‘littleBits’ is training small intelligence operatives with its new ‘Rule Your Room’ kit

Following the smash success of last year’s ‘Gizmos & Gadgets’ kit, littleBits is at it again with a new kit designed to help kids rule their room. The kit comes with all children need to protect their things all while turning ordinary to extraordinary through use of a smart system that promotes interactive play.

Inside, you’ll find a power source, controllers, sensors, lights and various other modules that snap into place with strong (but not too-strong) magnets. In minutes kids can connect multiple modules using the included guide, or find dozens more projects on the DIY page at littleBits feature community-submitted designs and ideas.

From deterrents booby traps to keep sticky fingers out of drawers to a weighted alarm sensor that sounds once an item is removed, the ‘Rule Your Room’ kit is a lot of fun in a small package from a company we really dig here at The Next Web.

Over the course of a weekend, my son and I managed to get some play time in with the new kit. It’s a good starter set for motivated makers, without being quite as daunting as starting off on a Raspberry Pi or Arduino, while still offering numerous options configuration right out of the box.

My son and I built something like this for his door, only with a “keep out” sign.

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The kit involves no coding, a feature that makes it easy to jump in and get your feet wet without having to worry about programming, voltage, current or other semi-confusing new concepts for beginners. It’s sort of the sweet spot between the hardcore and the just-getting-started with concepts that will carry over from one to the other as your skills advance.

The kit is available this month, and includes the Makey Makey bit, a tool that allows you to create touch-activated intentions to control random things, like a banana controlling your computer mouse. For $99 at the littleBits website, it’s a lot of fun and a great introduction into the maker scene.