Lego WeDo 2.0?

[nature girl]

My 7yo daughter is in an enrichment program where they're using WeDo 1.0. She's a huge Lego fan, enjoys fiddling with engineering projects and she's played around with Scratch-type programs. She's LOVING the enrichment, and has been begging for a set of her own, but...it's super pricey. And I haven't been able to tell how educational it actually is; the programming seems extremely basic. I'm wondering if it's worth shelling out $150+ or if we should wait a couple of years and invest in Mindstorms instead.

 

Thoughts? I've tried searching here, but haven't found much. Have any of you used it? Would you recommend it?

[SoCal_Bear]

I have it but only because I coach a Jr. FLL team as it is now required for teams starting with the 2017-18 season. So it depends on what your end goal is...I would put money towards the Lego EV3 as that is the direction that Lego is headed for the future.

Is it the lego part, robotics part or coding part that you feel is most important to her/you?

If the Lego aspect is not critical at this point then continuing to learn to program in Scratch is a good place to start. That's completely free and so much better than WeDo. I much prefer teaching the kids on my Lego team using Scratch. If you are looking for a robot that she can program, we have enjoyed using the Ozobot which is a much less expensive price point. 

I really liked using this book to help me teach my team about Scratch. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1840786124/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

[Ecclecticmum]

I have it because my son is obsessed with Lego & Robotics.

 

Wedo is basically the younger version, then Boost is the version that will be out midyear which is the next level up, followed by Mindstorms, which is the top level.

 

I decided we would just follow them all the way up.

 

To me, it was worth it, because I knew it was something my son would engage with and love, which he does.

 

Now my youngest could happily play it, but thats just because hes playing it and its something different and new, and interesting, but ultimately she would either break something or lose interest, simply because its not any sort of passion.

 

My two girls love playing on scratch and the eldest is learning how to use it and will eventually follow up with something like Python, she'll also be doing more digital STEM quests and Fashion Design Illustrator programs, because those are where part of her passions lie. The youngest may follow using scratch as well.

 

As above poster says. scratch is perfectly fine.

 

Do I regret getting Wedo 2.0? Absolutely not, I love it and think its brilliant.

 

You are the best person to decide and know your own child, to see if its worth it. Look at the trailers on Youtube, the Club videos of ppl using it on there too. Download the software and have a stickybeak. Then think about you child and see how much they would love it, if they have the sticking power to use it a reasonable amount enough to justify the cost to you, and what your child would take away from the experience (even if its just something like "happiness" lol).

 

I think Wedo, Scratch and other similar beginning coding programs all have their own place :001_smile: