My son likes computers, but I have no idea how to help him learn more? My daughter wants to learn how to code, but her school doesn’t offer classes… how can I help her? It’s a common struggle for parents. Especially if you as a parent have limited experience. When it comes to coding and computers, you may feel hopeless. DON’T! Here we introduce to two great kits that help your kids build their very own computer – the Piper Raspberry Pi Computer Kit and the Kano Computer Kit. Kids (and parents) have fun building and learning how to code.
Update – 1/4/20: Kano released a new Windows 10 version of their Kano Complete kit. We have not had a chance to review this one. However, if you feel more comfortable with a Windows machine (vs. Kano OS), this could be worth a closer look.
Overview:
Why building a computer could kickstart your child’s STEM future
My child wants to learn more about coding… let’s build our own computer!
Ok.
Let me guess: building a computer from scratch wasn’t the first thing you considered to help expand their coding chops. And especially, if you cruise through a Best Buy or Walmart, you’ll see plenty of inexpensive systems and Chromebooks. Why bother building one? Seems unnecessary, no? These days, saving money isn’t the biggest driver.
It’s about building a knowledge base
It’s all about the experience and the education.
Many kids have no concept about the components in their devices or how basic things like network connections and file systems work. The ultimate goal of computer building for kids becomes learning how all the physical parts interact and relate to what they see on the screen.
It’s also about having fun and building confidence.
Assembling a functional computer is no small feat. For younger kids, building computers are fantastic for building excitement. Not to mention, showing off a pretty cool finished product to friends and family. Also, because you are leveraging a Raspberry Pi system, games and coding projects on the system include Minecraft and Scratch. Want to teach them how to build a web page? That can be done too!
Starting Off: Which computer kit is best for kids? Piper vs. Kano
Ok. You’re convinced. Yay! Now what?? What if you’ve NEVER built a computer before? Where do you start?? Turns out, it’s not the norm these days for people to build their own computers. No problem! That’s where computer kits come into play.
What is a computer kit? What is a Raspberry Pi?
A computer kit is basically all the components you need to assemble a functioning computer packaged together… just not assembled together. The advantage of using a kit is that you don’t have to locate individual parts or worry about whether they will be compatible or have other issues. As we walk through in more detail below, there are two specific computer kits we’ve used that are geared for kids.
The heart and soul (or rather brain I guess) of these computer kits is something called a Raspberry Pi. Now if you’re unfamiliar with this term, I strongly encourage you to head on over to their home page and learn a bit more. The picture we have here gives you a better idea.
The Raspberry Pi is a credit card sized computer that is COST AFFORDABLE. No, it doesn’t have a big tower case or any case, but you can get those. What it does come with? We are talking bare bones here. However, the Raspberry Pi does offer some core features. Ports for USB devices allow you to hook up keyboards and a mouse, while HDMI ports let you connect a monitor. A super cool and awesome Linux-based operating system also lets you do a ton of super cool programming projects. Lastly, the Raspbian NOOBS operating system also arrives pre-loaded with Scratch and Minecraft to get those kids working right out of the gate.
This other picture shows a pretty cool Kickstarter campaign that created Porta-Pi Arcade games (with you guessed it Raspberry Pi devices!). I could dedicate a whole post to how awesome these sweet, little machines actually are (we’re running a full media library off of ours with Plex.tv right now as a free alternative to AppleTV) but let’s stay on task and see how they are actually used in Piper and Kano Computer kits!
Our featured kits: Piper vs. Kano Computer Kit
Two popular computer building kits aimed at kids are the Piper Raspberry Pi Computer Kit and the Kano Computer Kit. While you could just go with a straight, off-the-shelf Raspberry Pi kit, this approach isn’t geared towards younger kids. Based on our own past experiences, the Piper and Kano options are probably the most kid-friendly route to go that offers the fewest technical roadblocks.
Remember: for beginners, the goal will be to minimize frustration and maximize fun!
With that in mind, let’s compare the Piper and Kano computer building kits below. Both feature a Raspberry Pi as the “brains” of the operation. Our kids lean towards the Piper system as their favorite. My preference – the Kano. For older kids, with stronger tech skills, I’d consider going with a Raspberry Pi starter kit and hooking it up to an old TV or monitor.
Comparing Piper and Kano Computer Kits: Specifications
The table below highlights the similarities and differences between the two kits, as well as a Raspberry Pi kit currently offered on Amazon that is like an older one we purchased at a local Micro Center. Please note the Raspberry Pi starter kit is not specifically designed for kids and requires a separate touchscreen purchase (like this) or connection to a screen/monitor. Overall, there are many similarities across the core components for the Piper and the Kano. For example, both use a Raspberry Pi computer. Because our kids used the Minecraft edition of the Piper, we are comparing those specs in the table below.
