London-based toy and game manufacturer Tech Will Save Us has launched a Kickstarter campaign in support of its Dough Universe kits, which use conductive dough and basic circuits to help kids learn about the fundamentals of electricity through light, movement and sound.
The Dough Universe line features Electro Dough, a play dough that conducts electricity. Each unit—the Squishy Sounds Kits, the Bright Creatures Kit and the Electro Machines Kit—is sold separately or as a set, and will interact with the company’s first tablet app on iOS and Android. The app will allow kids to bring their physical play to life as it takes users through a series of stories and challenges that teach them how electricity works.
The Squishy Sounds Kits allows kids to build keyboards, drums and pianos as they learn how electricity creates sound. The Bright Creatures Kit features LEDs and buzzers that can be used to mold fire-breathing dragons or snakes with light up scales. The Electro Machines Kit, meanwhile, teaches kids about the basics of mechanics as they build creations that spin, roll and move.
The Kickstarter campaign launched today and will run through July 5. Individual kits will be available through the campaign for US$40 each, and the trio is available for US$100.
Tech Will Save Us has been focused on toys featuring STEAM—science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics—since it was founded in 2012 by Bethany Koby and Daniel Hirschmann. STEM and STEAM products continue to grow in popularity and, for the second year in a row, online retailer Amazon predicted STEM toys would be at the top of kids’ wish lists in its annual summer toy list.