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Detective Dot



I saw a post by a mum about a resource to help with coding. Not surprisingly, I jumped with joy and went along to purchase this resource. I possibly faltered for a moment or two, is this wise? I asked myself, will it sit on the shelf like a lot of my ambitious yet spontaneous purchases? Well, only one way to find out! So off I went, through the www to https://www.detectivedot.org
The website itself is lively and full of information, but the 'secret package' is absolutely brilliant!
The mega pack




I decided to purchase the product (the wavering lasted about 30 seconds) , and went for the mega pack. It looked like there was a lot more, and I needed to make sure there was at least something my 7 year old son could do (assuming he didn't like this!)

 The megapack contains not only the book, but business cards, mission cards and his very own I.D card-that is a huge hit on its own.
The mission cards alone have provided hours of fun (and we've only looked at the first 2!)
It's great to see the children can email their pictures, fantastic way to encourage and motive the little ones! My son can't wait for morning so he can get designing and emailing!
Detective Dot -the book 

The book is so well written, it is easy to read, but more importantly I thoroughly enjoy how terminology used in technology has been introduced and explained. The building blocks of coding are knowing the ins and outs of things like viruses, algorithm and so on. There is a lovely glossary at the end too.






The story itself is fantastic. It's based on a girl, who is the main character (the detective). Through her footsteps we are guided through coding and all that is involved in coding. 
We've loved reading through the book so far, and I am absolutely thrilled to see how it easily incorporates coding, and how by the end of the book children will have a sound knowledge (including adults like me!)
Quality
As parents of kids, even the paper matters! Thin paper pages don't last long, especially with younger curious siblings. The book has fought the storm without a tear in a page! It is high quality paper, making it very sturdy and hopefully will last coming storms. The mission cards and other extras are all card, so no need to worry about accidental rips, or even creases (takes a little more effort to crease card quickly!)
Packaging 
If you order something for your child, you want them to feel the excitement from the word get go, or in this case, as soon as the mail hits the rug. It is packaged with all that in mind.
The top secret envelope and the enclosed letter are such a fantastic idea. My 7 year old has found it much more exciting this way. It has definitely added an air of importance and given him a boost of 'I am special'...so excellent work team!

Definitely a 10/10 for this!

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