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Kano Harry Potter Coding Kit – Build a Wand. Learn To Code. Make Magic.
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Brand | Kano |
Age Range (Description) | 6 years & up |
Item Dimensions LxWxH | 14.5 x 1 x 1 inches |
Item Weight | 16 ounces |
Educational Objective | Coding Skills |
About this item
- Build a Wand that responds to your movements. Comes with wand parts, PCB with Codeable LED, button, batteries, step-by-step book, stickers, poster, and free Kano app. Tablet not included.
- Learn to code with 70+ step-by-step creative challenges. Make feathers fly, goblets multiply, fire flow, pumpkins grow, and more.
- Wave your wand and see instant effects on screen. Create with creatures, sweets, spells, 200+ exclusive sounds, music, and wizarding artefacts.
- Endless play with Kano world. Remix art, games, and music made by a creative community.
- No coding experience necessary. Includes Lifetime care and 1 year Warranty. Ages 6+.
- Requires Bluetooth low energy (Bluetooth Smart 4.0 or newer). works with Windows 10 Pro & home, Mac OS 10.10, iOS 10 (selected iPad models only), Android 5.0 (tablets only), Amazon Fire tablets (8 HD 2016 or newer). full hardware and software requirements Can be found below.
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Product information
Product Dimensions | 14.5 x 1 x 1 inches |
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Item Weight | 1 pounds |
ASIN | B07C7X8LG9 |
Item model number | 1007 |
Manufacturer recommended age | 6 years and up |
Batteries | 4 LR44 batteries required. (included) |
Best Sellers Rank | #245,714 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games) #861 in Electronic Learning & Education Toys |
Customer Reviews |
3.6 out of 5 stars |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Release date | October 1, 2018 |
Manufacturer | Kano |
Warranty & Support
Feedback
Product Description
Product Description
Build your own wand. Learn to code with step-by-step creative challenges. Make magic on a screen, with a wave, twist, and twirl. Create, share, and play with the Kano community.
From the Manufacturer
Important information
Safety Information
Small Parts
From the manufacturer
Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit – Build a wand. Learn to code. Make magic.
Build your own wand. Learn to code with step-by-step creative challenges. Make magic on a screen, with a wave, twist, and twirl. Create, share, and play with the Kano community.
What you do
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Build a wandOpen the box, pull out the pieces, button and board. Follow the simple steps, build your own wand, learn how it works. Connect it to your tablet or computer, and start creating with the Wizarding World. |
Learn to code70+ creative challenges show you how. With simple steps connect code blocks, see the Javascript. Level up slowly, learn about loops, logic, and variables. Simple for beginners, expansive for experts. |
Make MagicWave your wand and see instant effects on screen. Make feathers fly, goblets multiply, fire flow, pumpkins grow, and more. Creature with creatures, spell motions, sweets, 200+ sounds, music, and wizarding artifacts. |
Hogwarts, costumes, surprises
Unlock challenges across iconic locations including Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and Hogsmeade, whilst listening to a stunning original score. The more challenges you complete the more costumes and medals you earn. Discover secrets along the way.
Endless Play
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Replay ChallengesYou can revisit challenges from the iconic locations as many times as you like. But why not change it up, add a new creature or spell motion? |
Playground ModeOnce you've learned the basics, there's no end to what you can make. Code your own creations with creatures, make things levitate, or grow, use official spell motions. |
Kano WorldJoin our creative community. Be inspired, make, share and play with magical creations by people all over the world. Safe and friendly. |
Remix 700,000+ CreationsSee the code behind any creation, then tweak it to make it your own. Change the gravity, add magical artifacts, particles, music, wand movements. |
What you need to know
FAQ
What is the Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit?
It's a DIY kit that shows you how to build a Bluetooth Coding Wand, learn to code with step-by-step creative challenges, and make magic, with a wave, twist, and a twirl.
What is the recommended age for the Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit?
The Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit can be enjoyed by everyone, but we recommend our kits for ages 6 to 690 (Dumbledore's age).
Device Compatibility
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WindowsWindows 10 Home, Pro & S (1703 Creator's Update or newer) 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 64-bit (x64) processor Minimum 4GB RAM Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth Smart 4.0, Bluetooth LE 4.1, Bluetooth LE 4.2, Bluetooth LE 5.0) |
Amazon Fire OSFire OS 5.6.2.0 or higher Fire HD 8 (2016) or HD 10 (2017) or newer Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth Smart 4.0, Bluetooth LE 4.1, Bluetooth LE 4.2, Bluetooth LE 5.0) *FreeTime must be disabled |
Android TabletAndroid 5.0 (Lollipop) or higher 7" touchscreen or larger Minimum 1.5GB RAM Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth Smart 4.0, Bluetooth LE 4.1, Bluetooth LE 4.2, Bluetooth LE 5.0) |
AppleOSX Mac OS 10.10 (Yosemite) or later. Minimum 4GB RAM. Intel 64-bit processor. Core m, Core m3, Core m5, Core m7, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, Core i9, Xeon. Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth Smart 4.0, Bluetooth LE 4.2, Bluetooth LE 5.0) iOS Tablet iOS 10 or later iPad 4th Generation and later iPad Mini 2 and later iPad Air 2 and later iPad Pro and later Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth Smart 4.0, Bluetooth LE 4.2, Bluetooth LE 5.0) |
What's in the box
Product guides and documents
Videos
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Kano Harry Potter Wand Review: Learn to Code?
