Unfortunately, our pets are not that smart and ran away when they heard the buzzer.

Twin Science Coding Kit

Whilst Lillie was busy with the Curiosity Kit, the boys set to work with their STEM learning using the Twin Science Coding Kit. This kit is aimed at children aged 9-12 years and includes an app which you need to download to your phone or tablet. Ollie LOVES coding and understands it far better than even I do.

What’s in the Coding Kit?

Inside the Coding Kit you will find:

• User’s Guide
• A Coding Module
• Servo Monitor
• Ultrasonic Sensor
• Jumper Cables
• Buzzer
• USB Data Cable

Using the Coding Kit

The eletronic building modules connect to each other with magnets. The User’s Guide teaches the children how the energy moves in the directions of the arrows shown on the modules and that it is important to ensure the arrows all face the same direction.

The modules can be implemented into any Lego construction so if you have a mini-engineer on your hands then the only thing holding them back will be their imagination.

To make building even easier to understand, each of the modules are colour coded:

• GREY – Power modules which come first and provide the power to make the circuit work
• YELLOW – Input modules send the signals to the modules which come afterwards
• RED – Logic/transmission modules allow expansion of the circuit so you can change the direction and control twin modules when you get really clever.
• BLUE – Output modules product an output such as sound, light or movement.

Twinner Mobile App

As I mentioned above, in order to use the Coding Kit you need to download the Twinner Mobile App. The app is available free on the App Store and on Google Play. We added this to our tablet without any problems so the boys could get stuck in with their coding education.

Adults Not Required

Obviously it would depend largely upon the individual child but I wanted to see how the boys got on with the kit without my involvement so I simply sat back and observed. They didn’t need me, not even once!

Together they took it in turns to work through the User’s Guide following the experiments using the illustrations and words for guidance (perfect for learners of all abilities).

Make Your Own Piano

Last year when we went to Cornbury Festival the children played ‘banana piano’ and it has stuck with them ever since. The second Albie spotted the ‘Make Your Own Piano’ he knew exactly what he wanted to do so he played the Plum Tomatoes!!! Unfortunately the video I took of him doing this corrupted so I only have a still but he enjoyed it all the same.

Code Your Song

The Beans have all done coding in their respective schools, something which I would have loved to learn during my college years also but sadly it was not part of our school policy at the time. Ollie in particular really enjoys coding and couldn’t wait to get stuck into the ‘Code Your Song’ task.

Using the electronic building blocks and the Twinner App, Ollie built the code necessary to play one of his favourite pieces of music from Star Wars by dragging Buzzer/Play blocks into the module.

Lights of the City

This very simple piece of code taught the boys that by added different blocks and selecting colours, they were able to change the colour of the LEDs to flash whilst playing an audible noise.

Our Thoughts

For inquisitive minds these kits are fantastic for encouraging them to experiment, learn and have fun all at the same time. As well as the fun tasks included in the User’s Guide there are additional learning opportunities available on the Twinner App and you can expand the set using the craft materials provided or by adding your own lego blocks to create fun robots or pieces of equipment. We have felt that Twin Science is the perfect accompaniment to expand your child’s love of learning and science.

Grab 30% Discount

If you fancy trying out Twin Science with your young scientists I have a discount code which will give you 30% off your purchase. Just enter when prompted.

‘Matters30’