| Piper Raspberry Pi Computer Kit – Minecraft Edition | Kano Computer Kit Complete | Raspberry Pi Starter Kit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Raspberry Pi 3 Model B with 1GB RAM and a 1.2GHz Quad Core CPU | Raspberry Pi 3 Model B with 1GB RAM and a 1.2GHz Quad Core CPU | Raspberry Pi 3 Model B with 1GB RAM and a 1.2GHz Quad Core CPU |
| OS | Piper OS | Kano OS | NOOBS |
| WiFi Enabled? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Case | Wood (pine) | Plastic (clear/white) | Plastic gloss (black) |
| HDMI cable | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| SD Card | 32GB | 8GB | 32GB |
| Power Supply | Lithium battery with charger | Lithium battery with charger | 2.5A USB power supply with micro USB charger |
| Screen size | 7” LCD display | 10” LCD HDMI display | Not included |
| Screen resolution | 800 x 480 | 1280 x 800 (720p) | Not included |
| Speaker | Speaker with system that includes 3.5mm headphone jack | DIY speaker | Not included |
| Keyboard | Buttons/buzzers but not a full keyboard | Wireless keyboard (40h battery life) | Not included |
| Mouse | Two-button mouse | Touchpad | Not included |
| Price | $$$ | $$ | $ |
| Ages | 8-12 | 6+ | 12+ |
| Available on Amazon? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Our kids previously worked with a Piper – Minecraft Pi edition like this one and the Kano computer kit here. We’ve also had them help build some Raspberry Pi kits; again, though these latter ones were not kid specific. At the time of the builds, the kids were in the 6-9yr old bracket with limited computing experience. Without further ado, let’s look closer at the individual kits: Piper vs. Kano.
Rolling up the sleeves – Building a Piper Computer Kit
Build Process: Piper
After unboxing, the Piper features a “cool” set of blueprints (yes, they are really blue) to illustrate the components and the build process. Kids will use the screwdriver to assemble the case, as well as the electronics. You will need to charge certain items like the battery pack so make sure you do this first. From start to finish the entire build can be finished in a few hours.
The blueprints are very graphical (there’s just really limited text) so this should be accessible to most kids; younger ones will need help. Beyond the actual assembly of the case (which our kids loved – thought it made the experience more real), and Raspberry Pi, there are separate, game-based challenges that users can explore to learn more about electronics concepts like working with a breadboard, current, circuits and conduction.
The modified Minecraft that’s deployed on the system provides alternative ways for kids to learn how the components work to change what’s on the screen – basically, solving a game with electrical engineering. Pretty creative approach in our view and one that really resonated with the kids.
Thoughts on Piper
We had trouble with a faulty button (more on that below), but overall the kids really enjoyed building the Piper computer kit. It wasn’t necessarily the “kit” itself that I think they were drawn to but rather the experience of the build, the challenges/games they played and being successful in a finished product. Since the initial build, they’ve moved on to other devices/projects at this point. I think this has more to do with the Piper kit assembly being done – while they enjoyed the build, they weren’t really interested in doing it again. And they found that other “flavors” of Minecraft were more fun because their friends weren’t playing in the Piper version.
Rolling up the sleeves – Building a Kano Computer Kit
Kano follows a different approach to the build than Piper but still a “kid-friendly” one that attempts to make it a unique and memorable experience. We focus here on the Complete kit that has the screen/laptop version. However, we do note that Kano offers a kit without the screen (which is a little cheaper than the model with the screen). In this version, you still build the computer but hook it up to a TV or monitor (via HDMI) rather than assemble the screen portion. I wonder if that would honestly be a better version than the Complete kit because there are fewer potential technical snafus that can emerge. The drawback would be the Complete kit holds a good degree of “cool” factor. 😊
this is the Kano – kind of cute
Build Process: Kano
The build process incorporates a story-based approach that introduces kids to what the various pieces are, what they do, and why they are important (“this is the brains”). The instructions are heavy on the figures and light on the text, so this should be accessible to a broad age range. Once you get Kano assembled and powered up, get ready for a TON of coding challenges and apps within the system that kids can work on.
Also cool (since you are building a computer) is that Kano can function like a real computer.
What do we mean by real?
Kids can access apps like YouTube and Google Docs so it still has the functionality of a real machine. There are interfaces so kids can work with outside programs like Codeacademy and work on more advanced coding projects.
**Note: Be sure to check out our post on coding websites for kids if your kids are new to coding – it’s packed with a range of free and paid options that are designed to teach kids about programming. Give them something to work on after their computer is built!
Thoughts on Kano
Ultimately, I think this aspect of the Kano is important. While there is definitely less hands-on assembly with the Kano, there seems to be more advanced functionality in the end versus the Piper. Our personal Kano Computer Kit experience was only temporary as it was incorporated into a summer course, so it’s unclear if it would have had a better retention time with our kids. My suspicion though is with a seemingly broader range of games and other apps that give it that full computer sophistication (“it’s a real computer” per the kids), it would probably do better.
One thing that we haven’t tried are the “add ons” that you can purchase for kano. Specifically, the motion sensor or pixel kits (see below). Kind of hard to describe – the pictures below help (worth a 1000 words, right?). The Pixel Kit is a “smart” light box featuring 16 million colors that kids use to create different games and light shows. It comes with a microphone so lights become animated from sound. A Motion Sensor kit is also available.
