Digital Kids Show at Event City Manchester #DigiKids

We were invited to attend the Digital Kids Show held at Event City in Manchester this weekend. This brand new event showcases the latest in kids' tech, toys, games, apps and devices, alongside lots of exciting activities and opportunities to meet and greet some of the UK's best YouTubers.

Both 7 year old Freddy and 14 year old Kezia came to the event with us, and we spent the whole day there (with an hour taken at lunchtime to pop to the Trafford Centre for food - the catering at the event wasn't great for vegetarians).

There are lots of stands at the event with exhibitors such as YouTube Kids, Scalextrix and CBBC.

You can learn about internet safety, discover new STEM toys, listen to stories, play with apps, do some crafts and try yoga. There is an inflatable planetarium where Freddy learned about the star constellations and he visited the moon using a VR headset with Google Expeditions.

Much of the show is dedicated to gaming and whether you want to do some retro gaming, play Minecraft, test drive racing games, experience VR or try out the latest games on the XBox One, there is something for everyone.

The main stage had a line up including Q&A's with YouTubers such as Netty Plays, Smallish Beans, Ethan Gamer, Ash Dubh, LD Shadow Lady and Amy Lee. There were performances from BGT finalists Mythical PSM and Boogie Storm, which we enjoyed. There was also organised meets and greets for autographs and photos with the vloggers.

Highlights of the day included the inflatable Wipe Out equipment which Freddy loved. It was great to get him doing some physical challenges, competing against other kids in such a fun environment.

The Young Driver lessons were brilliant. Freddy drove a Firefly designed for kids aged 5 to 10 and Kezia drove a real full size car, giving her a taste of the road. They both did really well behind the wheel. What a fantastic opportunity and all included in the ticket price!

Freddy discovered Magformers a new construction STEM toy that uses magnetic geometric shapes to build 3D structures. He loved it so much we bought him a set (review to follow). It is a great educational toy that sparks imagination and helps brain development.

We enjoyed a full and action packed day. There was some queuing involved, as is the case with any event and the wi-fi wasn't great inside the venue, but aside from that it was a great experience giving both Freddy and Kezia a chance to try new things. I liked the mix of physical activities alongside the gaming and tech opportunities. There was lots to see and do and learn.

Full and half day tickets are still available for tomorrow (October 30th) priced from £12.50. Most activities are included and Dick and Dom will be there too.

Find out more at: http://www.digitalkidsshow.co.uk/

Build An Electric Stunt Buggy - Review

Technokits are exciting technology based craft kits for kids, designed to promote a practical knowledge of electrical and mechanical principles delivered in a fun way. The Technokits consist of interlocking pieces of pre-cut card, which build into a model upon which the other components are added. The fully functional model is easy to assemble without any glue or mess.

We received a Technokit Electric Stunt Buggy kit from Interplayuk.com to try out. The kit contained almost every needed to complete the project including the die cut panels to build the buggy, along with axles, pulleys, inserts, an electric motor and mount, foam wheels, drive band, battery box and a set of instructions. All you need to add is two AA batteries.

The kit is for children aged eight and over, but as Kizzy wasn't feeling well, six year old Freddy stood in to help, along with daddy who loves making anything technical.

The instructions were clearly laid out and the pieces fitted together well, with a little bit of effort, just like a 3D puzzle. The component parts were easily added onto the body of the buggy. Ian said he could have definitely completed the model when he was 8, as he has always been good at building things and playing with electronics. Other kids may need some adult supervision and assistance. Freddy was able to help with some of the jobs and learned about electric motors and how the drive band makes the back wheels turn.

The finished buggy is surprisingly sturdy and runs really well on a flat surface. It does wheelies, zooming along on its back wheels making it quite an impressive toy car in its own right. Our buggy was built using the printed side of the cardboard pieces, but you can make it inside out, having customised the plain side of the pieces first, to create your own unique design. Kids can get as colourful and creative as they like, making their own unique and bespoke design.

At £9.99 this is a good buy, giving kids a kit that enables them to build a fully operational stunt buggy toy. It develops their modelling skills and teaches the STEM subjects in a practical and enjoyable way. It's a great gift idea for kids or even for dads! I really like the idea that it is two toys in one, a modelling kit, which builds into a really cool toy stunt car to play with.

Find out more on the InterplayUK website.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths for Kids with Blaze and the Monster Machines

Nick Jr's latest show Blaze and the Monster Machines is a great way of introducing the STEM subjects to little ones.  Blaze finds solutions to problems by using his scientific knowledge and changing into different machines with the help of his friends.

To celebrate the UK premiere of Blaze and the Monster Machines we hosted a Twitter party with UKMums.tv.  Freddy and his guests enjoyed taking part in some fun science experiments and enjoyed watching the first episode of Blaze and the Monster Machines.

We had some 4M science kits from Great Gizmos  to try out alongside some other educational activities, all designed to make the children think about science, maths, engineering and technology in an entertaining and fun way.  The Magnetic Racer and the Hover Jet worked particularly well.

It was great to see the children enjoying the science activities.  They loved predicting whether things would sink or float in the big bucket of water, exploring the buoyancy of objects. They predicted what might happen and excitedly tested out their predictions to see if they were right.

They enjoyed building vehicles out of boxes with wooden wheels and also out of chocolate bars and sweeties!  The cardboard box vehicles proved quite challenging as the children worked out how to attach the wheels in order for them to be able to spin.  Seeing them puzzle through the problems and come up with a solution was great and showed exceptional team work skills.

They used balloon power and magnetism to make vehicles move, exploring the laws of motion. There was lots of thinking, lots of learning...and a lot of laughter!

Blaze and the Monster Machines proved a big hit.  The children loved the first episode and were joining in with Blaze's challenges and laughing at the funny, slapstick humour.  I was impressed with the educational content of the show, which explored friction as well as getting the kids to think about materials and types of machines.  It will definitely be a TV show that Freddy regularly tunes into to, it was right up his street.

Catch Blaze and the Monster Trucks on weekdays at 4pm on Nick Jr from Monday 9th March.

Blaze and the Monster Machines Twitter Party on March 6th

This Friday at 4pm, a brand new series starts on Nick J,  Blaze and the Monster Machines.  

Blaze is Axle City's greatest hero and its number one racer! Fast and fearless he's unbeatable on the track thanks to his blazing turbo speed. But he not only drives fast, he can think fast too. Blaze knows everything about science, technology, engineering and maths. When things get really tough he can use his scientific know-how to transform himself into any machine such as a hang glider or a hydrofoil by adding new parts. Blaze's driver is his best pal AJ. AJ and the other monster trucks help Blaze on his adventures by exploring the physics of how things move, tackling problems and discovering the component parts needed to make everyday technologies work.

To celebrate, we will be hosting a Twitter party with UKMums.TV where we will be exploring science, technology, engineering and maths through taking part in some fun experiments and activities.  We will also be sitting down to watch the first episode of Blaze and the Monster Machines on Nick Jr and sharing our thoughts.

Join in from 3.45pm to 5.45pm on Friday 6th March over on Twitter.  Be sure to follow @UKMumsTV and the hashtag #NickJrBlaze to join in the fun and for the chance to win some great prizes.