If your child has long dreamed of feeling like a magician, such a gadget will really make him happy. In order to master the spells, you do not need to go to Hogwarts: just download the application and wave your wand correctly. The launch of the toy coincided with the premiere of the new part of the Potter series – Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which is released in Russian cinemas on November 15, 2018.
Package from Diagon Alley
The wand was created not only for entertainment, but also for a practical purpose – it helps the child learn the basics of programming. The game set is called Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit. After the purchase, you will need to download the game, which includes, in fact, a magic wand, as well as a game application for PC and tablet. It is with its help that you have to create magic, and in the meantime – learn to create applications in JavaScript.
The magic wand needs to be assembled by yourself before use. For this, instructions with pictures are attached to it, which explains the purpose of each part and the principle of its operation.
The “core” of the wand includes three sensors – an accelerometer, a magnetometer and a gyroscope, which track the position of the device. In this way, one can plausibly “cast spells” by waving the wand in accordance with all the rules.
Magic on a tablet
All the magic, of course, happens on the computer screen – well, or your child’s favorite tablet. The “witchcraft” app is available for iOS, Android, Windows and OS X. It contains about 70 thematic lessons – children will attend classes on protection from the dark arts, transfiguration, charms.
At each lesson, the child is invited to master one spell: levitate a feather, immobilize an evil pixie, increase the size of a pumpkin, recolor an owl from gray to orange, and so on.
But before a spell can be cast, it must be assembled from functional blocks. So, to make the feather fly with the help of the famous “Wingardium Leviosa!” you need to select the movement and waving blocks and link them to the pen object. And only after that wave your wand – and the pen on the display will take off.
There is also an advanced mode for the inquisitive, in which multi-colored blocks are turned into real JavaScript code. The creators of the toy hope that in this way they will be able to introduce children to the basics of the language in a playful way. After all, where is the boundary at which sufficiently advanced technology becomes indistinguishable from magic?
Where could I buy
Gift shops for geeks are already delivering the toy to Russia. The price, however, bites: you will have to pay about 11,000 rubles for a set for witchcraft. A much cheaper device can be ordered from Amazon: there the official price is $99.99 (that is, about 6.5 thousand rubles).
In this case, you will have to accept that the application and instructions will be in English – like with any equipment delivered through gray channels. However, the child will also have to learn English at some point – why not with Harry Potter?
Read also:
- Study: Gadgets attract children more than sweets
- Child at the computer: when it becomes harmful
- Top best apps for advanced students
Photo: Kano Computing