OSReviews
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Customer Review: Great interactivty and a good co-op activity
Gabriel
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the entertainment value, ease of setup, appearance and system of the science fundamentals kit. They mention that the challenges are fun, the coding process is extremely easy and that the wand itself is pretty cool. They also appreciate the built-in code lessons and the online community. However, some customers are disappointed with bluetooth connectivity, performance, and glitches. Opinions are mixed on value.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the science fundamentals kit easy to setup. They mention the directions are very easy to follow, the app is very user friendly, and the build a wand kit is extremely intuitive. They say the kit is simple and easy to code, and it can be accomplished in 2 very quick steps. Customers also say the set is comprehensive and easy understand. They find the kit fun, mildly challenging, and interesting.
"...The directions were very easy to follow, so my daughter and I were able to assemble the wand quickly and get to playing!..." Read more
"...Challenges are comprehensive and easy to understand, they could do better with explanation.My issues with this are* App is glitchy...." Read more
"...The instructions/step-by-steps are a bit sensitive and can break easily if you jump ahead of it, but the app overall doesn't really care how closely..." Read more
"...You do have to put it together witch is very easy. It’s nice that they explain the gyroscope inside that communicates via bluetooth to the tablet...." Read more
Customers find the science fundamentals kit fun and engaging. They say the challenges are not complicated and rewarding for kids. They also say the app challenges are fun and the games to play keep them occupied for ages. Customers also mention that the poster included is fun to read and contains pronunciations that were helpful.
"...They're all Harry Potter themed, of course, so if your child is a fan, they will definitely enjoy putting on a Gryffindor scarf or holding a bottle..." Read more
"...The device is fun and educational, once you buy a new device to use it with." Read more
"...This is one of the best educational toys I’ve ever bought him!" Read more
"...I can’t recommend this product enough... the games are fun and well designed. It will bring a little magic into your Coder’s life!" Read more
Customers find the science fundamentals kit a great intro to coding with built-in code lessons and an online community. They say the assembly steps and good learning tutorials via the iPad app are cool and understandable. Customers say the idea is awesome, they are amazed at the creativity of the instructions, and they love the concept and journey.
"...Opening the box, you'll find an unassembled wand, and a very clean, clear guide that introduces you to the hardware...." Read more
"...review the wand other than the putting together, which was really cool and understandable...." Read more
"...printed circuit board, very detailed assembly steps and some good learning tutorials via the iPad app (also supports macOS)...." Read more
"...The device is fun and educational, once you buy a new device to use it with." Read more
Customers find the appearance of the science fundamentals kit to be beautiful, high-end, and engaging. They also say the wand itself is pretty cool, cute, and unique. Customers also say that the showcasing of the twilight zone is beautiful.
"...on the front of the box, to the fact that all of the pieces were very neatly displayed and easy to access...." Read more
"Very cool product. Well made and my daughter is obsessed!" Read more
"...Very cool!..." Read more
"...So far it's been pretty cool. Connecting to the iPad has been no problem, it's been a little tricky connecting to any of my macbooks...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the value of the science fundamentals kit. Some mention it's a great purchase, worth the money spent, and awesome product. However, others say that it'd be a complete waste of money if the software wasn't working.
"...and all the You tube videos in the world did not help me, so the wand is unusable unless I buy a new tablet of some kind for my kid that is..." Read more
"...App is glitchy. We use this on an iPad Pro and screen real estate isn’t effectively used...." Read more
"...We're already planning to buy the computer kit as well. Great product, great company." Read more
"...This means the wand is useless...." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the performance of the science fundamentals kit. They mention that the app doesn't work, the hardware on the older kindle doesn' t support this app, and the app isn't even compatible with any of the many tablets. They also say that getting to the app and the website is proving futile.
"...The software does not support phones, nor screens smaller than 7", so I couldn't use my iPhone or older Amazon Fire, and my desktop PCs don't have..." Read more
"...No iOS Playgrounds support...." Read more
"...This wand requires an app. That app no longer works because the backing company no longer exists. This means the wand is useless...." Read more
"...Customer service has been great in call back. Product still won't work with our Tab A, or my sons kindle fire we bought 2 weeks ago new..." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the glitches in the science fundamentals kit. They mention that the app freezes constantly, crashes repeatedly, and is really buggy. Some say that the wand does not work.
