Playdough and LEGO - the twin pillars of childhood creativity. At a time when LEGO kits are being turned into mini Apple Macintosh computers, the humble soft dough is long overdue an upgrade. This is the aim of the latest Kickstarter STEM kit from Tech Will Save Us. By using conductive dough and basic circuits, Dough Universe toys teach children about the fundamentals of electricity.
The new range includes kits entitled Squishy Sounds, Bright Creatures and Electro Machines – each focused on using light, sound and movement to explore the uses of electrical systems.
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The Squishy Sounds kit, as the name suggests, revolves around getting dough to play a particular tune, mimicking the sounds of a piano, guitar or drums. The Bright Creatures kit focuses on visual electricity, giving dough the ability to blink and flash with the help of LED's and buzzers. The Electro Machines kit focuses on movement, encouraging children to make their dough spin, move and roll by creating powered car units or helicopters. The kits are designed to be created using everyday kitchen items and AA batteries.
Dough Universe is also being accompanied by a tablet app on iOS and Android to walk children through a series of stories and challenges to show them how electricity works.
The range is the latest offering from Tech Will Save Us, a London-based startup in Bethnal Green founded by Bethany Koby and Daniel Hirschmann in 2012. Speaking to WIRED in 2016, the pair said the company's mission was to help education move with the fast pace of tech.
"We don't just want to be a toy brand," Hirschmann said.
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After kits like Make and Mover, Dough is shifting the focus from pre-packaged kits to utilising items in the home. Every child has at one point or another created something from dough, one of the very first building blocks of future designers. At a time when the job market is shifting towards automation and programming, teaching kids about electricity and basic coding is more important than ever.
“Sixty-five per cent of children currently in primary school will have jobs that don't yet exist," said Bethany Koby. "We believe kids deserve toys which will provide them with the skills that will help prepare them for the future. We hope that the Dough Universe will inspire our youngest generation to embark on a lifelong love of learning. As a parent myself, it’s important that toys are educational and help children through key developmental stages, ensuring that kids aren’t just passive consumers of tech.”
The Dough Universe Kickstarter campaign is set to run from June 5, 2017, through to July 5, 2017. During the course of the campaign, individual kits will be available for $40, while the complete set will be priced at $100.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
