Thursday 19 March 2015

Kano - We're up and running - Review!!

Last week I introduced Kano....Our kit arrived on Friday and we were going to give it a try over the weekend but time just ran away with us so after school this week we got it out, put it together and learned some of the basics!

"A computer and coding kit for all ages, all over the world. Simple as Lego, powered by Pi. Make games, learn code, create the future"


The Kano kit comes with everything you need to build a fully functioning PC....A compact computer board called Raspberry Pi, a wireless keyboard with trackpad, speaker, HDMI and USB cables, USB Wi-Fi dongle, a memory card, power plug, clear case, plus stencils and stickers.

Ellie decided she would be putting the computer together.....I was a bit dubious whether she would manage it or not....She read the instruction book herself and was telling me how to do it....The instructions are in a story form, with plenty of pictures and was perfect for her to understand and fun to read....


Everything slotted together easily....There was no need for screws.....Ellie is 7 years old and had no problems....The only bit I helped with was putting the speaker wire into the pins on the board....It was a little fiddly for her to do....I was quite amazed it was so easy! In fact I have had a harder job putting some Lego sets together in the past.....

We didn't need any additional help to get Kano up and running but if you do their website has answers for just about every problem you could encounter!

It only took us about 10 minutes to put together and then came the moment of truth....Powering it up! As you can see it worked....We saw saw lines of code appear on the TV followed by "Hello! I'm KANO. Thanks for bringing me to life. What should I call you?" We felt a great sense of accomplishment....


 This is where Becky stepped in....She loves computers more than she loves me, I'm sure....lol When Kano started up it went through a few loading screens which were very amusing and talked you through setting up the the Kano. There was some fun touches....Are you a Boy, Girl or Wizard? That amused me....There was of course some updates to do which you come to expect these days.....


If I wasn't reviewing this product I could have quite happily left Becky to use it herself.....When starting it gives you a quick walk through the basics and it all looks bright, colourful and perfect for little people.....

There are a few games apps on the Kano desktop  Snake, Pong, and Minecraft....They are there to give you an introduction to the basics....Becky being a the huge Minecraft fan she is was keen to get onto that part of Kano....Within minutes she was writing codes and very impressed with herself....



During the setup you can make an online account where you are able to share your creations and see how many tasks you have completed and lines of codes you have written...It also means I can keep an eye on what the girls are doing when they are using the Kano....



We have only explored such a small part of what the Kano has to offer and I will be back to report on what we have been doing in a couple of weeks....

The Kano is a great introduction to computing and I think I will probably learn a lot from it....Becky has learned things already in the short time she has used it....This is such a great product and I know it is going to get a lot of use....

Kano kits cost £119.99 (including Free shipping) which might seem a lot but I think it is worth it for the use and amusement you can get from it. It is educational and fun and the possibilities with it are endless....

We were sent a Kano Kit free of charge to try....This is our honest review.....All thoughts and opinions are of course our own...

11 comments :

  1. looks good I would love to try coding myself

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    1. It is a lot of fun and I thought coding would be so complicated but it really isn't.

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  2. These looks excellent. Can't wait to try it x

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  3. Replies
    1. The coolest computer ever according to my girls x

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  4. This looks amazing, i am so impressed that your youngest managed to build it on her own. xx

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  5. really like the look of these-I fancy having a go! I'd love to introduce my daughter to one.

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  6. I am testing this out with big man - so interested to see what it is like. Glad you think it is easy!

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  7. We have the Kano too and the kids are super excited about learning to code over the Easter holidays. Great review!

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  8. LOVE the sound of this- what a fab idea! x

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