"...My issues with this are* App is glitchy. We use this on an iPad Pro and screen real estate isn’t effectively used...." Read more
"...There are a few times when the app glitches and he struggles figuring it out. But he loves to watch things happen!..." Read more
"Super glitchy. We tried it on different devices and it would freeze, not respond...my 14 yr old was super excited to get it but after a while has..." Read more
"...However, the “magic” quickly faded as the app is so glitchy and clunky as to render the product unusable...." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the bluetooth connectivity of the science fundamentals kit. They mention that it drops connection constantly and needs repointing. Some say that it does not connect to computer phones or tablets, and the connection to the wand gets lost constantly.
"...The want would drop the connection and we'd have to fiddle with it a lot to get it connected again...." Read more
"...We opened it set it all up and the blue tooth doesn't stay connected for more than a few minutes...." Read more
"My 10 year old loves it. It won't connect to any of our tablets which were all purchased this year and isn't ready for mobile yet...." Read more
"...As many other reviewers have experienced, the wand disconnects from the tablet bluetooth frequently and needs to be reconnected...." Read more
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I did initially face some confusion, as I didn't realize the wand required a bluetooth connection to a tablet or PC, and unfortunately the front of the box doesn't make that entirely clear (although in fairness...I'm not sure what other magical technology I would've expected this kit to use). The software does not support phones, nor screens smaller than 7", so I couldn't use my iPhone or older Amazon Fire, and my desktop PCs don't have bluetooth baked into them. After getting into the software, I understand why the strict requirements of larger screens, since dragging around code blocks would've been next to impossible on an iPhone. I did manage to find an old Surface tablet that worked perfectly for this, but I wish the requirements were a bit clearer up front.
Opening the box, you'll find an unassembled wand, and a very clean, clear guide that introduces you to the hardware. It will step you through building your wand while showing off the many aspects of the PCB). The wand itself, once you've assembled it, has a nice weight to it (from the batteries) and feels good to wave around. The single button on it is generally used to 'center' the wand in the app any time you need to reset its position. There doesn't seem to be any on/off setting available, and the instructions specifically recommend you remove the batteries when it's not in use, so I'm unclear if there's a sleep function or not. After assembly, you're pointed towards the downloadable application and ready to go!
The app is clean and easy to use, with bright buttons, sounds, and large UI perfect for poking and prodding. The challenges you're presented with are all very straightforward, with it telling you to drag this, change that, push this, etc directly. As an adult, I wished it provided a bit more explanation and context for why you're changing this number or that setting while dragging the code blocks around, but the more I played with the challenges, the more I realized that the ideal teaching method being used here is simply repetition. Many of the challenges give you the same instructions over and over again, and after a number of challenges where you're being walked through how to set up a 'while' loop, for example, I knew the exact order of operations to get a 'while' code block up and running and it made future challenges much faster to set up and get going.
The instructions/step-by-steps are a bit sensitive and can break easily if you jump ahead of it, but the app overall doesn't really care how closely you follow the instructions, and at any point you're able to just break free of the guide and do whatever you'd like in your coding. The sharing functions are great, and you can jump over to the Kano World part of the app to see what other people are creating. The gallery appears to be updating instantly; any time I switched over to it, there would be new creations that had been uploaded only seconds earlier. Most of the shared creations are very simple, and there are no options to filter or sort by the 'best' or most popular, so it was difficult to see some more complex creations or find some crazy ideas that had been built. Seems like a great place for a future update to the app, though!
Overall, this is an extremely easy way to be introduced to the world of coding. The box says it's for ages 6+, and I'd agree with that, but I think if your child is on the younger side of the scale, it may require more supervision, given that a lot of terms used in the app are never explained (such as "frames" versus "milliseconds" on the code blocks, or some of the more complex math used to calculate wand motion). It's not crucial that a child understand the terms if they're just following the instructions, however some introductory language or guides towards not just what to change, but why, would be helpful.
PS. Oh! And don't forget about the customization options...completing challenges unlocks outfits, accessories, and more for you to decorate your character with. They're all Harry Potter themed, of course, so if your child is a fan, they will definitely enjoy putting on a Gryffindor scarf or holding a bottle of Felix Felicis.
This wand requires an app. That app no longer works because the backing company no longer exists. This means the wand is useless.
I am glad I tried to set this up on Christmas eve and was able to prevent my son from being very disappointed.
As my daughter did her first "spell" in the play section of the app, her little face lit up! She was so thrilled that she was "making magic"! As we started to explore the app a little more, she began to try the "challenges", where you create codes to do things like changing the color of an owl or creating rainbow fireworks with a waive of your wand! The first challenge is very simple and begins to build as you go along to each challenge. My 11 year son began to take notice of what my daughter was doing and was very impressed that his little sister was coding! The kids played with the wand until it was time to go to sleep, and it was the first thing they requested to do when they woke up in the morning (and again after school)! It is wonderful to see my kids having fun and being introduced to coding in such an approachable way! We are only a few days in, but I have a feeling they will love this kit for a long time to come!
