I was very excited to be chosen as a hostess for the Play with Pai Technology Parties. I did not know what I was receiving when I was chosen, which kept up the anticipation in my household. My youngest who is eleven is homeschooled. He loves technology and couldn’t wait to get his hands on the box. I was overjoyed, as was he, to see a variety of Pai items in the unboxing. In my box, I received:
–Cube-Tastic!
–Ocean Pets
–TJ’s Fairytale Adventure, TJ & the Beanstalk
–Circuit Conductor
-2 AAA batteries
– 2 Spiral Note Sized Notebooks
-5 Coloring Cards to hand out
-1 Flyer
I was excited to read in the flyer, that Staples has Pai Technology Products on sale, 15% off, until August 3! That’s a great way to save on toys that are both fun while helping you learn. Steam toys are definitely the new must have for parents and kids nowadays. They even have a contest going until August 3, 2018. You need to follow them on Instagram @PaiTechnology. Find and like their giveaway photo. Comment on the giveaway photo with which product you are most excited about using #PlaywithPai in the sentence. Then, just tag two friends. They have 5 prizes that they are giving away, so go and check that out!
What is Steam technology? I could ramble on, so I thought that everyone would prefer that I posted a general definition instead. The following is from Sciencecloset.com: “STEAM is an educational approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking.” They are able to wrap up the principals that children equate as homework, school, and work, into fun, bright, and interactive toys. They are learning and are happy doing so. I love our new technological age we live in now.
We love the Rubics Cube in our household, so that is the first product we tore into. The Cube-Tastic! By Pai is rightly named. First off, if your pad , for example were to break, the cube itseld is very well made. It is a much better quality than any Rubics Cube we have ever owned. Secondly, once you get a hang of the app, it is pretty amazing, and I am not sugar coating it. The box it comes in has little, to no directions, really. It pretty much says to go to your Playstore for your operating system and look for and download the Cube-Tastic! App. That is exactly how’s it spelled. It is free to download on Android. That is what I have. The minimal requirements are: IPhone 4 or newer, Ipad 2 or newer, Ipad min or newer, IPad Pro, or Android Smart Phone 4.0.3 or newer. Once you download the app, and agree to their terms, you are off and running. You need to scan the cube, as it tells you. Then you mix up the cube, scan it again, and it gives you the moves to solve it. It actually times you, too. You do the moves in view of the camera, so it can follow you and give you the next move, up until you are done. Then you scan it again, and it verifies it, and gives you the results. It’s pretty magical, especially if you have ever struggled with the cube!
The next product we delved into is the sweet interactive book, TJ’s Fairytale Adventure, TJ & the Beanstalk. There is something so magical about bringing a book to life like this. I may be an adult, but wow do I love this technology. They need to bring it into more books, that’s for sure. Now, the directions for the book are actually located in the back of the book. There is a little flap, open it up, and you will see the little book, labeled Handbook. There are interactive cards for the book, behind it as well. You will need your pad or phone to download the app. The requirements to use the app are: IOS 6.0 and above, Android 4.0 and above. I have an Android based Tablet. The app is free, search Pai Storybooks. Once the app opens, it gives you a clear tutorial on how to use it with the books. Then it will ask you to register and put in a code. For the life of me, it kept counting down to send me a code via email, but I didn’t get it. Then I remembered to check my spam folder, and there it was, lol. So check there before becoming flustered, like me. Then you take out the card from the back of the book, and scan it. Now it can read your book. In the corner of some of the pages, there are two letters printed, AR. You line up the tablet with that corner, and then it brings that page to life and reads you that page. The images are 3D, and act like an interactive video. It is so impressive! The cards that are in the back of the book do the same thing. It is really fun, and truly brings the story to life. Nothing but positives here! We love it.
