Ideas for DD (6 1/2) - coding/ science/ building?

[Chasetherainblownfearsaway]

DD will be 6 1/2 at Christmas. I find her quite difficult to buy anything for as she is not very forthcoming. Last year her list consisted of 'sausages'. She has a bike and scooter so doesn't 'need' anything big. What I'd love is to get her something she can actually play with. Stuff she currently likes: coding club at school, her snap circuit kit, Lego (but we have loads), animals, books (but I don't need help with those), all things maths and science-related, Minecraft. I thought about Gravitrax but would love other suggestions.

Both my dc love coding/computers and last year we got a raspberry pi which went down quite well. You can get different ‘hats’ for it and build robots etc which ds7 likes in particular. You can also get Minecraft on the raspberry pi and do fancy coding things with it.

Gravitrax is really good, but she's at the lower age range for it so might need help with it.

A turing tumble is good too.

Botley robot

Have a look at the Science museum online shop and see if anything catches your eye. There is a 'robot and coding' section, as well as lots of other good stuff.

We have a Creative Boost Lego set that my DD who is a similar age loves. It is Lego but you can programme it from a tablet. You can make several different things from the kit, so most holidays she’s tried a different one e.g. a cat that walks, a violin or guitar that makes sounds, a Lego robot factory etc. It is retired but well worth looking out for.

Snap circuit, gravitrax loving kids here.
Rubix cube. Rubix pyramid.
Gravity maze is expensive for what it is, but enjoyed.
Knex
Some of the older magnetic tile kits
Genius square/star
Some of the gears/levers lego kits and science museum kits
Board games such as Catan, hive, rummikubs. Check the age compared to her ability. Depending on exactly what she enjoys, some are suitable much younger than recommended. Some you need to wait for.

How about an online course with Code Kids? The coding done at school is really basic.

We loved Gravitrax for a while but DC were bored of it after a few months.

@Stompythedinosaur Do you have a Turing Tumble? It looks great fun but I'd be interested to hear if kids find it as intriguing as adults!

@Whatsthepoint1234 I don't think I entirely understand the Raspberry Pi website! What do you actually need to buy? Do you need a tablet to go alongside, and do you need to buy extra kits in order to do anything with it?

Ps I should have said - thank you for all the replies.

We got DD, then nearly y gravitrax last Christmas. She has similar interests and is decent at Lego but she can’t build it solo. It’s pretty cool so if you have lots of time to play together it’s something to consider.

Lego gearbox’s and similar are inexpensive and fun

Nearly 7

At the risk of contradicting myself Amazon have an amazing deal on gravitrax right now even if you put it away for a year

For a raspberry pi all you need is a keyboard, a monitor (my dc use our TV) and a mouse. The hats are added extras for if you want to make robots.

I've seen this advertised before and am thinking about it for DS (will be 5 by Xmas)

@wouldthatbeworse I have decided to do just that! I will ponder between now and Christmas whether it would work this year. I don't mind helping her, she is an only child so there is a certain amount of that anyway. I suspect the Raspberry Pi would involve at least as much help and at least I know what I'm doing with a marble run!

Maybe some useful software? There are gaming video editors and programs like Photoshop, or slideshow making programs etc. You might get her a subscription to something she could use for her studies or just for fun.

I'm thinking of getting DS th vtech camera. He quite likes the idea of stop motion videos so hopefully he'll like it!

I've just bought the gravitrax, it's in offer on Argos as well as Amazon (and the accessories).

We also like magnatiles in chez cookie.