Rolling up the sleeves – Building a Raspberry Pi kit
Ok. I’m going to level with you… This one is probably going to be the least appealing to younger kids.
Build process: Raspberry Pi
There are no cute stories.
No neat blueprints. There’s just a circuit board, some cables and cards, and getting things to properly fit in its case to boot up. Once it’s all connected — beep, bop, boop — you’re good to go.
Now… that does NOT mean these aren’t cool! On the contrary!
This is what we mean by rollup keyboard… it literally rolls up. Super cool if you travel – get one that connects by bluetooth and you can use it to type fast on an iPhone!
It’s just unlikely to carry the attention span of someone <10yrs. Example – we built a Raspberry Pi-powered tablet with a touchscreen. When I assembled it with my then 8yr old daughter, she lost patience after we had to look up/troubleshoot how to get the orientation corrected on the touchscreen. The fix didn’t take long, but when set against the comparison to the Piper or Kano it was immediately deemed less fun. I thought I got her back after I unveiled a cool, rollup keyboard, but it didn’t last for longer than like 20 seconds. Sigh. That’s ok – she was drawn in later for a little bit to Pac Man and Oregon Trail.
I think the generic Raspberry Pi kit route is definitely the cheapest route to go. However, it’s not necessarily a great option for younger kids. The packaging, the unboxing, the delivery attached to the Piper and Kano can’t be ignored. If you have a 10-12 year old who already has some exposure to coding, or who’s interested in learning more about coding, then this could be a very neat option. Why? Because they will be up and running in a short time frame and have a fully running linux-like environment to experiment in. It’s LEGIT! There are several beginner projects they can try to do including some of the following:
- Write a Raspberry Pi Game
- Make a RetroPie with old school video games
- Build a “talking” toy
- Make a Raspberry Pi fart detector
- Learn how to make your first web site
Conclusion – Piper may appeal more to younger kids, but we like the Kano Computer Kit
As we mentioned earlier, our kids preferred the Piper. What EXACTLY did they like? Specifically, our kids enjoyed the Piper components more. The pieces. They felt the Piper pieces were a little easier to work with and get connected. Honestly, I think they were more impressed with the packaging and the “blueprints” that come with the Piper. And that they got to “build” the case with a screwdriver. It felt like they were legitimately constructing something “real”.
Caveats
However, it’s important to note that we had an issue with some Piper components not working properly (buttons) that ultimately required replacement parts. While it certainly could be with how we assembled things, not exactly what you hope to see right off the bat and at that price point. Piper’s support team is very helpful so reach out if issues emerge and they should be responsive.
Since we assembled our Piper, we’ve noticed several Amazon reviews highlighting similar issues. Again, while our problems might have been a one-off issue, at the end of the day, we don’t feel like we can really speak to the reliability of the Piper components because our experience has been so limited.
While we didn’t encounter the same technical issues with the Kano, the Amazon reviews suggest this can happen there too. In our past build, we’ve never interacted with Kano support. So, we can’t comment on how good or bad it is as a resource. What we can say though is all of the manufacturers look very committed to making the kids’ experience a positive and memorable one, and they likely will do whatever they can to correct problems.
Final Take
Kiddo Take
The Piper computer kit appeared to win out, but it was really driven by the act of the build rather than technical aspects of the machine. They were also excited to play with the breadboard. While the Kano Computer Kit build required less effort, the games seemed more appealing to them. The generic Raspberry Pi could not hold their interest for long.
Mom Take
Both the Piper and Kano platform were easy to assemble and offered a kid-friendly approach. Breakdowns in the product can create frustrations for younger kids. Both are well suited for younger kids, while we would opt for the generic Raspberry Pi starter kit for older kids. With the price tag, we would opt for the Kano.
Scientist Take
While the Piper platform offers better exposure to introductory electronics, the Kano Computer kit final interface looks more advanced and offers increasing challenge. The additional components that go with the Kano computer kit (e.g. Motion, Pixel) make this a more level playing field. However, we have not reviewed these products yet. For novice programmers, we point to the Raspberry Pi kit.
BOTTOM LINE: When we consider all the factors — assembly experience, fun, utility post-build, durability, cost — the Kano Computer Kit wins the overall match-up. Our experiences with both were positive. The kids had fun on both! In the end, I think you get a little more bang for the buck with the Kano Computer Kit. A simple, Raspberry Pi kit could be a cheaper alternative to either the Piper or the Kano Computer Kit, however this is unlikely to be suitable for younger kids or kids without much tech background.
If you’ve had an experience with any of these three computer kits (or a different product entirely) – let us know how it compares and what your kids enjoyed most!
STEMomma is a mother & former scientist/educator. She loves to find creative, fun ways to help engage kids in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math). When she’s not busy in meetings or carpooling kids, she loves spending time with the family and dreaming up new experiments or games they can try in the backyard.
