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Edmund Scientifics Solar Robot Kit Review & Giveaway {closed}

Here in NY we don’t often get as much sun as we would like which can make projects that require the sun a little tricky.  Luckily for us this Solar Robot Kit by Edmund Scientifics will work not only in the sun but with a light bulb too!

Edmund Scientifics Solar Robot Kit Review & Giveaway from Hip Homeschool Moms

We were so excited to get this Solar Robot Kit in the mail! In fact we stopped everything to open it and get started! My son’s biggest draw is video games, so I was thrilled when he was totally engrossed in getting the Solar Robot together to see how it worked!

One of the features of the Solar Robot Kit that I really loved is that the kit includes pretty much everything you need so you don’t have to hunt down batteries, multiple tools etc. The main thing it calls for that it does not include is a diagonal cutter.  Be sure you have one of these!

The Solar Robot Kit Includes

  • Solar Robot Kit Manual
  • Hundreds of Plastic Kit Pieces (options to build 14 different robots)
  • Solar Panel
  • Wiring
  • Gears
  • Stickers
  • Plastic Storage Bags

Other Items Needed To Build Solar Robot

  • Diagonal Cutter
  • 50w & Up Halogen Bulb (Especially if where you live is short on sun!)

Let me tell you why:

All the little plastic pieces come attached together so you have to “punch” them all out to use them. When punching them out, you need to be so incredibly careful to not leave any little piece of plastic sticking out on the pieces because it totally botches up the workings of the gears and other parts because it gets caught as it moves. What does this mean? For us it meant that the punching out by hand and using scissors where needed was not the way to go! For you it means I highly recommend you have good diagonal cutters on hand to use (or sand paper also worked to get the extra little pieces filed down) and that you are careful with the removal of all the pieces so that none of them snag you up later!

Along with this I would advise checking out the workablitiy of your body set up as you go.  With each step we would hold the robot into the sunlight or under the light bulb to be sure it was still functioning correctly.  If not we knew that only the last step we had done was creating the snag.

I loved the way the instructions tell you to set up storage bags and labels (both included) for all of your parts as part of the process. The plastic parts are also very well labeled in their pre-punched out form so that you can easily separate them and get them into their labeled bags.

Once you have the head and body together the rest is interchangeable.  That means that the bulk of the work is done once you finish the head (solar panel), and body (which houses the gears).  Then it is so much fun interchanging the parts to build the different variations of robots!

Solar Robot Kit College

You can watch our progression through many of the building process steps by checking out our video of Building Edmund Scientifics Solar Robot Kit .  We show two different solar robots from the first building level that we worked on.  Once we have mastered the level ones we will be able to move on to the level twos which are a little more intricate and complex to build.

Two Building Levels Included

Edmund Scientifics 14 in 1 Solar Robot Kit

Level One Includes:

  • Turtle-bot
  • Beetle-bot
  • Quadru-bot
  • Boat-bot
  • Walker-bot
  • Dog-bot
  • Wheel-bot

Level Two Includes:

  • Roly Poly-bot
  • Auto-bot
  • Slither-bot
  • Surf-bot
  • Zombie-bot
  • Crab-bot
  • Row-bot

Not only is the Solar Robot Kit fun, but it is educational too! Using it in our homeschool has incorporated both hands on technical skills as well as conceptual science skills. Just in separating the pieces your child uses hands on technical skills cutting with a diagonal cutter, as well as learning to label and sort in an organized fashion. Building the body was a great science lesson on gears; how they work, how to trouble shoot and even fix errors in the gear assembly process.

The Solar Robot Kit is a great way to introduce kids to green energy technology with something hands on and relatable to them. It demonstrates how no electricity, either plug-in or battery, is necessary to create the power to run the robot. This opens up discussion about solar panels being used to power such things as appliances, lights, etc. in our homes.

Additional Features Include

  1. Adjustable polarity on the solar panel to change direction of motor rotation
  2. Retractable robot head which can be quickly stored in the upper body
  3. The robot head can be installed in the front, top or rear of the gearbox
  4. A transparent housing to see the movements of the gears

In short, the Solar Robot Kit is fun and educational no matter where you live!

Buy it:

You can purchase the 14-in-1 Robot Kit from Edmund Scientifics for $26.95. Edmund is graciously offering HHM readers an exclusive gift of a Seltzer Powered Rocket just for ordering the 14-in-1 Robot Kit. IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to receive this exclusive gift, you must put the 14-in-1 Robot Kit AND the Selzter Powered Rocket in your cart, and then enter the promotional code HHMSDD. Only one promotional code may be used with each order. Offer good through 11/16/2013. Promotion cannot be combined with any other offers.

14 in 1 robot

Win it:

One lucky reader will receive one Galileoscope from Edmund Scientifics. Enter below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: One HHM team member received the 14-in-1 Robot kit to review in exchange for an honest review.

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64 Comments

  1. My son is all about things futuristic, so he would have a ball with this. He’s also a very hands-on learner and would learn more from this project than any number of books.

  2. My four children would love to win this and it would be great to incorporate into homeschool. They are all hands-on learners.

  3. Excellent review!! Thanks for all the great info. My son would love this. Anything electronic in our house is a great thing.

  4. Would my kids like this??? My 6 year old and I just made “robots” with tin cans and magnets the other day 🙂 To make a real robot that actually moves would put him over the moon! He would LOVE this!! If we don’t win it I may have to order one for Christmas 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

  5. My son loves science and love learning how things fit together. He is always building something. This would be perfect!

  6. My son would love this set. We have been looking at robotic sets for a bit, and I think it may be a Christmas gift.

  7. My son loves robotics and says when he grows up he’s going to make me a robot to clean the house. I must encourage this interest! 🙂

  8. My son would love this kit! I was just Christmas shopping and looking at something similar. He loves anything scientific, and anything he can build!

  9. Colman builds robots out of anything and everything. He has a robot made out of a Sonic shake cup! LOL. So he would LOVE to have a REAL robot kit!! Looks really fun!

  10. My kids would love this robot kit! They love robots. This would be an awesome learning tool, even though they wouldn’t realize they were learning. Just in the perfect time for Christmas! Thanks for the opportunity

  11. My 2 sons would LOVE this! My oldest is wanting to be an engineer/inventor and LOVES building things. My youngest had ADHD and needs things that will keep his interest and help him learn as well.

  12. My son would absolutely love this!!! He has a very scientific mind and is always creating “science experiments” especially involving robots.

  13. One of my sons is our engineer. If we do not win, this will definitely be under the tree for him. He has several kit robots already, this one would be king of them all! Thank you for the review!

  14. I really NEED a great hands on science project to work on with my girls! I was/am not a huge science fan so it is difficult for me to get them excited about it! I think this would do the trick!

  15. I have a son who has been talking about building a robot for a while now and a husband who would love to help him build it! Thanks for the giveaway!

  16. My son has been asking alot of questions lately about sustainable natural resources. This would answer alot of his questions!!!

  17. My husband and daughter would LOVE this! Hubby is very much into DIY type stuff. He loves making amps and all sorts of weird things. Our daughter shares his love for those types of things too.

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