In the ten or fifteen years that we've seen the rise and fall of games and toys that aim to teach kids how to program, it is remarkable how little has changed. Most of them have used robot vehicles of every sort being programmed to move left, right, forward or backward. Some have had rudimentary sensors so they could react to stimulus, simulating causative "if-then" logic. They all were real world analogues to, and robotic descendants of, the Logo Language developed in 1967 to teach kids the fundamentals of programming.
Though some companies like Wonder Workshop and Sphero strove to make hands-on robotics entertaining, in the end I think kids sniffed out that playing with robots was an awful lot like school - particularly when robotics started getting brought into many classrooms. Many toys that promised to teach programming lacked a sufficient payoff of "fun", and rarely stimulated creativity, provoked deep logical problem solving, or significant analytical thinking. Even when major companies like Microsoft promoted a object oriented programming languages for kids, they failed to take off even though they were offered for "free".
So, maybe we need a different model to introduce kids to programming. Something that challenges their imagination, builds on their natural desire to learn, and capitalizes on their love for "toys" and "play".
Enter Up Story, a company that started as a Kickstarter, and has come up with an outside-of-the-box approach to introducing kids to playing with logic. Though the games have been on the market for a number of years, they have not had the kind of exposure that might have come if they had been swallowed up and promoted by a giant toy-company. I found them in a Facebook ad, so I was naturally skeptical of the quality and claims.
Their approach to what children's play might look like is so different from the licensed, violent, and numbing play that is pushed on our kids that it is nearly impossible to imagine such wonderful products coming from the behemoths of toyland.
Upper Story's aim is to captivate kids, challenge them, exercise their brains. They don't talk down to their audience; they raise them up.
Their games are so beautifully crafted, lavishly illustrated, and novel in approach that they make the wasteland of toys for tweens pale in comparison. Their toys are brimming with creativity and inspiration whose time I thought had passed.
Upper Story has two major products, Turing Tumble ($87.72) and Spintronics ($95.24), plus a number of add-ins and even a sequel or two.
Both sets come with a beautiful, colorful book that is a cross between a graphic novel and an instruction manual. A science-fiction backstory sets up the puzzles that the kids have to solve. Even as the problems get more difficult, the story keeps kids wanting to go forward.
In Turing Tumbler kids build marble mazes that at first blush look and sound like Japanese Pachinko games. Unlike free-form marble mazes, some of which are great for younger children, the Tumblers are puzzles: each has an objective, and kids have to place different plastic pieces on the peg board to solve them. The puzzles develop logical and analytic thinking, as the gates the balls pass through function much like the transistors that operate in a central processing unit.
Interestingly, the gameplay of Turing Tumbler has been computerized more than once on-line.
Spintronics uses gears instead of marbles, and has a decidedly steampunk feel. Rather than an electronic motor, a string pulls a spring that sets things in motion. Chains assembled from plastic links introduce a model building vibe that our Lego-building testers really liked. The machines that the kids build have a mix of fanciful and practical, again tied to the story line. The puzzles require spatial thinking, reasoning, visual spatial perception, and fine-motor skills.
These products break the mold for older-kid play. Just as not every kid will love a football or baseball bat, these puzzle-games will not be for everyone. They are for kids who can stick to an activity, who don't shy away from a mental challenge.
The Turing Tumble is a game that might open your child's eyes to the fun of programming and logical thinking. Remember, logical thinking and critical analysis go far beyond computers. These games help build better, more equipped, capable grownups.
Though the products are marked 8 & up, I think they will most appeal to tweens who have the dexterity and development to stick to the challenges. Younger players might get something out of the games if played with a parent, but the puzzles are sometimes difficult enough to stump grownups, and too difficult for most 8 year olds to figure out independently.
