The Code-a-Pillar reviewed: is this a good computational toy for your kids?

Dash Robot review: Will it teach your kids math + coding?
July 3, 2017
0

The Code-a-Pillar Reviewed

Today's review is of one of the most talked-about STEM toys of last Christmas season, the Fisher-Price Code-a-Pillar.

We have had it in our home for the past 7 months, with our little toddler, infant, and older kids.

Our review is for all the parents out there who are on the fence about another toy in their home -- especially one that has lots of noise, lights, and moving parts (a possible recipe for chaos, or annoyance).

Overall we recommend the Code-a-pillar for parents of 3 year olds and up -- though probably the full computational learning payoff won't come until 5 and up. It's still a beloved toy for older toddlers (and even crawling babies, who love to chase and capture the poor thing).

Buy a Code-a-Pillar for your little one

Check the Code-a-Pillar out on Amazon.If you purchase it via this link, we may earn a commission. It helps support our site!

Our Experience with the Code-a-Pillar

If you're not familiar with the Code-a-Pillar, it's a 2016 toy that bills itself as a STEM computational thinking learning toy. It comes with a head for a caterpillar that makes sounds and lights up, and then a series of modular pieces -- each with a different command, like turn right, turn left, go straight, have a party. The kids can reorder the pieces, attach it to the head, and then see what the Code-a-Pillar does.

Can you get it from your starting point to your end point?

Can you get it to go under the couch, back out from it, and then over to your crying little baby brother?

When we splurged on the Code-a-Pillar as our big holiday gift for the kids, we hoped it would get the kids thinking logically and iteratively. Meaning, they'd be learning how to switch around the different commands of the robot-bug in order to get the bug to get where they wanted it to go. They'd figure out the different colored and lighted pieces would make the bug do different things. Then they'd experiment until they got the Code-a-Pillar to do what they wanted.

Our verdict?

The toy is fun and lively, but only for 4 and up. Little toddlers like it for the lights, sound, and train-like travel around the floor -- but they can't figure out the commands or sequencing lessons we have been aiming for (or at least our toddler couldn't!). Watching older kids play with it, though, it seems much more effective.

The Rundown

Overall score: 8/10

Pros

  • This will increase fine motor skills for most kids. Connecting and disconnecting the segments will get them working their hand-eye coordination, but it's not burdensome.
  • For older than 5 year olds, they will likely be able to understand how to program the caterpillar, and get the STEM lessons that we parents want them to learn.
  • The master moves expansion kit allows more varied patterns in a smaller spaces in the room.
  • It is easy to take the pieces apart and snap them back together.
  • Colored segments are organized into color-coded categories.
  • Even for younger than 5, the little ones love to play with it -- it's like a train or a pet for them. They chase it around, try to figure out what it's doing, and like it's general character. To quote my 2 year old: "It's not scary. It's funny."
  • As a parent, it's fun to play with programming it with our kids. The "Purple Party" segment makes for a little family dance party. And we can use the lights and sounds to help narrate to the older toddlers what is happening (and try to convey the concepts of sequencing and commands to them).

Cons

  • There is no volume control -- and this thing can be loud! This is a major potential parental-annoyance factor.
  • Between ages between 1-5 year olds, they might not fully understand how it works. They likely won't get the STEM computational thinking lessons
  • Floor needs to be hard surfaces. If you've got carpets or different surfaces, you'll get annoyed and your kids will be too.
  • If the room has no enough space, it stops. Again, annoying.
  • The device does not reverse, it only turns right, left and goes straight -- oh, and of course the purple party! You can add more commands with the expansion pack.
  • Timing is too short. Kids wish it would have longer cycles.
  • It is not educational for younger children ages between 2-4 year olds -- though it can still be a fun train-like toy for them.
  • Sometimes, we've heard from friends, that 3 and 4 years old don't understand the coding purpose of this toy.
  • It eats through 4 AA batteries every month or so -- it feels like we are constantly having to replace them. Not cool.