2106 STEAM Toy Recomendation

Happy December! 

I have had several colleagues ask me for STEAM related toy suggestions for their kids ranging ages from 3 -9 so I figured since I had done the research I'd share them with the world. I should state that I have no affiliation with any of these companies nor have I been asked to promote them

3-6 Year olds Computer Alternatives.  One of my colleagues was looking for a way for her almost 4 year old to type letters, without buying a computer.

• LeapFrog Scribble and Write  -helps with learning to write letters and numbers, 
• LeapFrog Clickstart My First Computer -this one appears to hook into the TV or a computer monitor, but it looks like it needs games to be used. It also is an older item so more expensive and not as easy to find.
• VTech Little Apps Tablet - this item has a keyboard and small screen so it looks sort of like a big blackberry. It also has piano key in addition to letter keys.
• VTech Tote and Go Laptop -similar to above but looks more computer like, it have lost of activities so it's not just for typing letters.
• Fisher-Price Fun-2-Learn Smart Tablet  - this one is able to work in both English and Spanish,  helps with learning letters and number, looks more like a table than a laptop or computer.
• AlphaSmart Dana or Neo2 Alphasmart - I used items like this many years ago at a public school I worked at, it was a keyboard and a small screen, it could be hooked to a computer and the text could be imported in later. If you're looking just have your little one type though this is more expensive it's the best option.
• Chrome Book - web based laptop that has lots of apps to add onto it, however since 3-6 year olds are far too young to have their own Google Accounts you'd have to be trusting (or closely supervising) you little one on this tool.

6-9 Year olds STEAM/Robotics toys:

• Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Discovery Kit - I have not used this but it looks pretty neat especially given the low price tag.  It claims to have over 100 different projects to make.
• OWI Super Solar Recycler OR OWI 14-in-1 Solar Robot- These also look neat and have a low price tag.  This company has several other STEAM/STEM products on their site. These two products remind me of EV3 and NXT but on a more simple level.
• Ozobot - this company has several different robots to choose from.  Mid price range I have used these at a conference very neat product but I could see kid tiring of it quickly.
• Sphero - I have used these at a conference also a very neat product. They have a few different models to choose from even one that looks like BB8 from Star Wars.
• Lego - this is always great if he's into legos because it's an investment.