After delving into storyland, we moved on over to electricity. My husband is an electrician, so I am surprised we didn’t jump into this one first, lol. We already own a competitors’ set up, so I was very curious about this one. Have a butter knife handy. You need one, or a coin, to access the battery compartment of the main unit. It requires 2 AAA batteries to operate. They included them for me to test, but none were in the actual box itself, so I cannot state for sure whether or not they are included. There is an app for this as well. Thus, the saying, There’s an App for that! It is free. Just do a search for Circuit Conductor and download it. The minimum requirements are: IOS 7.0 and above and Android 4.3 and above. You will need 2 GB of memory as well. You can just connect and explore on your own. The app is interactive though and is a quick study of how to set up about 4 different scenarios. The wires are magnetic, so simple for little hands to use and apply. This set is easy to set up and use. You can make sounds, and turn on and off, and dim the lights. There are switches as well. Overall, a fun and interactive beginner set up in circuit electricity.
Last but not least, Ocean Pets. I love this one. We always try and visit the aquarium near us at least once a year, so this particular product really called to us. You will need to download the Ocean Pets App from the Playstore, and it is also free. You need a minimum Iphone 4 and newer, or an Android 4.0.3. I have a Samsung 2 tablet and have had no issues with these apps I have mentioned throughout the blog. There are a lot of parts to this set up. The box really is not user friendly to use as storage, so I suggest getting a container or large Ziploc bag handy, to store the parts in. In this set you get:
1 Cushion (more like a small cutting mat)
2 Putty Tools
8 Sea Creature Templates
8 Putty Colors in Containers
(Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Black, and White)
No parental code is need to use this app. Just accept the terms and you are set to go. It takes you step by step through making your fish out of the dough. Then you scan it with the app, and it comes to life in the screen. I opened up each dough pack, and I only had one that had dried out. The green was the unfortunate casualty. I find this very common wit any brand of modeling clay/dough. If this happens to you, you can just go and exchange your purchase. The dough has a great feel to it. It is soft, but dry. Not sticky at all to the touch, and leaves no residue behind. There is no odor to the dough either. I am very sensitive, and I have had no issues at all. The app is so cute and fun to do. It’s amazing how fast it scans your fish, and brings it to life in the app. The fish are cute to look at and fun to watch. You move the pad around to make it swim. You can even change the view so it looks like the fish is swimming through your actual room. That was a pretty fun feature. You take care of the fish too. You need to name them when you create them, play with the fish, feed them, let them sleep. When you go back in, the directions aren’t written out, but there are not that many areas to click on, so it is easy to figure out. Your fish will be there, so even when you run out of putty, you will still have your aquarium of fish.
Once you click on the fish to play with, it may be hiding in the ocean and you have to find it. Let me tell you what, it is strict on it’s sleeping time. We turned off the tablet, and hours later went back on. It started back at the same time for the sleeping count down. It’s 10 minutes, and it had over 5 minutes left, lol. When you pet, clean, and feed the fish, and let them rest, they grow. There is some educational information in the program as well, which is great. There are even puzzles to solve, as you search in the ocean for the pieces. Overall, this is a pretty fun, and very interactive program. It can be more hands on with new fish creating, or more laid back, where you just play with your current creations.
Everyone had fun watching videos of the products in action, and also being able to actually experience them hands on. The older kids and even adults couldn’t believe the Cube-Tastic app, and how easy it made it to solve the infamous cube. I’ve been having fun talking to people about the items. We had an emergency roof repair which made our party spread out and more personal at times. I honestly think it was more fun and easier this way. It takes time to explain and help people discover the items. We passed on the incredible interactive book to a precious young boy. Bringing stories to life for little kids is a magical experience to see. I wish every young child could experience these stories!
Overall, this has been nothing but a positive and fun experience. I am new to Pai products, and I am thoroughly impressed. The products inspire, teach, entertain, and teach all at the same time.
Pai Technology Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paitechnology/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paitechnology/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaiTechnology
Website: https://www.pai.technology/home
I received these Pai products to experience and share my thoughts, through Tryazon. All opinions are honest and my own. I do not and have not received any money for my posts. I do not make any money off of any sales through Pai either.
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