Challenges are comprehensive and easy to understand, they could do better with explanation.
My issues with this are
* App is glitchy. We use this on an iPad Pro and screen real estate isn’t effectively used. Cannot resent in full screen mode which is annoying at times.
* No iOS Playgrounds support. Although, that may not make sense yet since playgrounds allows control of external devices (usually robotic learning toys) while this wand is more of a command input device.
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2018
Challenges are comprehensive and easy to understand, they could do better with explanation.
My issues with this are
* App is glitchy. We use this on an iPad Pro and screen real estate isn’t effectively used. Cannot resent in full screen mode which is annoying at times.
* No iOS Playgrounds support. Although, that may not make sense yet since playgrounds allows control of external devices (usually robotic learning toys) while this wand is more of a command input device.
The best part of this comes when you get into the challenges. You drag and drop code blocks or commands into a sequences to start creating your own spells to move through the challenges. I could see her confidence and sense of achievement grow as she completed each challenge. They don’t even realize they are learning the basics of coding while playing. It really sunk in that she was learning from this when I watched her teach her little brother how to use it. Listening to her explain the basics of coding made me realize how much she was learning. I would highly recommend this for anyone that wants to get a jump on teaching the concepts of coding for their kids.
Top reviews from other countries
It comes nicely presented and starts with a wonderful page by page guide to assemble the wand, explaining the PCB and it’s sensors. This really helps build an experience of what’s happening. From there you’re guided to install the Kano app to your tablet (more on that below). From there it’s into a Scratch style development environment but nicely wrapped in a gamified experience based on Harry Potter combined with the various capabilities of the wand. It’s really well done and the Harry Potter stuff is integrated well - not just a simple skin over a generic app.
If you’ve ever seen Scratch you’ll be right at home - the coding aspect is a drag and drop graphical interface. It supports the usual loops, conditions and so on while integrating with the Wand and it’s capabilities really well. So for example moving the wand in a particular motion to trigger a set of events in the app (like making a broomstick hover).
It’s worth bearing in mind that this needs a tablet (or a laptop) to work. I’m using a Kindle Fire 10 HD which is okay but it’s a bit slow at times. I wouldn’t want to use any of the smaller Kindle Fires. I’ve not used it on an iPad but as they tend to be faster devices, I suspect you’ll get a better experience on these.
This is really well done and one of the highlights of our Christmas. Yes, it’s a little on the pricey side but from a value point of view it’s top notch. Top marks.
I purchased for my 10 year old.
I think the age range is off.
he played with it for 30 min and he hasn't touched it since.
I think it would be a better gift for 8 and under. great tool for learning basic code logic non the less. Hense the 4 stars.
Whilst I am familiar with the Kano brand, I have never used any of their computer kits, and though my son has never seen any of the Harry Potter movies, I thought the Harry Potter Wand Kit could be a good way of introducing him to coding.
Tip: I showed him the TV advert first to get him in interested… then presented the box to him. He loves it!
The app is simple and clean; you’re presented with a map of Hogwarts which you navigate through and complete puzzles and challenges by creating (coding) spells.
The actual coding process is quite simple too, dragging & dropping block codes to build / create your spell, then using the wand to initiate them. My son beamed when he cast his first spell - changing the colour of an owl from orange to blue (then to green, then red, yellow and so on). Then bouncing a cauldron around and recolouring the potion. The coding puzzles and challenges do get more difficult as you progress.
It’s still early days, but so far he’s having lots of fun with the kit and developing an understanding of the concept of coding.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 21, 2018
Whilst I am familiar with the Kano brand, I have never used any of their computer kits, and though my son has never seen any of the Harry Potter movies, I thought the Harry Potter Wand Kit could be a good way of introducing him to coding.
Tip: I showed him the TV advert first to get him in interested… then presented the box to him. He loves it!
The app is simple and clean; you’re presented with a map of Hogwarts which you navigate through and complete puzzles and challenges by creating (coding) spells.
The actual coding process is quite simple too, dragging & dropping block codes to build / create your spell, then using the wand to initiate them. My son beamed when he cast his first spell - changing the colour of an owl from orange to blue (then to green, then red, yellow and so on). Then bouncing a cauldron around and recolouring the potion. The coding puzzles and challenges do get more difficult as you progress.
It’s still early days, but so far he’s having lots of fun with the kit and developing an understanding of the concept of coding.
The spec now says minimum specifications required but does not say what these are.
Unless you enjoy paying a lot of money for a product you can't use avoid this like the plague.