Pitsco Education (A Homeschool Crew Review)

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Garrett loves anything that involves hands on learning. Creating things that move or interact from scratch is how he spends most of his free time and we're always on the lookout for something new and interesting to help grow his technical knowledge. 

When we were offered our choice of STEM kits from Pitsco Education we had a hard time narrowing down our choice to only one product to review. Eventually, we decided upon the Arduino Education Student Kit.

 

The Arduino Education kit is designed to give children ages 11+ an introduction in integrated elections.  Using the provided materials as well as software and instruction included with the kit through their website, students learn about basic circuitry and coding in a step by step manner.

The kit includes tons of jump wires, diodes, and resistors as well as a breadboard, voltage meter, and the Arduino UNO Rev 3 open-source microcontroller board. Used in conjunction with the nine step by step lessons, students are given more than 25 hours of course materials starting with creating basic circuits and progressing on to writing code and coding concepts, using servo motors, producing sounds, tons and music, measuring the intensity of light from light emitting diodes and more. 

No prior coding or electronics experience is needed. Students are able to jump right in after learning the history of electronics, basic definitions and concepts about circuitry and electronics and about how to  safety work with electronics.

The kit is completely reusable and includes the following components:

Everything comes neatly packed in a closable storage container to help keep everything together and for easy storage.   All smart parts are also enclosed in a separate storage container.  Everything needed for the projects are included, with the exception of a computer with a USB port for the Arduino UNO Rev 3 Microcontroller to communicate with the programming software necessary for coding lessons.

Garrett has really been enjoying learning about electronics with this kit.  Using the website and access code that was included in the kit, we were able to set up an account in order to access the lessons and resources needed to start the program.  The website also included a downloadable/printable workbook that includes projects and questions to be completed after the completion of the lessons online.

 

 

To say that Garrett has been having a blast with this kit would be an understatement.  For Garrett to actually ask to do activities one his school day doesn't typically happen. However, as this hands on STEM kit appeals to his preferred method of learning, he constantly asks to do lessons.  However, I have limited him to one lesson a week and then he can review and redo that lesson until he has a firm understanding of the material.

This has actually worked really well for us considering that the lessons online are rather lengthy.  This means Garrett tends to skim over things and instead just tries to do the project itself.  By making him repeat the lessons and only complete one lesson each week, he's presented the material multiple times and tends to pick up more of what he is learning.

We have been really pleased with the kit and think it's a perfect choice for those looking for hands on STEM related learning.  And Pitsco Education would like for readers a chance to get this wonderful kit for free. You can enter their giveaway at http://www.pitsco.com/Arduino-Student-Kit-Giveaway

To learn more about the Arduino Education Student Kit or the many other STEM based products offered by Pitsco Education, be sure to visit the Pitsco Education website.  You can also find them on the following social media sites:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PitscoEducation/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pitscoed
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pitscoed/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/pitscoeducation/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/PitscoEd

Members of the Review Crew were offered their choice of 7 different STEM products to use with their families. Be sure to click the banner below to read their reviews today.