Saturday 1 January 2022

Best STEM Toys for your kids?

You might have seen the word STEM a lot lately when it comes to educational toys and wondered what on earth is it referring too.  No, it has nothing to do with cloning e.g. stem cells. It in fact refers to an acronym for the following words:

  • Science
  • Technology
  • Engineering
  • Math
STEM toys are educational toys, assisting kids to gain skills and knowledge in the subjects mentioned above. These type of toys have become extremely popular as it gives kids the opportunity to be exposed to these subjects while playing and enjoying themselves.

There are STEM toys for all age groups including the following:


Here are some of the most popular STEM toys currently:
(I will be growing the list ...)


From the manufacturer: Girls can build their very own unique structures with the Roominate Chateau! Using the included building pieces that easily snap together, girls can tap into their imaginations to design two‐level structures, bunk beds, balconies, a house on wheels, and other endless possibilities. Electrical circuits enhance designs so girls can watch their creations come to life with real movement, including spinning windmills, carousels, lamps, and more. Included in this 131‐piece set are 8 wall/floor panels, 52 furniture building pieces, 32 connectors, 4 arches, 4 wheels, 2 axles, a motor, string of 4 lights, 2 switches, 2 battery packs, a screwdriver, doll, pet, and 20 sheets of craft paper. Requires 4 AAA batteries, not included.


See a review of Roominate Chateau below:



ZOOB BuilderZ S.T.E.M. Challenge

From the manufacturer: ZOOB S.T.E.M. Challenge gives you the tools you need to design and build creations to solve challenges, such as hitting targets and making balls bounce. Dream up ingenious solutions for each test. Learn and apply science, technology, engineering and math (S.T.E.M.) principles. Comes with 175 classic ZOOB pieces, plus wheels with axles and rubber tires, a high-bounce ball, 24 rubber bands, 2 foam play pads, string, 26 ZOOB challenges plus 9 Bonus challenges, 5 instruction guides to build 40 creations






See a review of ZOOB S.T.E.M. Challenge below:






Snap Circuits Lights Electronics Discovery Kit


From the manufacturer: Watch and be amazed at what your music can do with the new Snap Circuits Lights. Connect your iPod or any MP3 player and enjoy your music as the lights change to the beat. Features: Infrared Detector, Strobe Light, Color Changing LED, Lighted and Glow-in-the-Dark Fans, Strobe integrated circuit (IC), Fiber Optic communication, Color organ controlled by iPod or other MP3 player, voice or finger.








See a review of Snap Circuits Lights Electronics Discovery Kit below:



Geode Explorer Science Kit - Crack Open 7 Amazing Rocks and Find Crystals!




From the Manufacturer: Formed by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago, geodes can contain a world of crystals including quartz, calcite, or even amethyst – which minerals will your child find? This science kit gets the adventure started with all you need to start a rock and mineral collection.

This STEM kit includes:
• 7 premium-quality geodes (mined in 3 different locations around the world)
• Full-color adventure guide (written by teachers)
• Activity booklet (with 10 puzzles and games)
• Safety goggles (for cracking open the geodes safely)
• Magnifying glass (to examine your crystals)
• 2 display stands (for starting your collection)



See a review of Geode Explorer Science Kit below:




LEGO Mindstorms EV3 31313


From the Manufacturer: Unleash the creative powers of LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3! Build TRACK3R, R3PTAR, SPIK3R, EV3RSTORM and GRIPP3R faster than ever before with the amazing free EV3 Programmer App on your tablet. Then use the intuitive drag-and-drop interface to program your favorite robots to walk, talk, think and do anything you can imagine. When you're ready for more, fire up the advanced programming features of the EV3 Software on your PC and Mac, or take instant control with the free Robot Commander app on your smart device or infrared remote control included with each set. Log on to LEGO.com/MINDSTORMS to access loads of cool content and interact with a huge online community of other LEGO MINDSTORMS fans. The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 robot revolution continues!



See a review of LEGO Mindstorms EV3 31313 below:



littleBits Electronics Premium Kit


From the Manufacturer: Create tomorrow’s innovators and idea-makers with littleBits electronic building blocks. These easy-to-use Bits make creative discovery and invention a snap for next-generation thinkers, designers, and tinkerers of all ages and genders. No programming, soldering or wiring required.












See a review of littleBits Electronics Premium Kit below:


Tuesday 10 September 2019

Can I play Fortnite Battle Royale on my Smartphone?

On which phones can I play Fortnite?

Fortnite the Epic Games hit , has taken the world by storm over the past couple of years. Originally started as just a PC game, the game developers have increased the target devices to include popular consoles like XBox, PS4 and in the past 18 months, also mobile devices like Apple and Samsung smartphones. There is however a lot of queries about which smartp
hones can actually handle the game, so I've started to do some research as to which phones will support the game.

