Circuit Cubes Announces Building Block Kits to Teach Circuit Operations

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 02/23/17
Circuit Cubes Announces Building Block Kits to Teach Circuit Operations

A 21st century building block company has released its first three kits — electronic building blocks that snap together and power projects, showing kids the fundamentals of circuitry as they do hands-on play. Circuit Cubes from Tenka Labs stack together to turn household items such as jars, cardboard tubes and old toys into powered objects that drive a motor, light an LED or do something else.

The current set of kits, available for pre-order, include three "essential" cubes — the motor cube, a battery cube and an LED cube. Each is $59.95 and comes with wires, Lego-style bricks and other parts pertaining to the theme of the kit: "Bright Lights," "Smart Art" and "Whacky Wheels." Because the cubes are transparent, users can see the electronic components to better understand how circuits work.

"As teachers and parents, we know that lessons on engineering and circuitry need to be grounded in play to really spark kids' interest and imagination," said Co-founder Nate MacDonald in a press release. "We love the idea of bringing toys into the classroom, but quickly noticed that most educational products today tend to overlook the importance of showing how to connect point A to point B. At the same time, some toys that aim to teach aren't actually that fun to play with."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • a cloud, an AI chip, and a padlock interconnected by circuit-like lines

    CrowdStrike Report: Attackers Increasingly Targeting Cloud, AI Systems

    According to the 2025 Threat Hunting Report from CrowdStrike, adversaries are not just using AI to supercharge attacks — they are actively targeting the AI systems organizations deploy in production. Combined with a surge in cloud exploitation, this shift marks a significant change in the threat landscape for enterprises.

  • digital learning resources including a document, video tutorial, quiz checklist, pie chart, and AI cloud icon

    Quizizz Rebrands as Wayground, Announces New AI Features

    Learning platform Quizizz has become Wayground, in a rebranding meant to reflect "the platform's evolution from a quiz tool into a more versatile supplemental learning platform that's supported by AI," according to a news announcement.

  • Schoolchildren Work on Personal Computers

    Code.org Reinvents Hour of Code as Hour of AI

    Education nonprofit Code.org has partnered with CSforALL to launch the Hour of AI, a global initiative providing learning activities for AI education.

  • student holding a smartphone with thumbs-up and thumbs-down icons, surrounded by abstract digital media symbols and interface elements

    Teaching Media Literacy? Start by Teaching Decision-Making

    Decision-making is a skill that must be developed — not assumed. Students need opportunities to learn the tools and practices of effective decision-making so they can apply what they know in meaningful, real-world contexts.