littleBits Hall of Fame Kit: Bubble Bot

No instruction included, you must print them yourself.... paper is not expensive this is so inconvenient for kids.Its not a cost saving thing it is so that you have to go their website and enter your email to get access to the instruction.Yes you must sign up for their mailing list just to get the instructions.FYI you cannot enter your email with an upper case or the website will not give you instructions either...My kids loved that it took 10 mins before we could even start.The instructions are confusing and pictures are incorrect.Never again.

My daughter's experience with the set seems to be different from the other reviewers. So, I thought I'd share her/my take on it.My wife bought this set for our daughter. She really enjoyed the littleBits Arcade Game, for which I also wrote a review, and was excited to try out this Bubble Bot kit. Downloading the instructions was easy, and she was able to build the circuits quickly. There is a nice plastic sheet that folds into the tube for the bubble invention, and the material is different from the paper templates from the Arcade Game kit. My daughter initially installed the fan facing the wrong direction, which caused it to suck in the bubble solution instead of blowing it out. She was able to figure out the issue and fix it on her own. An hour later, she ended up making a different tube for the bubble invention using a plastic cup and some polka dot stickers since she wanted to put her own spin on it.Part of the issue may be that the kit doesn't come with its own bubble solution or instructions for making it. Although this is something you can buy or find instructions for easily enough online, people's experiences may vary based on the quality of the bubble solution they use. Obviously, the bubble invention may not "work" if the bubble solution doesn't hold. We made the solution ourselves using water and dish soap and had no issues making bubbles. One thing that littleBits could have done was provide better instructions for the solution to make the experience more consistent.After playing with the bubble invention for a bit (no pun intended), my daughter later rearranged the bits to make the fan of fortune and said that this was much simpler to build than the second invention of the Arcade Game set, which was the catapult. She made herself an "activity decider" to help her figure out how to spend her summer afternoons when she doesn't know what to do. She suggested making one with food options to "help mom decide what to make/order for dinners," which my wife thought was clever. Of the two inventions in this set, she liked the fan of fortune more than the bubble bot because it actually had more potential uses than just blowing bubbles. So, it really takes both inventions in the kit to get the most use out of it.Basically, I watched my daughter run into an issue and figure out how to fix it all by herself, and then I watched her hack the kit for her own use. These kits may initially have limited uses, but their main purpose is to inspire creativity and teach kids to build things on their own, which this kit did really well.

This kit has almost everything you need, other than something to smooth the edges so that the tunnel for the bubble machine doesn't keep popping the bubbles. As is, the machine will start blowing the bubbles and then pop before it leaves. I used some smooth tape to remedy this problem.The little bit kits are great, easy to get kids excited without a lot of ramp up needed in order to understand the components and how to put things together. Highly recommend trying their kits based on your child's interests.

I got this for my 12 year old and it was very straightforward to put together with the instructions. The only problem is it didn't work. Not entirely at least. The Little Bits support is super easy to work with though and very responsive. Initially I was going to give only four stars for not working out of the box but the stellar support earned them a star back in my book. Once working it was complete hit and I have to admit cooler than I thought it would be. Who knew blowing bubbles could be made fun even for adults? It is a hit with all three of my boys.

I ordered the kit for my 6 y.o. son despite age recommendations of 8+. I remember etching out a circuit board with my brother when I was about 8 and that required more knowledge of electrical components plus a lot of soldering. This kit just makes it all easier! I recommend going over what each component does, then it's just a blast putting everything together. My son had no issues attaching and testing the blocks. Each component is keyed and attaches magnetically, so no mistakes. Everything is provided except the bubble solution, but that's just water and dish soap. I also bought the Night Light Kit, and looking forward to building that with my son as well. Price was very reasonable for what you get. Buying additional kits will only expand your options. What you create will only be limited by your creativity. I will be buying their Synth Kit for myself!!