Piper Computer Kit (2018 Edition) - Teach Kids to Code - STEM Learning Toy with Minecraft: Raspberry Pi

The Piper Computer kit is a bit larger than other kits out there, but does include elements that other kits don't. The approach is good for kids and the hands on building of the kit is good for teaching how to follow instructions, use tools, and patience just to name a few. Building instructions are straight forward and fun, but, some components need thought as to which goes first (if you connect a section, the other might need to connect first or you need to take it apart). Packing could be better and I was surprised that the battery pack, cables/cords, buttons, and the Pi itself were not in anti-static bags or no desiccant as well. The micro-sd card was loaded into the Pi, which should be shipped separately and protected. Our SD card didn't work right off the bat; the OS would not load and there is no place online to download the OS. The power cord didn't work either, had to use a spare I had laying around. We are missing parts too; the kids tried to continue a section of the game and it required parts, that were not included in the box. It is a fun and easy interface for the kids to use, the interaction, use of the software and physical buttons/ wires is great, but missing/non working parts hampers the experience.

I'm sick of my kids watching garbage so we decided to move across the street from a library and I bought them coding kits including the Piper Computer Kit. Kim Kardashian is not doing anything for the world.

My son loves to build gadgets and is super creative. I've been looking for the right gadgets to buy for him for a while now and found Piper through extensive research. The kit is just brilliant! It is exactly something I was looking for. I wanted something which would be more outcome-driven and sustainable fun for hours together. This is just that.It was as exciting for me, as my 7-year-old to unpack the box and assemble the entire computer. It was a wonderful experience building from scratch and my son just enjoyed it!He learnt to program the switches, buttons, etc. all on his own. While I was supervising his work, my help wasn't required all that much, apart from clarifying instructions at times. There were blueprints to help out and overall was not over-complicated for a 7 year old. I would say its medium complexity for a 7-year old.The overall kit had high quality components which just come together like a beautiful puzzle. There is even a mini-mouse!Overall the steps are quite intuitive and they involve building the "controller box" and the power-ups for storing the mouse, etc. Finally, installing the Raspberry Pi 3 board and then putting together all the enclosures. The LCD display thankfully is pre-built. Now for hours of mine-craft and fantastic projects! I'll soon update my review with the cool projects :-)If you're looking for a fantastic project for your child that encourages critical thinking and problem solving, along with developing their engineering skills, look no further!

I have two boys, 8 & 11, who decided to take on the Piper Computer Kit. My boys were able to build the computer with ease. It took them about 2-3 straight hours of working on it and did not want to stop for dinner or bedtime because it was so fun. The instructions included were self-explanatory and they required no help from me or from the tech support offered by the company. They offer real phone numbers and chat services if you do have questions at any point, they are there as a lifeline. The game included with it is similar to Minecraft so for the kids, it was fairly intuitive. The story mode associated with it took them about 2 hours to complete so it is not overly challenging but they absolutely loved it and said the graphics were better than Minecraft. As for coding, there seems to be nothing super challenging at first glance. It includes 11 different tutorial games to create different programs/functions. If your child already has some coding experience, I don’t see anything here that challenges them beyond simple commands and introductory coding. For beginners, then the Piper Computer is well suited for learning through hands-on experience. Now, you have the opportunity to do your own coding and create your own things; you just have to have motivated kids who want to think and try some things on their own. The screen is a good size and the input is HDMI so even if they want to take a break from the computer, they can plug in other items, like our Raspberry Pi emulator. There is a web browser in the computer so they can access the Internet but you’ll need a keyboard which isn’t included. My son used his Kano keyboard from another computer build project. Between Kano and the Piper, both boys said they definitely prefer the Piper as it is more fun, interactive, and offers more opportunities. Considering both are about the same price, I would definitely choose this. Those boys definitely feel pride and ownership in their computer knowing they built it all by themselves and enjoy showing their friends what they can do with it.

I was really excited about having my 7 year old put this computer kit together. It was a lot of fun seeing him read the Top Secret mission note before he started. He built it pretty independently and it took about 1.5-2 hours to build. Would've been a lot quicker if I had guided the process more, but I mostly supervised and helped out if he needed it. He felt so proud of his computer kit, and I agree that it looks pretty cool. The building blueprint was also very well done and pretty straight-forward. I also really like how the computer is in a case where you can fit everything into. So it's easy to clean up after he's done working on it. He's only started to play the games/complete the mission but he's really enjoying it and he is learning quite a bit about how computers and electronics work. I'd recommend this to anyone that is looking for a hands-on educational game that is fun to put together and fun to play.