There has been a definite trend in the past couple of years away from traditional toys and leaning a bit more the console and mobile games for kids entertainment, hence I've decided to proceed with this investigation.

Fortnite Battle Royale
Copyright: Epic Games Fortnite
The minimum specification for a mobile device to run Fortnight is the following:
  • OS:  Recommended Android 8.0 or higher, 64 bit or iOS 12 or higher for Apple
  • RAM: 3GB or higher
  • GPU: Adreno 530 or higher, Mali-G71 MP20, Mali-G72 MP12 or higher

Here follows a list of phones currently capable of running Fortnite as per Epic Games:


  • Samsung Galaxy: S7 / S7 edge / S7 Active, S8 / S8+ / S8 Active, S9 / S9+, S10e / S10 / S10+ / S10 5G, Note 8, Note 9, Tab S3 / S3 WiFi, S4, A9 / A9 Pro
  • Sony: Xperia XZ / XZ Premium, XZs, XZ1 / XZ1 Compact, XZ2 / XZ2 Premium / XZ2 Compact, XZ3, Xperia 1
  • LG: G5, G6, G7 ThinQ, V20, V30 / V30+, V50
  • OnePlus: 3, 3T, 5, 5T, 6, 6T, 7 and 7 Pro
  • Xiaomi: Blackshark, Mi 5 / 5S / 5S Plus, 6 / 6 Plus, Mi 8 / 8 Explorer, Mi Mix / Mi Mix 2 / Mi Mix 2S, Mi Note 2, Poco F1
  • Google: Pixel / Pixel XL, Pixel 2 / Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3 / Pixel 3 XL
  • Asus: ROG Phone, Zenfone 4 Pro, 5Z, V
  • Essential: PH-1
  • Nokia: 8, 8.1/X7
  • Razer: Phone / Phone 2
  • ZTE: Axon 7 / 7s, Axon M, Nubia / Z17 / Z17s, Nubia Z11
  • HTC: 10, U Ultra, U11/ U11+, U12+
  • Lenovo: Moto Z/Z Droid, Moto Z3, Moto Z2 Force
  • Huawei: HONOR 10, HONOR Play, HONOR Mate 10 / Pro, HONOR Mate RS, HONOR Nova 3, HONOR P20 / Pro, HONOR V10, HONOR View20, HONOR Mate 20 / X / Pro
  • Apple: SE, 6S, 6S Plus, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, X, XS, XS Max, XR
I will be adding more Fortnite related help going forward. I hope your device will be able to handle this awesome game!

Wednesday 26 December 2018

Popular Lego Star Wars Sets

Lego Star Wars is going from Strength to Strength.  My kids are absolute Star Wars junkies and they are trying their best, to get me to buy every new set, released by Lego. My budget has so far not allowed this!

Let's see what is trending now:

LEGO Star Wars 75054 AT-AT Building Toy

From Lego:
Who can stop the Empire's intimidating AT-AT - All Terrain Armored Transport - walker? Seat the AT-AT Driver and a Snowtrooper in the cockpit of this mighty war machine and move the head to aim the spring-loaded shooters. Pose the legs, trigger the trap door in the body and open up the side hatches for enhanced playability. Collect the 75049 Snowspeeder (sold separately) to play out the classic Battle of Hoth scene from Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back! Includes 5 minifigures with assorted weapons and an accessory: AT-AT Driver, General Veers, Snowtrooper Commander and 2 Snowtroopers.





LEGO Star Wars X-Wing Starfighter 9493


From Lego: Take to the stars in the classic X-wing starfighter. Featuring wings that fold into attack mode, proton torpedoes, retractable landing gear and opening cockpit, this most iconic vehicle of the Star Wars universe returns to turn the tide in the battle against the evil Empire. Includes 4 minifigures: Luke Skywalker, Jek Porkins, R2-D2 and R5-D8.






LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon 7965

From Lego: Escape from the grip of the Death Star in the iconic Millennium Falcon! Will you rewrite history and help Ben Kenobi defeat the dark side? Prepare for an epic battle of intergalactic proportions! Straight from the Death Star escape scene of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, the all-new LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon features stunning details including hull plates that open to reveal a detailed interior, twin flick missiles, rotating quad laser cannons and a detachable cockpit cover. Includes Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, Ben Kenobi, Princess Leia Organa and Darth Vader with assorted weapons.





More to be added soon ...

You can also see more at Top Trending Toys for Boys and Girls

Tuesday 2 October 2018

Popular Toys for Christmas 2018

Christmas 2018, is almost here and as usual I am reviewing the hot and sometimes not so hot toys of the season.


I will be adding lots of toy reviews as he days draw closer to Christmas.

This year there is a definitive swing towards more electronic entertainment gifts for older kids, although the below Fortnite figures are going to be quite popular as a result of the popularity of the online game manufactured by Epic Games.

1 Fortnite Action Figures





Read more about these figures ...