My son loves to build and create. He has buckets of Legos that will entertain him for hours on end. So when I heard about iBrick’s LEGO-compatible STEM kit from Timberdoodle, I knew we needed to check it out!
What is iBrick?
The iBrick STEM kit is a set of LEGO-compatible bricks, a battery-operated motor, wheels, and other parts. It is accompanied by online lessons and instructions to create a year-long STEM adventure.
What is included in the iBrick STEM kit?
This kit includes everything you need for the builds, except a few AA batteries for the motor. All the bricks are included, and there is a nice organizing tray that makes it easy to find what you need as you build.
The kit also includes 12 months of online access to the program, with 52 different weekly lessons.
What do the weekly lessons entail?
- Digital Booklet of Instructions (much like the physical booklets that come with many brick kits)
- Rotatable Picture Model Instructions (Use your mouse to rotate the digital pictures to help the builder understand how things are put together.)
- A Short Video Lesson About the STEM Project (This gives background, history, and science behind the item being built.)
- A series of challenges to use with the build
Our Experiences: The Car Safety Challenge
To help you better understand the iBrick program, let’s walk through one of the weekly lessons: The Car Safety Challenge.
In this lesson, students first follow instructions to build a car and test it out. My eight-year-old needed a little bit of help getting the hang of following the digital directions, but once he understood how they worked, he was able to complete the project independently.
Next, they watch a short (about 4-minute) video about the history of cars and car safety, including steering wheels (who knew the first cars didn’t have those), seat belts, airbags, etc.
Finally, they take the car they made in the first section and work through several challenges related to making it safer. There are instructions for building a brick person to go on the car, and then they “wreck” the car and see how he fares. Next, they try adding several safety features to see if the brick person survives the crash better with the added features.
Overall, the lesson took about 90 minutes for him to complete from start to finish. This will vary for the different lessons and based on how long it takes your child to complete the builds.
Other iBrick Lessons
Some of the other lessons include:
- A carousel
- Crocodile
- Roadster
- Space shuttle
- Hockey
- Fishing game
- And so much more
Overall Thoughts
Both parents and children give this product two thumbs up! As a parent, I loved that it engaged him in active learning and problem solving while he thought he was just having fun.
My son loved building, trying out the different challenges, and making things that actually move. The step-by-step instructions, rotating views, and short videos made it easy for him to use. Once we helped him get everything set up, he was able to do it independently.
I’d recommend this for upper elementary and middle grades students to do independently. They also offer subscriptions for younger students with easier builds. The different levels use the same brick kit, so you only have to purchase additional lessons, and not an entirely new kit, if you want to complete multiple levels.
This STEM kit is a great way to encourage problem-solving, building, and other learning through brick play.
FAQs
What ages is this kit designed for?
The kit we reviewed was specifically designed for ages 7-9. They have other ages available, and I believe you could use it for children slightly older or younger than the recommended age range.
What makes the iBrick STEM kit different from other brick kits?
The lessons really make this kit stand out. It is not just building with bricks (which is beneficial on its own), but the challenges and the informational videos that make this a complete course.
Find out more and order your iBrick STEM kit from Timberdoodle today.
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